Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biodiversity of trematodes associated with amphibians from a variety of habitats in Corrientes Province, Argentina

Abstract The main goals of this study were to compare the richness of parasitic trematodes in amphibians with diverse habits (terrestrial, fossorial, semi-aquatic and arboreal), and to evaluate whether the composition of the trematode community is determined by ecological relationships. Specimens were collected between April 2001 and December 2006 from a common area (30 ha) in Corrientes Province, Argentina. Trematodes of amphibians in this area comprised a total of 19 species, and were dominated by common species. Larval trematodes presented highest species richness, with the metacercaria of Bursotrema tetracotyloides being dominant in the majority (7/9, 78%) of the parasite communities. Adults of the trematode Catadiscus inopinatus were dominant in the majority (6/9, 67%) of amphibians. The amphibians Leptodactylus latinasus, Leptodactylus bufonius and Scinax nasicus presented a high diversity of trematodes, whereas Leptodactylus chaquensis had the lowest diversity even though it presented with the highest species richness. The patterns of similarity among amphibian species showed groups linking with their habitats. Leptodactilid amphibians, with a generalist diet and an active foraging strategy showed highest infection rates with adult trematodes. The mean richness of trematode species related to host's habitat preferences was higher in semi-aquatic amphibians. Results suggest that semi-aquatic amphibians, present in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, present a greater diversity of parasites as they have a higher rate of exposure to a wider range of prey species and, hence, to diverse infective states. The trematode composition is related to the diets and mobility of the host, and habitat.
The Research Fruit of Abroad Life Satisfaction and Its Significance

Life satisfaction is an important part of subject well-being,it's an important parameter and subject index of measuring life quality.This article comments the research value and the significance,summarizes the research fruit of life satisfaction at home and abroad,carries on the summary to fundamental research of domestic and foreign life satisfaction,and introduces all kinds of forecast index of life satisfaction,which has an important enlightenment role for the later research at home and abroad.
Refined Pan-Sharpening With NSCT and Hierarchical Sparse Autoencoder

Most of available pan-sharpening technologies suffer from spectral and spatial distortions, for the coarse extraction from Panchromatic (Pan) image and brute injection of details to multispectral (MS) images. In this paper, in order to reduce the color distortion and enhance the spatial information of fused images, we propose a refined pan-sharpening (RPS) method using geometric multiscale analysis (GMA) and hierarchical sparse autoencoder (HSAE). First, a GMA tool, nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT), is used to capture directional details of the Pan image at multiple scales. Then at each scale, HSAE is developed to gradually filter out the refined spatial details, via sparsely coding details under spatial self-dictionaries. The refined details are then injected into MS images to alleviate spectral distortions. By exploring the spatial structure in images and refining the spatial details injection via HSAE, RPS can reduce distortions to present fidelity colors and sharp appearance. Some experiments are taken on several datasets collected by QuickBird, Geoeye, and IKONOS satellites, and the experimental results show that RPS can reduce distortions in both the spectral and spatial domains, and outperform some related methods in terms of both visual results and numerical guidelines.
Biomarkers for Parkison's disease: Tools to assess Parkinson's disease onset and progression

Reliable and well‐validated biomarkers for PD to identify individuals “at risk” before motor symptoms, accurately diagnose individuals at the threshold of clinical PD, and monitor PD progression throughout its course would dramatically accelerate research into both PD cause and therapeutics. Biomarkers offer the potential to provide a window onto disease mechanism, potentially generating therapeutic targets for disease. In particular, biomarkers enable investigation of the premotor period of PD before typical symptoms are manifest, but while degeneration has already begun. Given the multiple genetic causes for PD already identified, the marked variability in the loss of dopaminergic markers measured by imaging at motor symptom onset and the clear heterogeneity of clinical symptoms in PD onset and clinical progression, it is likely many biomarkers with a focus ranging from clinical symptoms to PD pathobiology to molecular genetic mechanisms will be necessary to fully map PD risk and progression. Biomarkers are also critical in new drug development for PD, both in early validation studies to assess drug dosing and to determine drug penetrance into the brain, and in later efficacy studies to complement PD clinical outcomes. During the past two decades, much progress has been made in identifying and assessing PD biomarkers, but as yet, no fully validated biomarker for PD is currently available. Nonetheless, there is increasing evidence that molecular genetics, focused ‐omic (proteomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic) assessment of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and advanced in vivo brain imaging will provide critical clues to assist in the diagnosis and medical management of PD patients. Ann Neurol 2008;64 (suppl):S111–S121
Crystal structure of bovine 3‐hydroxyanthranilate 3,4‐dioxygenase

3‐Hydroxyanthranilate 3,4‐dioxygenase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 3‐hydroxyanthranilate to quinolinic acid, has been extracted and purified from bovine kidney, crystallized and its structure determined at 2.5 Å resolution. The enzyme, which crystallizes in the triclinic P1 space group, is a monomer, characterized by the so‐called cupin fold. The monomer of the bovine enzyme mimics the dimer present in lower species, such as bacteria and yeast, since it is composed of two domains: one of them is equivalent to one monomer, whilst the second domain corresponds to only a portion of it. The active site consists of an iron ion coordinated by two histidine residues, one glutamate and an external ligand, which has been interpreted as a solvent molecule. It is contained in the N‐terminal domain, whilst the function of the C‐terminal domain is possibly structural. The catalytic mechanism very likely has been conserved through all species, since the positions of all residues considered relevant for the reaction are present from bacteria to humans. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 1189–1195, 2009.
The design and implementation of EMP: A message-oriented middleware for mobile cloud computing

Message-oriented middleware could used for communications among mobile devices and servers in data center. As an example of communications, we described a framework of message-oriented middleware on Erlang runtime environment, named EMP, to process the messages among the different devices. The platform includes the service-oriented protocol, unified message interface, and the message process engine. This paper has discussed the message-oriented middleware architecture and its implementation methods, which includes message-oriented architecture, protocol used for communication between cloud to cloud and between mobile device to cloud, unified message interface and message defintions and formats. In this paper, we also shared some of the test results of the middleware.
Dissecting the expression dynamics of RNA-binding proteins in posttranscriptional regulatory networks

In eukaryotic organisms, gene expression requires an additional level of coordination that links transcriptional and posttranslational processes. Messenger RNAs have traditionally been viewed as passive molecules in the pathway from transcription to translation. However, it is now clear that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an important role in cellular homeostasis by controlling gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Here, we show that RBPs, as a class of proteins, show distinct gene expression dynamics compared to other protein coding genes in the eukaryote Sacchoromyces cerevisiae. We find that RBPs generally exhibit high protein stability, translational efficiency, and protein abundance but their encoding transcripts tend to have a low half-life. We show that RBPs are also most often posttranslationally modified, indicating their potential for regulation at the protein level to control diverse cellular processes. Further analysis of the RBP-RNA interaction network showed that the number of distinct targets bound by an RBP (connectivity) is strongly correlated with its protein stability, translational efficiency, and abundance. We also note that RBPs show less noise in their expression in a population of cells, with highly connected RBPs showing significantly lower noise. Our results indicate that highly connected RBPs are likely to be tightly regulated at the protein level as significant changes in their expression may bring about large-scale changes in global expression levels by affecting their targets. These observations might explain the molecular basis behind the cause of a number of disorders associated with misexpression or mutation in RBPs. Future studies uncovering the posttranscriptional networks in higher eukaryotes can help our understanding of the link between different levels of regulation and their role in pathological conditions.
Enrichment of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cells by Melanoma Cell Adhesion Molecule Expression1

ABSTRACT Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) provide the foundation of spermatogenesis, but studies are hampered by their scarcity. Although the cryptorchid operation is often used to obtain an enriched SSC population, making cryptorchid testes is time-consuming and the technique is not applicable to many animal species. In the present study, we screened for a new surface antigen on SSCs using germline stem (GS) cells (i.e., cultured SSCs). Germ cell transplantation experiments showed that SSCs express melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), which belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and mediates cation-independent adhesion. Although MCAM overexpression in GS cells did not influence SSC colony formation frequency or subsequent spermatogenesis after transplantation, MCAM knockdown in GS cells by short-interfering RNA treatment reduced colony numbers, suggesting that MCAM plays a role in sustaining SSC potential. Multiparameter selection of wild-type adult testis cells with a CD9+EPCAMlowMCAM+KIT− phenotype resulted in a 561-fold enrichment of SSCs. Development of a new strategy for SSC enrichment from mature adult testes will facilitate analyses of SSCs in the normal testicular microenvironment.
Load sharing and graft forces in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions with the Ligament Augmentation Device

Buckle transducers were used to directly measure load sharing and overall force in three segment (semitendi nosus, gracilis, Ligament Augmentation Device) and two segment (patellar tendon, LAD) composite ACL grafts during the application of anteriorly directed loads to a series of five fresh knee specimens with a pneu matic load apparatus. The total graft forces generated in the two segment and three segment composite reconstructions during this immediate postoperative state were highly variable when compared to the normal ACL in each specimen, and were irreproducible among the five specimens. Load sharing among the graft com ponents occurred and was also variable in both recon structions, with this variation being greater in the three segment graft. The LAD carried an average of 45% of the total graft force in the three segment graft and 28% in the two segment graft. Further work is required to clarify the source of the variability in the total graft force and load sharing observed in this study.
A sub-10-ps multiphase sampling system using redundancy

This paper demonstrates a multichannel multiphase sampling system using a 700-MHz operating frequency to produce a base sampling rate of 7 GSample/s for each channel in a typical 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. An extra phase cluster with <10-ps sampling phase spacing is generated. To achieve this small phase spacing, static phase and voltage errors are digitally calibrated. Additionally, a redundancy technique is introduced in this paper to further halve the residual voltage error of the samplers. A third technique, i.e., "reference subtraction," is applied to remove cross-channel correlated dynamic noise. The resulting phase spacing is only limited by the uncorrelated random noise in the system. With this fine sampling phase resolution, this system has the ability to measure cycle-to-cycle jitter in real time.
Characterization of an Inducible Promoter System in Catharanthus roseus Hairy Roots

Transgenic hairy root cultures of Catharanthus roseus were established with a glucocorticoid‐inducible promoter controlling the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), and GFP expression was characterized. The inducible system shows a tightly controlled, reversible, and dosage‐dependent response to the glucocorticoid dexamethasone in C. roseus hairy roots. Full induction was noted after 12–18 h in the mature regions of the root tips and after 6 h in the meristem tissue. Upon removal of the inducing agent, GFP expression declined to undetectable levels in the mature tissues after 24 h and in the meristem after 48 h. Although no dosage‐dependent response was noted in the meristem region, such a response was apparent in the mature region of the tip and verified by quantitative GFP analysis. The inducible promoter system allowed quantitative control of GFP expression between 0.01 and 10 μM dexamethasone with saturation occurring at higher levels. Using GFP as a model system allowed demonstration of the ability to control temporal and quantitative gene expression with the glucocorticoid‐inducible promoter in transgenic C. roseus hairy roots.
Ectopic Overexpression of Asparagine Synthetase in Transgenic Tobacco

Here, we monitor the effects of ectopic overexpression of genes for pea asparagine synthetase (AS1) in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The AS genes of pea and tobacco are normally expressed only during the dark phase of the diurnal growth cycle and specifically in phloem cells. A hybrid gene was constructed in which a pea AS1 cDNA was fused to the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The 35S-AS1 gene was therefore ectopically expressed in all cell types in transgenic tobacco and constitutively expressed at high levels in both the light and the dark. Northern analysis demonstrated that the 35S-AS1 transgene was constitutively expressed at high levels in leaves of several independent transformants. Furthermore, amino acid analysis revealed a 10- to 100-fold increase in free asparagine in leaves of transgenic 35S-AS1 plants (construct z127) compared with controls. Plant growth analyses showed increases (although statistically insignificant) in growth phenotype during the vegetative stage of growth in 35S-AS1 transgenic lines. The 35S-AS1 construct was further modified by deletion of the glutamine-binding domain of the enzyme (gln[delta]AS1; construct z167). By analogy to animal AS, we reasoned that inhibition of glutamine-dependent AS activity might enhance the ammonia-dependent AS activity. The 3- to 19-fold increase in asparagine levels in the transgenic plants expressing gln[delta]AS1 compared with wild type suggests that the novel AS holoenzyme present in the transgenic plants (gln[delta]AS1 homodimer) has enhanced ammonia-dependent activity. These data indicate that manipulation of AS expression in transgenic plants causes an increase in nitrogen assimilation into asparagine, which in turn produces effects on plant growth and asparagine biosynthesis.
A Novel Read-Out Electronics Design Based on 1-Bit Sigma-Delta Modulation

The conventional front-end electronics for PET imaging consist of an energy circuit and a timing circuit. A single channel in front-end electronics typically requires several amplifiers, an ADC and a TDC. In this paper, we present a novel front-end electronic design using 1-bit sigma-delta ( $\boldsymbol {\Sigma }$ - $\boldsymbol {\Delta }$ ) modulation and an FPGA. The new design requires only one analog amplifier per channel. The output of the analog amplifier is read directly by the FPGA. Both the energy and timing calculation are implemented in FPGA firmware. The scope of this paper is to introduce the novel design in detail and to evaluate its performance in energy and dark current measurements. Simulink simulations were performed to validate the design with ideal components. A one-channel prototype circuit was built to assess the design with real components. The prototype circuit was tested with different input signals, including test pulses, pulse signals from a PMT detector, DC current signals and dark current signals from an SiPM sensor. Both the simulation and experimental results show that the method is inherently stable and has excellent accuracy and linearity in energy and dark current measurements. The prototype analog board was built with discrete components cost about $ 0.5 in total. The power consumption was about 20 mW. We conclude that the new method provides a cost-efficient and power-efficient way to accurately measure the energies of analog pulses and dark currents from detectors. The timing performance of this method is currently under evaluation.
Cretaceous Extinctions: Evidence for Wildfires and Search for Meteoritic Material

Clay samples from three Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sites contain 0.36 to 0.58 percent graphitic carbon, mainly as fluffy aggregates of 0.1 to 0.5 micrometers—apparently a worldwide layer of soot. It may have been produced by wildfires triggered by a giant meteorite. This carbon, corresponding to a global abundance of 0.021 � 0.006 gram per square centimeter, could have greatly enhanced the darkening and cooling of the earth by rock dust, which has been suggested as a cause of the extinctions. The surprisingly large amount of soot (10 percent of the present biomass of the earth) implies either that much of the earth's vegetation burned down or that substantial amounts of fossil fuels were ignited also. The particle-size distribution of the soot is similar to that assumed for the smoke cloud of "nuclear winter," but the global distribution is more uniform and the amounts are much greater, suggesting that soot production by large wildfires is about 10 times more efficient that has been assumed for a nuclear winter. Thus cooling would be more pervasive and lasting. No trace of meteoritic noble gases and no meteoritic spinel were found in these carbon fractions. Accordingly, limits can be set on the mass fraction of the meteorite that escaped degassing (≤3 x 10-5) or vaporization (≤0.04). Thus it seems unlikely that comets contributed significant amounts of prebiotic organic matter to the primitive earth.
A structural model for GroEL-polypeptide recognition.

A monomeric peptide fragment of GroEL, consisting of residues 191-376, is a mini-chaperone with a functional chaperoning activity. We have solved the crystal structure at 1.7 A resolution of GroEL(191-376) with a 17-residue N-terminal tag. The N-terminal tag of one molecule binds in the active site of a neighboring molecule in the crystal. This appears to mimic the binding of a peptide substrate molecule. Seven substrate residues are bound in a relatively extended conformation. Interactions between the substrate and the active site are predominantly hydrophobic, but there are also four hydrogen bonds between the main chain of the substrate and side chains of the active site. Although the preferred conformation of a bound substrate is essentially extended, the flexibility of the active site may allow it to accommodate the binding of exposed hydrophobic surfaces in general, such as molten globule-type structures. GroEL can therefore help unfold proteins by binding to a hydrophobic region and exert a binding pressure toward the fully unfolded state, thus acting as an "unfoldase. " The structure of the mini-chaperone is very similar to that of residues 191-376 in intact GroEL, so we can build it into GroEL and reconstruct how a peptide can bind to the tetradecamer. A ring of connected binding sites is noted that can explain many aspects of substrate binding and activity.
Action of Compression and Cations on the Proton and Deuterium Relaxation in Cartilage

In this paper, investigations are described on the influence of osmotic pressures and of varying cation concentrations on water relaxation times in cartilage (pig articular cartilage and bovine nasal cartilage). Both water content and relaxation times decrease strongly with increasing osmotic pressure. This relaxation behavior can be explained in terms of a fast chemical exchange between unbound and bound water. Na+ does not influence water content or relaxation times, whereas Ca2+ causes a small reduction in these parameters.
SOFA Score and Critically Ill Elderly Patients.

OBJECTIVE To study correlation between SOFA Score and Outcome in Elderly Patients admitted In Intensive Care Unit. METHODS A single centre prospective observational study in Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of large teaching Institute. A total of 84 elderly patients were studied and the outcome was correlated with SOFA Score at admission and 48 hours after admission. RESULTS Elderly patients constituted 10.94% (84 out of 764) of total MICU admissions. Critically ill elderly patients had a very high mortality of 73.8% (62 out of 84), as compared to their younger counterparts with mortality rates of 43.53% (296 out of 680) with a highly significant P value of <0.0001. The mean SOFA scores are statistically significantly higher at both time points in the expired group (7.84±3.74 and 8.64±3.72 respectively on admission and at 48 hours). CONCLUSIONS There is positive correlation between mortality and SOFA score at admission and at 48 hours. SOFA score thus can be effectively used as predictive scoring system for critically ill elderly patients.
Photic and Circadian Regulation of Retinal Melatonin in Mammals

Several studies have established that melatonin synthesis occurs in the retina of vertebrates, including mammals. In mammals, a subpopulation of photoreceptors (probably the cones) synthesize melatonin. Melatonin synthesis in the retina is elevated at night and reduced during the day in a fashion similar to events in the pineal gland. Both the MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors are present in the retina and retinal melatonin does not contribute to circulating levels, suggesting that retinal melatonin acts locally as a neurohormone and/or neuromodulator. Melatonin synthesis in the retina of mammals is under the control of a circadian oscillator, and circadian rhythms in melatonin synthesis and/or release have been described for several species of mammals. These rhythms are present in vivo, persist in vitro, are entrained by light and are temperature compensated. The cloning of the gene responsible for the synthesis of the enzyme arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (the key enzyme in the melatonin biosynthetic pathway) has allowed studies of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the generation of retinal melatonin rhythmicity. The present review focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate melatonin synthesis. In particular, we discuss how the photic environment and the circadian clock interact in determining melatonin levels, in addition to the role that melatonin plays in retinal physiology.