Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shrinkage of growing Escherichia coli cells by osmotic challenge

The immediate response of growing Escherichia coli to changing external osmotic pressure was studied with stopped-flow turbidimetric measurements with a narrow-beam spectrophotometer. It is shown theoretically that in such a photometer rod-shaped bacteria have an apparent absorbance which is proportional to the inverse of the surface area. The apparent optical density, corrected for effects of alteration of the index of refraction of the medium, increased continuously as the external osmotic pressure was raised. Because of the short time scale of the measurements, the turbidity increases could result either from shrinkage of the cells or from plasmolysis, or both, but not from growth or metabolic adaptation. With low concentrations of pentose such that the external osmotic pressure was not greater than that inside the cells, plasmolysis would not occur and, consequently, only shrinkage of the previously stretched sacculus remains to account for the observed optical effects. Taking the osmotic pressure of the growing cells as 5 atmospheres (506 kPa), the turbidity changes correspond to the murein fabric having been stretched 20% beyond its unstressed equilibrium area during growth under the conditions used.
Reduced effect of pH on skinned rabbit psoas muscle mechanics at high temperatures: implications for fatigue.

1. Inhibition of actomyosin function by decreased pH has been proposed to account for much of the depression of muscle function during fatigue. The clearest support for this hypothesis has been from studies of skinned skeletal muscle fibre mechanics at low temperatures (< or = 15 degrees C). 2. We re‐examined the effect of decreased pH (7.0‐6.2) on skinned mammalian skeletal fibre mechanics at low (10 degrees C) and high (30 degrees C) temperatures, using recently developed protocols that allow reproducible mechanical data to be obtained at higher temperatures. 3. At 10 degrees C we duplicated previous observations of a significant inhibition of maximum shortening velocity (Vmax) and isometric tension (Po) by acidosis. In contrast, at the higher temperature, we found only a very minimal effect of acidosis on Vmax and a threefold reduction in the decrease in Po. 4. Thus at temperatures only slightly below physiological for mammalian skeletal muscle systems, pH plays a much less important role in the process of muscle fatigue at the cross‐bridge level than has been suggested by data obtained at physiologically unrealistic temperatures.
Global Transcriptional Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Sugar Transporters Using Microarrays

ABSTRACT The transport of carbohydrates by Streptococcus mutans is accomplished by the phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphotransferase system (PTS) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. To undertake a global transcriptional analysis of all S. mutans sugar transporters simultaneously, we used a whole-genome expression microarray. Global transcription profiles of S. mutans UA159 were determined for several monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose, and mannose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose, and trehalose), a β-glucoside (cellobiose), oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose, and maltotriose), and a sugar alcohol (mannitol). The results revealed that PTSs were responsible for transport of monosaccharides, disaccharides, β-glucosides, and sugar alcohol. Six PTSs were transcribed only if a specific sugar was present in the growth medium; thus, they were regulated at the transcriptional level. These included transporters for fructose, lactose, cellobiose, and trehalose and two transporters for mannitol. Three PTSs were repressed under all conditions tested. Interestingly, five PTSs were always highly expressed regardless of the sugar source used, presumably suggesting their availability for immediate uptake of most common dietary sugars (glucose, fructose, maltose, and sucrose). The ABC transporters were found to be specific for oligosaccharides, raffinose, stachyose, and isomaltosaccharides. Compared to the PTSs, the ABC transporters showed higher transcription under several tested conditions, suggesting that they might be transporting multiple substrates.
Menadione-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction and its possible significance.

Although several studies have shown that treatment with menadione leads to endothelial cell cytotoxicity, investigations of menadione's effects on blood vessels are limited. Our previous studies have shown that menadione can indirectly induce alterations in vasomotor tone through platelet cytotoxicity. To determine if menadione affects vascular function, we investigated the effect of menadione on blood vessels using the isolated rat aortic rings in vitro organ bath system. Treatment with menadione directly resulted in contraction of aortic rings with endothelium but did not cause any effect on aortic rings without endothelium. Menadione irreversibly inhibited the acetylcholine- and histamine-induced relaxation of aortic rings with endothelium in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Menadione treatment potentiated phenylephrine- and serotonin-induced vasoconstriction in aortic rings with endothelium. These in vitro results were observed at concentrations of menadione that are highly relevant to human therapeutics with menadione. When menadione was administrated intravenously to rats, blood pressure increased significantly in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, menadione infusion suppressed the blood pressure reduction induced by acetylcholine. By demonstrating that menadione caused in vitro endothelial dysfunction (i.e., decreased relaxation and increased vasoconstriction in the organ bath experiments) and confirming that these results were consistent with in vivo observations, we have provided evidence suggesting that a quinone such as menadione can alter vasomotor tone through endothelial dysfunction. Such dysfunction could possibly contribute to vascular diseases.
Oral administration of deuterium-labelled polyamines to sucking rat pups: luminal uptake, metabolic fate and effects on gastrointestinal maturation

Non-physiological amounts of oral polyamines have been reported to induce precocious gut maturation in rat pups. The aim of the present study was to investigate organ distribution and metabolic fate of orally administered stable-isotopically labelled polyamines in rat pups. Pups received tetradeuterium-labelled putrescine (Pu-d4; 3 μmol), spermidine (Sd-d4; 5 μmol), spermine (Sp-d4; 3 μmol), or physiological saline twice daily on postnatal days 7–10 or 12–15. They were killed on days 10 and 15. We determined activities of ileal lactase (EC 3.2.1.23), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20), sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48) and diamine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.6) and established villus and crypt lengths. Polyamines and their labelling percentages in organs were determined by GC and mass fragmentography. Treatments did not affect growth rate, but caused lower weights of liver, kidneys and heart. Maltase activity increased, lactase decreased, whereas sucrase and diamine oxidase did not change. Villus and crypt lengths increased. Organ polyamine pools were labelled to different extents. Irrespective of the orally administered polyamine, all organs contained Pu-d4, Sd-d4 and Sp-d4. Administered Pu-d4 and Sd-d4 were recovered mainly as Sd-d4, whereas Sp-d4 was recovered as Sp-d4 and Sd-d4. Total polyamines in a caecum, colon and erythrocytes increased, but increases were only to a minor extent with regard to labelled polyamines. Our data confirm precocious gut maturation by exogenous polyamines. Putrescine appears to be the limiting factor. The exogenous polyamines were distributed among all investigated organs. They are not only used for the synthesis of higher polyamines, but also retroconverted to their precursors. Changes in erythrocyte polyamine contents suggest precocious stimulation of erythropoiesis.
Cumulative incidence of radiation-induced cavernomas in long-term survivors of medulloblastoma.

OBJECT The goal of this study was to determine the incidence of radiation-induced cavernomas in children treated for medulloblastoma. METHODS A retrospective chart and film review was performed for all patients treated for medulloblastoma at the Insitute for Neurology and Neurosurgery/Beth Israel Medical Center between August 1996 and the present. The clinical and radiographic histories of pediatric patients (ages 3-21 years at diagnosis) with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of medulloblastoma who received craniospinal radiation therapy were reviewed. Fifty-nine patients were identified, with a mean age at radiation treatment of 7.7 years and a mean follow-up time of 7.2 years. The dose to the craniospinal axis was 24 Gy (31 patients) or 36 Gy (28 patients). The radiation energy in the craniospinal axis was provided by photons in 55 patients and protons in four. All patients received a posterior fossa boost of 54 Gy (46 patients) or 72 Gy (13 patients). Twenty-six lesions developed in 18 patients (31%) during the observation period. The cumulative incidence of lesion development was 5.6, 14, and 43%, at 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. The sites of occurrence were cerebral (20 cases) and cerebellar (six cases). There was no significant correlation between age at diagnosis, sex, craniospinal radiation dose or energy source, and lesion development. Only one patient required surgical intervention for a symptomatic hemorrhagic lesion in the frontal lobe. Histological analysis in this case was consistent with cavernoma. CONCLUSIONS Cavernomas are common after cranial irradiation in children, and their incidence increases over time. Most of these lesions follow a benign course and do not require intervention.
AGGRESSIVE POSTERIOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the anatomic and functional outcomes of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity occurring at the authors' institution. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of inborn infants developing aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity from January 2004 through January 2008. Birth histories, interventions, and outcomes were reviewed. Results: Twenty-two infants were identified as having aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity. All eyes underwent peripheral laser ablation. Seven infants (14 eyes) required a second session of laser. Five infants (eight eyes) progressed to retinal detachment that was successfully repaired by lens-sparing vitrectomy. Seven eyes developed stage 4a detachments, and 1 eye developed a stage 4b detachment. Forty-three eyes (43 of 44) demonstrated a good anatomic outcome with minimal posterior pole distortion. Conclusion: The management of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity requires frequent screening examinations and timely intervention as outlined in the Early Treatment Retinopathy of Prematurity Study. Eyes progressing to retinal detachment may still have a good structural outcome with lens-sparing vitrectomy.
Gastrointestinal motility and neurogastroenterology

Abstract Nordic research on gastrointestinal motility has since 1965 made substantial contributions to our current understanding of gastrointestinal function. During the last decade, the term neurogastroenterology has widened the concept of motility research into the study of gastrointestinal sensory-motor function, including the complex central nervous system interaction. The discovery of a non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) innervation of the gut in the sixties was made by considerable contributions from the Nordic countries with the Martinson group in Sweden as central innovators. Important discoveries regarding the intramural nerve ganglia as mediators of the autonomic nervous input has also been produced from this research. In clinical motility research, the study of the migrating motor complex in the small bowel has revealed its ability to act as a retroperistaltic pump in the proximal duodenum (Sweden) and its important role for gut microbial homeostasis (Norway). Also in the development of methodology to study gut sensory-motor function, the Nordic countries has contributed. Examples are the physical characteristics of the esophageal manometry catheter (Denmark), the use of ultrasound for assessment of gastric function (Norway), a temporary electrical stimulation method in patients with severe nausea and vomiting (Sweden), a rectal barostat method for clinical evaluation of recto-anal function and a colonic transit time method utilizing radio-opaque markers (Sweden). In later years, the research collaborations have increasingly become worldwide in a manner making it less easy to define pure Nordic contributions.
Linear decrease in .VO2max and performance with increasing altitude in endurance athletes.

It has been hypothesized that one reason for decreased . VO(2max) in hypoxia could be the lower maximal exercise intensity achieved in incremental, time or distance trial tests. We hypothesized that (1). VO(2max) would be decreased at altitude even when exercising at the same absolute maximal exercise intensity as at sea level and; (2) the decline in . VO(2max) in endurance-trained athletes (ETA) would be linear across the range from sea level through moderate altitudes. Eight ETA performed combined . VO(2max) and performance tests running to exhaustion at the same speed in a randomized double blind fashion at simulated altitudes of 300, 800, 1,300, 1,800, 2,300 and 2,800 m above sea level using a hypobaric chamber. Douglas bag system was used for respiratory measurements and pulse oximetry was used to estimate arterial O(2) saturation. VO(2max) declined linearly from 66+/-1.6 ml kg(-1) min(-1) at 300 m to 55+/-1.6 ml kg(-1) min(-1) at 2,800 m corresponding to a 6.3% decrease per 1,000 m increasing altitude (range 4.6-7.5%). Time to exhaustion (performance) at a constant velocity associated with 107% of sea level . VO(2max) decreased with 14.5% (P<0.001) per 1,000 m altitude between 300 and 2,800 m. Both . VO(2max) and performance decreased from 300 to 800 m (P<0.01; P<0.05). Arterial haemoglobin oxygen saturation at test cessation (SpO(2min)) declined from 89.0+/-2.9% at 300 m to 76.5+/-4.0% at 2,800 m (P=0.001). This study report that in ETA during acute exposure to altitude both performance and . VO(2max) decline from 300 to 800 m above sea level and continued to decrease linearly to 2,800 m.
ABA-dependent inhibition of the ubiquitin proteasome system during germination at high temperature in Arabidopsis.

During germination, endogenous and environmental factors trigger changes in the transcriptome, translatome and proteome to break dormancy. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) degrades proteins that promote dormancy to allow germination. While research on the UPS has focused on the identification of proteasomal substrates, little information is known about the regulation of its activity. Here we characterized the activity of the UPS during dormancy release and maintenance by monitoring protein ubiquitination and degradation of two proteasomal substrates: Suc-LLVY-AMC, a well characterized synthetic substrate, and FUSCA3 (FUS3), a dormancy-promoting transcription factor degraded by the 26S proteasome. Our data indicate that proteasome activity and protein ubiquitination increase during imbibition at optimal temperature (21°C), and are required for seed germination. However, abscisic acid (ABA) and supraoptimal temperature (32°C) inhibit germination by dampening both protein ubiquitination and proteasome activity. Inhibition of UPS function by high temperature is reduced by the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor, fluridone, and in ABA biosynthetic mutants, suggesting that it is ABA dependent. Accordingly, inhibition of FUS3 degradation at 32°C is also dependent on ABA. Native gels show that inhibition of proteasome activity is caused by interference with the 26S/30S ratio as well as free 19S and 20S levels, impacting the proteasome degradation cycle. Transfer experiments show that ABA-mediated inhibition of proteasome activity at 21°C is restricted to the first 2 days of germination, a time window corresponding to seed sensitivity to environmental and ABA-mediated growth inhibition. Our data show that ABA and high temperature inhibit germination under unfavourable growth conditions by repressing the UPS.
State funding of Czech political parties: The signs of acartel?

The paper analyses the system of public funding of political parties in the Czech Republic in the framework of the cartelization theory. After a theoretical introduction, the paper presents an overview of the laws governing political party funding in a wider socioeconomic context. The second part of the paper contains empirical analyses of party funding, focusing primarily on the role that state funding plays in the overall political party income structure.
Willingness to undergo HIV testing in the Kintampo districts of Ghana.

BACKGROUND HIV testing is currently a major prevention intervention and remains an entry point to early treatment, care and support. Uptake is however low and alternative approaches are currently being adopted. OBJECTIVE An HIV module was incorporated into the routine survey of the Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) to assess the willingness of adults living in the Kintampo North and South districts to undergo HIV testing. DESIGN The study was a descriptive cross-sectional household survey. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify predictors of the willingness to undergo HIV testing. PARTICIPANTS Respondents were community members aged 15 to 49 years and selected from randomly generated household listings from the KHDSS. RESULTS A total of 11,604 respondents were interviewed, 10,982 (94.6%) of respondents had good general knowledge on HIV/AIDS. Among those with knowledge about HIV/AIDS, 10,819 (98.5%) indicated their willingness to get tested for HIV. Rural residents were more willing to undergo HIV testing than urban dwellers Odds ratio=1.42 (95% Confidence interval: 1.03, 1.96; P-value=0.031). Respondents with primary education were more likely to go for testing relative to those without any education OR=2.02 (95% CI: 0.87, 4.70; P-value=0.046). CONCLUSION Expressed willingness to test for HIV is high in this population. Exploring community and population-based interventions to HIV testing and counseling could increase uptake of HIV testing services and should be considered. The underlying motivations need to be explored in order to translate willingness into actual testing.
Effect of calf isolation on follicular wave dynamics, gonadotropin and metabolic hormone changes, and interval to first ovulation in beef cows fed either of two energy levels postpartum.

The effects of postpartum energy intake, restricted suckling, and cow-calf isolation on concentrations of LH, FSH, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and on postpartum anestrous interval were determined by randomly allocating beef cows with a mean body condition score of 2.3 +/- 0.1 to receive either 80 MJ metabolizable energy (low-energy diet [L]; n = 51) or 120 MJ metabolizable energy (high-energy diet [H]; n = 52) per cow per day from calving. At 30 days postpartum, cows within diet were randomized to 1) have continued full access to their calves from birth to weaning (ad libitum suckling: ADLIB), 2) be suckled once-daily with their calves penned adjacent (restricted suckling, adjacent: RESADJ), 3) be isolated from all calves except for a once-daily suckling period (restricted suckling, isolated: RESISO). The mean postpartum interval was similar (p > 0.10) for L and H cows (62 and 63 days, respectively). RESADJ cows had a shorter (p < 0.05) postpartum interval than ADLIB cows, and RESISO cows had a shorter interval (p < 0.05) than RESADJ cows, with all effects independent (p > 0.10) of diet. FSH secretion pattern was not affected by diet, suckling treatment, sequential follicle wave number, or follicle wave retrospectively realigned to emergence of first ovulatory wave. Within 5 days of suckling restriction and calf isolation, the number of LH pulses increased from 0.18 to 0.48 pulses per hour (p < 0.05). Both mean LH and the mean number of LH pulses increased linearly (p < 0.01) during the six follicle waves up to the first ovulatory wave. From 80 days before, until the time of, first ovulation, growth hormone decreased (p < 0.05) while IGF-I increased (p < 0.05), irrespective of treatment. The results indicate that the "suckling effect" in beef cows is the major factor affecting the duration of the postpartum interval and suggests that the maternal bond is more important than suckling in regulating LH pulse frequency, the key endocrine factor determining whether or not a dominant follicles ovulates. Removal of the suckling effect resulted in a rapid increase in LH pulse frequency, which was not dependent on level of postpartum nutrition, at least within the nutritional limits of this study. Mean concentrations of FSH, unlike LH, did not vary with follicle wave number, suggesting that lack of FSH is not a major factor delaying the resumption of ovulation in postpartum beef cows.
The Expansion of “Private” Schools in England, Sweden and Eastern Germany: A Comparative Perspective on Policy Development, Regulation, Policy Goals and Ideas

Abstract In a diverse range of European countries, there has been an increase in the proportion of pupils attending schools owned by private bodies but funded by the state. This article compares the policy development and governance of private government-dependent schools in three countries/regions: England, Sweden and Berlin/Brandenburg in Eastern Germany. It is found that the regulatory frameworks vary and are associated with specific policy goals and ideas, with apparently similar ideas having different meanings. It is also found that the growth of private government-dependent schools is related to policy goals, differing institutional configurations and political parties.
Transcribing RNA Polymerase II Is Phosphorylated at CTD Residue Serine-7

RNA polymerase II is distinguished by its large carboxyl-terminal repeat domain (CTD), composed of repeats of the consensus heptapeptide Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Differential phosphorylation of serine-2 and serine-5 at the 5′ and 3′ regions of genes appears to coordinate the localization of transcription and RNA processing factors to the elongating polymerase complex. Using monoclonal antibodies, we reveal serine-7 phosphorylation on transcribed genes. This position does not appear to be phosphorylated in CTDs of less than 20 consensus repeats. The position of repeats where serine-7 is substituted influenced the appearance of distinct phosphorylated forms, suggesting functional differences between CTD regions. Our results indicate that restriction of serine-7 epitopes to the Linker-proximal region limits CTD phosphorylation patterns and is a requirement for optimal gene expression.