Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Metal Tolerance and Accumulation in Grevillea Exul VAR Exul

Grevillea exul var exul (Proteaceae), a tree species native to serpentine soils in New Caledonia, is a reported manganese accumulator. Since the metal tolerance of this species remains unknown, its growth and metal accumulation were studied for seven heavy metals under controlled conditions. Brassica juncea, a popular species for metal phytoremediation, was used as a reference. G. exul seedlings were more tolerant to Cr, Zn, Ni, and Cu than B. juncea. There were no differences in Hg, and Cd tolerance between both species. B. juncea seedlings concentrated more Cd, Hg, and Cr in their shoot than G. exul seedlings, while Ni, Zn, and Mn levels were similar for both species. Comparison then focused on tolerance at toxic doses of Ni and Mn using older individuals of both species. No growth inhibition for G. exul plants was observed, whereas the growth of B. juncea was significantly inhibited at the higher metal concentrations. Shoot Mn and Ni concentrations were again lower in G. exul plants as compared to B. juncea, suggesting a mechanism of partial Ni and Mn exclusion in G. exul. In a subsequent study, 1-year-old G. exul plants favored Ni accumulation in roots while Mn accumulated preferentially in shoots.
Observation d'etats d'un vehicule pour l'estimation du profil dans les traces de roulement

Le but de cette these est la realisation d'un estimateur de profil de route base sur les observateurs non lineaires. Nous avons compare les resultats de plusieurs methodes au profil mesure par l'analyseur de profil en long (APL). Nous avons etudie dans un premier temps, la faisabilite de notre approche sur une remorque instrumentee placee sur un support statique. Nous avons alors procede a une reconstruction des signaux d'excitation constituant les entrees inconnues. Afin de developper des observateurs non lineaires, nous avons realise un modele dynamique du vehicule que nous avons valide par des essais sur la piste du LCPC de Nantes. Pour estimer les quatre traces de roulement du vehicule, plusieurs methodes basees sur l'observateur a modes glissants ont ete developpees. Dans un premier temps, tous les parametres du modele sont consideres connus. Ensuite, un observateur etendu par modes glissants permettant d'estimer les forces longitudinales du vehicule a ete developpe pour contourner le probleme de la meconnaissance des coefficients d'adherence et de glissement. Dans une troisieme approche, nous avons realise un observateur triangulaire a modes glissants afin d'obtenir une convergence en temps fini des etats, ceci permet de quantifier les quatre traces de roulement du vehicule sur la chaussee. Une etude comparative entre ces differentes methodes d'estimation utilisant les observateurs, a montre que la convergence en temps fini de l'observateur etait la meilleure facon d'estimer les profils de chaussee. Enfin, nous avons compare les reponses dynamiques du vehicule a chaque entrees de profils, issus respectivement, des observateurs et de la methode inertielle. (A).
EFFECT OF VARYING LEVELS OF SWEET POTATO (IPOMEA BATATAS) PEELS ON GROWTH, FEED UTILIZATION AND SOME BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES OF THE CICHLID (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS)

As a part of its efforts to contribute to alleviation of food insecurity, hunger and poverty, this study was conducted to investigate the performance of the cichlid, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus) fed varying levels of processed sweet potato ( Ipomea Batatas ) peels. The varying levels of sweet potato peel in the different experimental diets were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% (all diets were iso-nitrogenous - 31.23 ± 0.22% crude protein). Twenty mixed-sexed fingerlings of the experimental fish (mean weight 0.47 ± 0.01 g) were fed the different diets for a period of 10 weeks in triplicates. The greatest increase in body weight (1.30 ± 0.07 g) of the fish was achieved with the control diet (P Keywords : Cichlid, potato, nutrition, biochemical responses African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development Vol. 9 (2) 2009: pp. 700-712
Determinants of Bone Loss in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a New Role for Interleukin-6 Polymorphisms?

TO THE EDITOR: Osteoporosis is a frequent complication in patients with in ammatory bowel disease (IBD). The estimated annual cost of osteoporotic fractures in the UK is £742 million (1). The pathogenesis of osteoporosis in IBD remains poorly understood. Observed bone loss is not predictable from disease activity, duration or immunosuppressive therapy. Disequilibrium between pro and anti-in ammatory cytokines in uences the mechanism of chronic in ammatory response in IBD and some of these cytokines in uence bone metabolism. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may be a key mediator in the development of IBD and osteoporosis. It stimulates osteoclasts via receptor binding and promotes expression of IL-1, IL-1B and tumour necrosis factor, all of which have demonstrable in uence on mucosal in ammation and bone resorption in vitro and in vivo. Finally, in ammatory cytokines lead to overproduction of nitric oxide, a potential mediator of bone loss that has been examined in arthritis but only to a limited extent in IBD (2). Polymorphisms in the IL-6 gene have been identi ed at the promoter region (-174 G/C) (3) and 3’ untranslated region (variable nucleotide repeats) (4, 5). These are linked to regulation of bone density by in uencing peak bone mass and resorption rate. However, subsequent siblingpair linkage studies between the 3’ polymorphisms and isolated bone mineral density measurements have failed to con rm this in the normal population (6). Nevertheless, in IBD it is more appropriate to study change in bone density over time in association with such polymorphisms. No studies have been performed using a prospective longitudinal design investigating both 5’ and 3’ IL-6 polymorphisms with suf cient power regarding bone loss and IBD pathogenesis in a representative heterogeneous group of patients and family group controls. Further studies addressing these key issues are required.
Defining disruptive coloration and distinguishing its functions

Disruptive coloration breaks up the shape and destroys the outline of an object, hindering detection. The principle was first suggested approximately a century ago, but, although research has significantly increased, the field remains conceptually unstructured and no unambiguous definition exists. This has resulted in variable use of the term, making it difficult to formulate testable hypotheses that are comparable between studies, slowing down advancement in this field. Related to this, a range of studies do not effectively distinguish between disruption and other forms of camouflage. Here, we give a formal definition of disruptive coloration, reorganize a range of sub-principles involved in camouflage and argue that five in particular are specifically related to disruption: differential blending; maximum disruptive contrast; disruption of surface through false edges; disruptive marginal patterns; and coincident disruptive coloration. We discuss how disruptive coloration can be optimized, how it can relate to other forms of camouflage markings and where future work is particularly needed.
Activation of β-Catenin-Tcf Signaling in Colon Cancer by Mutations in β-Catenin or APC

Inactivation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene initiates colorectal neoplasia. One of the biochemical activities associated with the APC protein is down-regulation of transcriptional activation mediated by β-catenin and T cell transcription factor 4 (Tcf-4). The protein products of mutant APC genes present in colorectal tumors were found to be defective in this activity. Furthermore, colorectal tumors with intact APC genes were found to contain activating mutations of β-catenin that altered functionally significant phosphorylation sites. These results indicate that regulation of β-catenin is critical to APC's tumor suppressive effect and that this regulation can be circumvented by mutations in either APC or β-catenin.
Optimal discrete-time integral sliding manifold design for linear systems subjected to a class of unmatched disturbances

This paper proposes a design method of the discrete-time integral sliding manifold that minimizes linear systems sensitivity to unmatched constant or slowly-varying external disturbances. The impact of unmatched disturbances is evaluated by a steady-state dependent quadratic criterion. An efficient design procedure is derived that easily finds the optimal sliding manifold that minimizes a criterion in discrete-time integral sliding mode control system. The suggested approach has been verified on numerical examples and computer simulations.
A Dynamic Model of Photoproduction, Photoregulation and Photoinhibition in Microalgae using Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Abstract Fluorescence is a powerful tool for observing and understanding photosynthetic processes in microalgae. This paper presents a dynamic model describing key photosynthetic processes, whose predictions can be related to the characteristic fluorescence fluxes arising from Pulsed Amplitude Modulation (PAM) protocols. The mechanistic model by Han is used as a building block for predicting photoproduction and photoinhibition, and an extension is proposed in order to encompass a particular type of photoregulation, namely qE quenching. Moreover, the lake model—a specific type of Photosystem II arrangement—is considered in formulating the quantum yield of fluorescence, which leads to simple expressions of the characteristic fluorescence fluxes in terms of the model variables. A first calibration and validation of the model is performed against experimental data, showing excellent agreement.
Adenylate cyclase toxin is critical for colonization and pertussis toxin is critical for lethal infection by Bordetella pertussis in infant mice

Proliferation of Bordetella pertussis in the lungs of infant mice challenged by the intranasal route was examined. The bacteria rapidly proliferated in the lungs of mice challenged with a sublethal dose of a wild-type strain (BP338) or a filamentous hemagglutinin mutant (BPM409) from 500 at day 0 to 10(7) at day 15. The infection cleared in about 40 days. Pertussis toxin-deficient mutant BP357 gave a similar profile; however, the number of bacteria recovered was slightly reduced, suggesting that pertussis toxin is not essential for bacterial growth in the lungs. In contrast, adenylate cyclase toxin mutant BP348 was rapidly cleared from the lungs, with no viable bacteria remaining 10 days postchallenge, suggesting that the adenylate cyclase toxin is a colonization factor required for the bacteria to initiate infection.
A Topological Analysis of Goldfish Kainate Receptors Predicts Three Transmembrane Segments (*)

Glutamate receptors are the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in vertebrate brain. We have previously cloned cDNAs encoding two homologous kainate receptors (GFKARα, 45 kDa, and GFKARβ, 41 kDa) from goldfish brain and proposed a topology with three transmembrane domains (Wo, Z. G., and Oswald, R. E.(1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 91, 7154-7158). These studies have been extended using an in vitro translation/translocation system in conjunction with site-specific antibodies and point and deletion mutations. We report here that the entire region between the previously proposed third and fourth transmembrane segments is translocated and likely to be extracellular in mature receptors. This was based on the following results. 1) The entire segment was protected from Proteinase K and trypsin digestion and could be immunoprecipitated by a site-specific antibody. 2) Functional sites for N-glycosylation are present in the C-terminal half of the segment, and 3) a mutation, constructed with an additional consensus site for N-glycosylation in the N-terminal half of the segment, was found to be glycosylated at that site. Given the fact that the N terminus of the protein is likely to be extracellular, this would place an even number of transmembrane segments between the extracellular N terminus and the glycosylated segment. In addition, results of N-glycosylation and proteolysis protection assays of GFKARα mutations indicated that the previously proposed second transmembrane segment is not a true transmembrane domain. These results provide further evidence in support of a topology with three transmembrane domains that has important implications for the relationship of structure to function in ionotropic glutamate receptors.
Sparsity-promoting sensor selection for nonlinear target tracking with quantized data

In this paper, sparsity-promoting sensor selection algorithms for target tracking with quantized data are developed. We formulate sensor selection as an optimization problem that aims to strike a balance between estimation accuracy and the number of selected sensors. To cope with sensor selection problems in large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs), we propose a fast centralized optimization algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). We further develop a low-complexity distributed version of the ADMM where each sensor makes a local sensor selection decision. The simulation results show that the proposed centralized and distributed algorithms activate the most informative sensors and yield very good tradeoff between the estimation performance and the cost of sensing and communication. For large scale sensor networks, the distributed ADMM algorithm is more efficient and has lower computational load per sensor node.
Tropical Arthropod Species, More or Less?

New research on tropical beetles could help narrow estimates of how many species live on Earth. If some alien version of the Starship Enterprise visited Earth, what might be the visitors' first question? I think it would be: “How many distinct life forms—species—does your planet have? ” Embarrassingly, our best-guess answer would be in the range of 5 to 10 million eukaryotes (never mind the viruses and bacteria), but we could defend numbers exceeding 100 million, or as low as 3 million.
Inference of Genetic Network of Xenopus Frog Egg : Improved Genetic Algorithm

An improved genetic algorithm (IGA) is proposed to achieve S-system gene network modeling of Xenopus frog egg. Via the time-courses training datasets from Michaelis-Menten model, the optimal parameters are learned. The S-system can clearly describe activative and inhibitory interaction between genes as generating and consuming process. We concern the mitotic control in cell-cycle of Xenopus frog egg to realize cyclin-Cdc2 and Cdc25 for MPF activity. The proposed IGA can achieve global search with migration and keep the best chromosome with elitism operation. The generated gene regulatory networks can provide biological researchers for further experiments in Xenopus frog egg cell cycle control
Post-Transcription Meets Post-Genomic: The Saga of RNA Binding Proteins in a New Era

Gene expression is regulated by a complex series of events that take place both at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The mechanisms and factors involved in transcriptional regulation are relatively well understood, whereas post-transcriptional regulation, in comparison, is still a poorly appreciated process. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are the key regulators of all post-transcriptional events (RNA splicing, stability, transport and translation). Essentially, in order to improve our knowledge in post-transcriptional regulation, we need to elucidate the mechanisms employed by RBPs to control gene expression. The combination of genomic tools with traditional biochemical approaches generated novel technologies, like ribonomics. The application of these novel technologies not only had a profound impact in the study of RBPs but also created the ground work necessary for the identification of post-transcriptional gene networks; a selected group of mRNAs associated with a particular function or biological pathway/process that is regulated by the same RBP. In this review article, we explore the latest achievements and discuss future challenges that lie ahead in the RBP world.
A case of biopsy‐proven myocarditis progressing to autopsy‐proven dilated cardiomyopathy

A 22‐year‐old man presented with congestive heart failure following flulike symptoms. The diagnosis of acute myocarditis was confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy, which revealed mild infiltration of inflammatory cells. A favorable response to beta‐adrenergic receptor blockade was seen, and the patient was discharged without symptoms. Five months later, however, congestive heart failure recurred, and intracardiac thrombi were demonstrated. The patient died after two months. Postmortem examination revealed left ventricular dilatation with slight interstitial fibrosis; the diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy. Thus, progression of biopsy‐proven myocarditis to dilated cardiomyopathy 10 months after the onset of disease was documented.
Effect of glyceryl trinitrate on sperm motility and lipid peroxidation in normozoospermic men.

The objective of this study was to assess the in-vitro effects of the nitric oxide substrate glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) on sperm motility and membrane lipid peroxidation. Nitric oxide (NO) can impair sperm motility, possibly by an alteration of cyclic nucleotide levels. NO may also be protective against lipid peroxidation. Semen samples from nine normospermic men were prepared by a swim-up technique. Each specimen was divided into four aliquots, one of which was the control sample. The other three had 10(-6), 10(-8) or 10(-10) M GTN added. Sperm motility was then analysed over 180 min using a Hamilton Thorn motility analyser. Lipid peroxidation was assessed by measuring media malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at 180 min. Compared with control, the following measurements were reduced (p < 0.05) over the first 60 min in the 10(-6) M GTN aliquots only: mean path velocity (reduced by 14-15%), curvilinear velocity (reduced by 12-21%), straight-line velocity (reduced by 18-19%) and percentage of hyperactivated spermatozoa (reduced by 38-43%). MDA levels and head movement parameters were comparable amongst all aliquots (p > 0.05). The depressant effects of GTN on sperm motility appeared to be transient and reversible. The effects observed may be due to NO generated by GTN, or to GTN itself. This suggests that NO may have a role in vivo as a physiological inhibitor of sperm motility. The addition of GTN did not appear either to cause sperm membrane damage or to protect the spermatozoa from lipid peroxidation.
Association of Depression and Diabetes Complications: A Meta-Analysis

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the strength and consistency of the relationship between depression and diabetes complications in studies of type 1 and type 2 adult patients with diabetes. Method MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles examining depression and diabetes complications in type 1 and type 2 diabetes samples published between 1975 and 1999. Meta-analytic procedures were used. Studies were reviewed for diabetes type, sample size, statistical tests, and measures of diabetes complications and depression. Significance values, weighted effect sizes r, 95% confidence intervals (CI), and tests of homogeneity of variance were calculated for the overall sample (k = 27) and for subsets of interest. Results A total of 27 studies (total combined N = 5374) met the inclusion criteria. A significant association was found between depression and complications of diabetes (p < .00001, z = 5.94). A moderate and significant weighted effect size (r = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.22–0.28) was calculated for all studies reporting sufficient data (k = 22). Depression was significantly associated with a variety of diabetes complications (diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, macrovascular complications, and sexual dysfunction). Effect sizes were in the small to moderate range (r = 0.17 to 0.32). Conclusions These findings demonstrate a significant and consistent association of diabetes complications and depressive symptoms. Prospective, longitudinal studies are needed to identify the pathways that mediate this association.
Development and field validation of a biotic ligand model predicting chronic copper toxicity to Daphnia magna

In this study, we developed a toxicity model predicting the long‐term effects of copper on the reproduction of the cladoceran Daphnia magna that is based on previously reported toxicity tests in 35 exposure media with different water chemistries. First, it was demonstrated that the acute copper biotic ligand model (BLM) for D. magna could not serve as a reliable basis for predicting chronic copper toxicity. Consequently, BLM constants for chronic exposures were derived by multiple regression analysis of 21‐d median effective concentrations (EC50s; expressed as Cu2+ activity) versus physicochemistry from a large toxicity dataset and the results of an additional experiment in which the individual effect of sodium on copper toxicity was investigated. The effect of sodium on chronic toxicity (log KNaBL = 2.91) seemed to be similar to its effect on acute toxicity (log KNaBL = 3.19). However, in contrast to the acute BLM, no significant calcium, magnesium, or combined competition effect was observed, and an increase in proton competition and bioavailability of CuOH+ and CuCO3 complexes was noted. Some indirect evidence was also found for some limited toxicity of complexes of copper with two of three tested types of dissolved organic matter. Because the latter was only a minor effect, this factor was not included in the chronic Cu BLM. The newly developed model performed well in predicting 21‐d EC50s and no‐observed‐effect concentrations in natural water samples: 79% of the toxicity threshold values were predicted within a factor of two of the observed values. It is clear, however, that more research is needed to provide information on the exact mechanisms that have resulted in different BLM constants for chronic exposures (as opposed to acute exposures). It is suggested that the developed model can contribute to the improvement of risk assessment procedures of copper by incorporating bioavailability of copper in these regulatory exercises.
Isolated Swiss-Forward three-phase rectifier for aircraft applications

Recently an important increase of the electrical equipment in modern aircrafts is leading to an increase in the demand for electrical power. The usual electrical power distribution in aircraft applications is done via a three-phase 115Vac grid. A new trend of DC distribution is emerging employing a 270 Vdc grid. This yields the need for high-efficiency and high power-density AC-DC converters, connecting the two grids while providing galvanic isolation. Traditionally 12-pulse autotransformer passive rectifiers are used in aircraft applications. This converter is robust and highly reliable, however it is a non-controlled topology and it is relatively heavy because of the low frequency power transformer. Two-stage rectifier system approaches, employing three-phase PWM rectifiers or active filters and isolated DC-DC converters, are good alternatives to be applied in aircraft applications, to reduce the weight by using high frequency transformers and inductors. However, two-stage topologies process the energy twice leading to lower efficiency, power density. The reliability is also not very high due to a high semiconductor component count. This paper presents a new isolated single-stage PWM rectifier system, based on the recently presented non-isolated Swiss rectifier topology, called the Swiss-Forward rectifier. The principle of operation of this converter topology is presented together with detailed design guidelines and experimental validation on a 3.3kW 115Vac to 270Vdc prototype.