Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure and function of enzymes acting on chitin and chitosan

Abstract Enzymatic conversions of chitin and its soluble, partially deacetylated derivative chitosan are of great interest. Firstly, chitin metabolism is an important process in fungi, insects and crustaceans. Secondly, such enzymatic conversions may be used to transform an abundant biomass to useful products such as bioactive chito-oligosaccharides. Enzymes acting on chitin and chitosan are abundant in nature. Here we review current knowledge on the structure and function of enzymes involved in the conversion of these polymeric substrates: chitinases (glycoside hydrolase families 18 & 19), chitosanases (glycoside hydrolase families 8, 46, 75 & 80) and chitin deacetylases (carbohydrate esterase family 4).
Antithrombotic medication and incident open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE To determine the associations between the use of antithrombotic drugs and incident open-angle glaucoma (OAG). METHODS Ophthalmic examinations including measurements of the IOP and perimetry were performed at baseline and follow-up in 3939 participants of the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study who did not have OAG at baseline. The use of antithrombotic drugs was monitored continuously during follow-up. Antithrombotic drugs were stratified into anticoagulants and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Associations between incident OAG and the use of antithrombotic drugs were assessed using Cox regression; the model was adjusted for age, sex, baseline IOP and IOP-lowering treatment, family history of glaucoma, and myopia. Associations between antithrombotic drugs and IOP at follow-up were analyzed with multiple linear regression. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 9.8 years, 108 participants (2.7%) developed OAG. The hazard ratio for anticoagulant use was 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-1.48; P = 0.69) and for platelet aggregation inhibitors 0.80 (0.53-1.21; P = 0.28). There was no trend towards a reduced or increased risk of incident OAG with prolonged anticoagulant use (P value for trend 0.84) or platelet aggregation inhibitor use (0.59). There was a significant IOP-lowering effect of anticoagulants (-0.31 mm Hg; 95% CI, -0.58 to -0.04 mm Hg; P = 0.025) but not of platelet aggregation inhibitors (P = 0.06). The IOP-lowering effect of anticoagulants disappeared after additional adjustment for the use of systemic beta-blockers. CONCLUSIONS Use of anticoagulants or platelet aggregation inhibitors appears not to be associated with incident OAG.
Sustained and transient neurones in the cat's retina and lateral geniculate nucleus

1. Cat retinal ganglion cells may be subdivided into sustained and transient response‐types by the application of a battery of simple tests based on responses to standing contrast, fine grating patterns, size and speed of contrasting targets, and on the presence or absence of the periphery effect. The classification is equivalent to the ‘X’/‘Y’ (linear/nonlinear) subdivision of Enroth‐Cugell & Robson which is thus confirmed and extended.
A multi-institutional phase II trial of a novel inpatient schedule of continuous interleukin-2 with interferon alpha-2b in advanced renal cell carcinoma: major durable responses in a less highly selected patient population.

BACKGROUND A prospective multi-institutional phase II trial was undertaken to define the activity and toxicity of a unique decrescendo infusion of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in combination with interferon (IFN) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The identical regimen has shown promise in advanced melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between February 1997 and March 1999, 47 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, from five institutions, were treated with outpatient s.c. IFN (10 mU/m2/day) on days 1-5, followed by inpatient IL-2 via continuous i.v. decrescendo infusion [18 million International Units (MIU) (I mg)/m2/6 h, followed by 18 MIU/m2/12 h, then 18 MIU/m2/24 h and 4.5 MIU/m2/24 h for the following 3 days] on days 8-12, in a hospital ward without intensive care unit (ICU)-type monitoring. Treatment was repeated every 4 weeks. In contrast to high dose IL-2 protocols, patient eligibility did not require pulmonary function tests and allowed serum creatinine up to 2 mg/dl. RESULTS Among 44 eligible patients, 57% (25) had their primary in place, 57% (25) had bone or visceral involvement, and only 4% (2) had lung as their only site of disease. The overall response rate in 43 response-evaluable patients was 16.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.3 to 27.3], with three complete responses and four partial responses observed. The median survival was 13 months; nine patients remain alive at >23 months. The median duration of response is 36 months (range 11.5 to 48+ months). Toxicity was modest, consisting of typical cytokine-induced systemic symptoms and rare organ dysfunction. Severe grade 4 toxicity occurred in only 13% of the 130 cycles. CONCLUSIONS This unique, reasonably well tolerated IL-2/IFN combination induced a modest response rate with a number of durable remissions. While the optimal IL-2-based regimen for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma remains elusive, the present regimen should attract considerable interest. This is based on tumor activity very similar to high dose IL-2 in a patient population not as carefully selected for optimal organ function.
Characterization of novel long-chain 1,2-diols in Thermus species and demonstration that Thermus strains contain both glycerol-linked and diol-linked glycolipids

In this study, we purified and characterized tetra- and triglycosyl glycolipids (GL-1 and GL-2, respectively) from two different colonial forms of Thermus scotoductus X-1, from T. filiformis Tok4 A2, and from T. oshimai SPS-11. Acid hydrolysis of the purified glycolipids liberated, in addition to the expected long-chain fatty acids, two components which were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as 16-methylheptadecane-1,2-diol and 15-methylheptadecane-1,2-diol. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of the intact glycolipids indicated that a major proportion consisted of components with glycan head groups linked to long-chain 1,2-diols rather than to glycerol, although in all cases glycerol-linked compounds containing similar glycan head groups were also present. As in other Thermus strains, the polar head group of GL-1 from T. filiformis Tok4 A2 and from T. scotoductus X-1 colony type t2 was a glucosylgalactosyl-(N-acyl)glucosaminylglucosyl moiety. However, GL-2 from T. scotoductus X-1 colony type t1 and from T. oshimai SPS-11 was a truncated analog which lacked the nonreducing terminal glucose. Long-chain 1,2-diols have been previously reported in the polar lipids of Thermomicrobium roseum and (possibly) Chloroflexus aurantiacus, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of their detection in other bacteria and the first account of the structural determination of long-chain diol-linked glycolipids.
Opportunités et contraintes agroforestières de Ricinodendron heudelotii au Cameroun

Ricinodendron heudelotii est une essence endemique des forets tropicales humides d’Afrique, tres prisee pour ses graines comestibles. Sa regeneration naturelle reste difficile a cause principalement de la dormance tegumentaire de ses graines. Elle possede de nombreuses vertus ethnobotaniques et d’opportunites agroforestieres pour les peuples des forets du bassin du Congo. Au nombre de ces vertus, on cite des proprietes medicinales, agroalimentaires, agronomiques, ecologiques et industrielles. Des programmes de domestication de R. heudelotii sont en cours dans les stations du Centre Mondial de l’Agroforesterie (CMAF) au Cameroun. L’essentiel des travaux deja realises sur cette essence a porte sur ses proprietes ethnobotaniques, l’analyse de la composition chimique de l’huile des graines et sa domestication. Les tentatives de domestication de R. heudelotii se heurtent par ailleurs a diverses contraintes phytosanitaires encore a identifier. Sur la base des observations realisees en forets, dans les pepinieres et au laboratoire, les degâts observes seraient d’origine fongique et entomologique. A ce jour, aucun programme de lutte ou d’amelioration genetique n’est envisage. Pourtant, l’existence de deux sous-especes ( heudelotii et africanum ) chez R. heudelotii et d’une espece apparentee ( R. rautanenii ) constitue un atout exploitable pour d’eventuels travaux d’amelioration genetique. Cette etude suggere que R. heudelotii pourrait etre consideree comme une essence modele d’avenir pour l’agroforesterie au Cameroun, avec au premier plan un moyen de lutte prometteur contre la pauvrete, et propose quelques pistes de recherche en vue de contribuer au succes des programmes de domestication de l’espece. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Mots cles : Ricinodendron heudelotii , interet agroecologique, contraintes agroforestieres, amelioration genetique.
THE SCOTOPIC VISUAL SENSITIVITY OF FOUR SPECIES OF TROUT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract We compared the maximum scotopic visual sensitivity of 4 species of trout from twilight (mesotopic) to fully dark-adapted vision. Scotopic vision is the minimum number of photons to which a fully dark-adapted animal will show a behavioral response. A comparison of visual sensitivity under controlled laboratory conditions showed that brown trout (Salmo trutta) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) had maximum scotopic thresholds (1.1 × 10−4 μmol · m−2s−1, ∼0.005 lux) 2 times lower than rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) and Snake River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri), which did not differ from each other (2.1 × 10−4 μmol · m−2s−1, ∼0.01 lux). A literature review tended to corroborate these results in that brown trout and brook trout were reported to be more active during the night and at twilight than cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. We also measured light intensity within open versus shaded reaches during the day, dusk, and night in 3 Rocky Mountain streams. The scotopic sensitivity of brown trout and brook trout was sufficient to allow foraging during all twilight periods and under average nighttime light intensities in open and shaded reaches, whereas the scotopic sensitivity of rainbow trout and cutthroat trout may restrict their foraging to relatively bright nocturnal conditions (twilight or a moonlit night). Native cutthroat trout restoration efforts may have greater success in open versus shaded stream reaches in the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere.
Comparison of Micro-Pin-Fin and Microchannel Heat Sinks Considering Thermal-Hydraulic Performance and Manufacturability

This paper explores the potential of micro-pin-fin heat sinks as an effective alternative to microchannel heat sinks for dissipating high heat fluxes from small areas. The overall goal is to compare microchannel and micro-pin-fin heat sinks based on three metrics: thermal performance, hydraulic performance, and cost of manufacturing. The channels and pins of the microchannel and micro-pin-fin heat sinks, respectively, have a width of 200 ¿m and a height of 670 ¿m. A comparison of the thermal-hydraulic performance shows that the micro-pin-fin heat sink has a lower convection thermal resistance at liquid flow rates above approximately 60 g/min, though this is accompanied by a higher pressure drop. Methods that could feasibly fabricate the two heat sinks are reviewed, with references outlining current capabilities and limitations. A case study on micro-end-milling of the heat sinks is included. This paper includes equations that separate the fabrication cost into the independent variables that contribute to material cost, machining cost, and machining time. It is concluded that, with micro-end-milling, the machining time is the primary factor in determining cost, and, due to the additional machining time required, the micro-pin-fin heat sinks are roughly three times as expensive to make. It is also noted that improvements in the fabrication process, including spindle speed and tool coatings, will decrease the difference in cost.
TCAD analysis of short-circuit oscillations in IGBTs

Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) exhibit a gate-voltage oscillation phenomenon during short-circuit, which can result in a gate-oxide breakdown. The oscillations have been investigated through device simulations and experimental investigations of a 3.3-kV IGBT. It has been found that the oscillations are more likely to occur at low DC-link voltages, high gate voltages and low temperatures due to a charge-storage effect at the surface of the IGBT. Based on this insight, the charge-storage effect can be explained with a reduction in carrier velocity due to the electric field shape rotation during short circuit.
A system for recognizing Vietnamese document images based on HMM and linguistics

The authors present a system for recognizing Vietnamese document images and propose a method to increase the accuracy for this system. Based on features of the Vietnamese language, we can minimize the number of characters and integrate spell-checking in the recognition process. We also explain how to combine HMMs and our method in the recognition systems. Finally, based on statistical models for word frequency, a dictionary of Vietnamese word frequency was built to predict the next words to be recognized and to aid in post processing. The performance of the proposed approach was evaluated on Vietnamese literature from 1990 to 1997 with a total of 3469518 words (about 16866511 characters). Experimental results show that our method was effective.
Effect of "Wooden Breast" Appearance on Poultry Meat Quality, Histological Traits, and Lesions Characterization

Dalle Zotte A. , Tasoniero G. , Puolanne E. , Remignon H. , Cecchinato M. , Catelli E. , Cullere M. (2017): Effect of “Wooden Breast” appearance on poultry meat quality, histological traits, and lesions characterization. Czech J. Anim. Sci., 62, 51–57. The purposes of the study were to investigate the effects of Wooden Breast (WB) myodegeneration on poultry meat quality and to give a contribution in typing lesions morphology. At a poultry meat cutting facility, 474 carcasses of a high-breast-yield hybrid chickens were inspected for WB condition, and 30 normal (N) and 30 affected (WB) breast fillets (Pectoralis major) were randomly selected. The WB condition represented 53.2% of the examined carcasses. Weight, cross sectional area (CSA), pH, L*, a*, b* colour values, water-holding capacity, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Samples were also visually and histologically evaluated. Affected samples were heavier, thicker, paler (P < 0.001), and characterized by palpatory hardness and lower water holding capacity (P < 0.05). Macroscopically, abnormalities were primarily localized in the cranial portion of the fillet and defined by the presence of bulges, petechiae, fluid and clear exudate, and higher pH. Microscopically, the WB condition was characterized by muscle fibres with greater CSA (P < 0.001) and higher giant fibres prevalence (P < 0.01). Data suggest a relationship between breast weight and WB condition.
Criterion-related validity of the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire against exercise capacity in young adults

Background Self-reported physical activity (PA) is well associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise capacity. The short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-short) is a frequently used instrument for cross-national assessments of PA in adults. The purpose of this study was to validate IPAQ-short against exercise capacity in Greek young adults. Design and methods One hundred and thirteen men and 105 women, aged 20-29 years, were randomly selected from a larger population of young health-science students. A Greek version of IPAQ-short (IPAQ-Gr) was administered to all participants before their exercise capacity evaluation with a maximal Bruce treadmill test. Multiple regression and correlation analyses were used to examine the associations between all IPAQ-Gr outcomes with exercise capacity based on maximal treadmill time. Results Spearman's correlations for total and vigorous PA against maximal treadmill time were significant in all groups examined, ranging from 0.35 to 0.43. Moderate and walking PA correlations were poor and nonsignificant, ranging from near-zero values to 0.19. In multiple linear regression analysis, only sex, smoking, and vigorous PA from all personal and log-transformed IPAQ-Gr data were significantly associated with maximal treadmill time. Partial correlation analysis for the overall population, adjusted for sex and smoking, showed that total PA (r = 0.37) and vigorous PA (r = 0.47) were significantly associated with exercise capacity. Conclusion IPAQ-Gr was tested against exercise capacity and showed acceptable validity properties in Greek young adults. Total and vigorous weekly PA expenditure were well associated with exercise capacity, presenting significant validity correlations against maximal treadmill time.
Considerations on Fantasy Use by Child Molesters and Exhibitionists

In many sex offender treatment programs, the examination and replacement of deviant fantasy use with appropriate fantasy use is a well-established practice. This practice is based on the assumption that sexual offenders use deviant masturbatory fantasies prior and after committing sexual offenses, but the data available to support this assumption is fairly limited. This study attempted to test the validity of this assumption by finding out whether a majority of exhibitionistic offenders and child molesters used deviant masturbatory fantasies prior and/or after their first offense. Data analysis from 57 child molesters and 25 exhibitionistic offenders indicate that a majority of these offenders used masturbatory deviant fantasies before and after their first offenses, but they tended to use significantly more deviant fantasies after they engage in their first actual offense. Content of deviant fantasies was examined in relation to victim specificity. There were no significant differences between the number of deviant fantasies reported about a specific victim versus the number of fantasies reported about a nonspecific victim. We found a significant positive correlation between the number of deviant fantasies reported and the number of months spent in treatment by child molesters, but not by exhibitionistic offenders. Some tentative explanations for these findings are offered, but further elucidation is necessary.
Changes in the Gender Wage Gap in Urban China, 1995-2007

Introduction China has been transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy for three decades. Since the mid-1990s when the urban reforms were implemented in earnest, wage inequality has widened (Appleton et al. 2002; Knight and Song 2008). During the period of the planned economy, one of the objectives of the Chinese government that was supported ideologically by Mao was to narrow the gender-wage gap. As a result, urban China boasted a smaller wage gap compared to other countries (Gustafsson and Li 2000). The economic transition has had an effect on the gender-wage gap through development of the private sector and the granting of more autonomy to state-owned enterprises to hire and fire employees and to determine wages. Given the pre–labor-market discrimination against women in terms of educational attainment, female workers were more concentrated in occupations requiring unskilled workers with low human capital. With the great flow of rural migrant workers, particularly unskilled female workers, into the cities and female workers facing much more severe competition in the urban labor market, wages have been depressed and the gender-wage gap has increased. This chapter investigates changes in the gender-wage gap since the mid-1990s using the household survey data collected for 1995, 2002, and 2007. It should be noted that there were two shocks to the labor market in urban China during this period. One shock was the economic restructuring of urban enterprises, during which time a majority of the state-owned and collective enterprises were privatized or restructured. As a consequence, millions of urban workers in the state-owned and collective sectors were laid off. The number of employees in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) decreased from 112.6 million in 1995 to 71.6 million in 2002, and this number declined further to 64.2 million in 2007.
Lipin 2 Is a Liver-enriched Phosphatidate Phosphohydrolase Enzyme That Is Dynamically Regulated by Fasting and Obesity in Mice*

Lipin 1 is a bifunctional intracellular protein that regulates fatty acid metabolism in the nucleus via interactions with DNA-bound transcription factors and at the endoplasmic reticulum as a phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase enzyme (PAP-1) to catalyze the penultimate step in triglyceride synthesis. However, livers of 8-day-old mice lacking lipin 1 (fld mice) exhibited normal PAP-1 activity and a 20-fold increase in triglyceride levels. We sought to further analyze the hepatic lipid profile of these mice by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, hepatic content of phosphatidate, the substrate of PAP-1 enzymes, was markedly diminished in fld mice. Similarly, other phospholipids derived from phosphatidate, phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin, were also depleted. Another member of the lipin family (lipin 2) is enriched in liver, and hepatic lipin 2 protein content was markedly increased by lipin 1 deficiency, food deprivation, and obesity, often independent of changes in steady-state mRNA levels. Importantly, RNAi against lipin 2 markedly reduced PAP-1 activity in hepatocytes from both wild type and fld mice and suppressed triglyceride synthesis under conditions of high fatty acid availability. Collectively, these data suggest that lipin 2 plays an important role as a hepatic PAP-1 enzyme.
NLRP 3 inflammasome is essential for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now recognized as an inflammatory disease and the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was speculated to participate into its pathophysiological process, however, a direct role of NLRP3 has yet to be clearly shown. Method: COPD model was established by tobacco inhalation, COPD modeling and NLRP3 knockout mice were treated with similar dose and duration of tobacco inhalation for 12 months, the lung function, lung damage and immune responses were evaluated between control, wild type COPD and NLRP3 knock out C57B1/6 mice. Results: 10 months after tobacco inhalation, the respiratory system resistance indexes of COPD mice was significantly higher than that of control and NLRP3 knockout mice (2.8 ± 0.5 vs. 1.2 ± 0.3 and 1.3 ± 0.1 cm H2O ml -1 s-1, P < 0.05); the respiratory system compliance indexes of COPD was significantly lower than that of control and NLRP3 knockout mice (0.31 ± 0.02 vs. 0.43 ± 0.04, and 0.39 ± 0.01 ml/cm H2O); the NLRP3 knockout mice displayed no distinguishable pathological damage in the lung. Of the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the concentration of IL-1 and IL-18 of the COPD were significantly higher than that of control and NLRP3 knockout mice (IL-1: 286.8 ± 1.7 vs. 23.8 ± 2.1 and 24.2 ± 1.3 pg/mL, P < 0.05; IL-18: 104.5 ± 4.2 vs. 12.6 ± 2.1 and 15.7 ± 2.8 pg/mL, P < 0.05); the total numbers of macrophages, eosinophils, lymphocyte and neutrophil of control, COPD and NLRP3 knockout mice were 2.3 ± 0.4, 0.5 ± 0.2, 10.3 ± 3.4 and 2.8 ± 2.7; 8.7 ± 1.1, 12.5 ± 1.1, 45.3 ± 3.3 and 29.2 ± 4.2; and 3.2 ± 0.7, 1.8 ± 0.4, 18.1 ± 1.1 and 12.8 ± 3.4 × 104 mL, respectively; the rates of NLRP3 positive macrophages in the BALF of control, COPD and NLRP3 knockout mice were 5.0 ± 1.0%, 78.1 ± 9.2% and 2.0 ± 0.9%, respectively. Conclusion: NLRP3 inflammasome is essential for the development of COPD and blockade of NLRP3 might be a possible therapeutic strategy for COPD.