Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brevibacterium yomogidense sp. nov., isolated from a soil conditioner made from poultry manure.

A novel Gram-stain-positive rod-shaped actinobacterium was isolated from a soil conditioner made from poultry manure. The isolate, designated strain MN-6-a(T), contained anteiso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) as the major fatty acids, and MK-7(H(2)) and MK-8(H(2)) as the major menaquinones. Phosphatidylglycerol was a major polar lipid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 67.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain MN-6-a(T) was closely related to Brevibacterium salitolerans TRM 415(T) with 97.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. DNA-DNA hybridization showed that strain MN-6-a(T) had 10.2 % genomic relatedness with B. salitolerans TRM 415(T). On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic data obtained in this study, strain MN-6-a(T) represents a novel species of the genus Brevibacterium, for which the name Brevibacterium yomogidense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MN-6-a(T) ( = JCM 17779(T) = DSM 24850(T)).
Correlates of Walking for Transportation or Recreation Purposes.

BACKGROUND Walking is a popular recreational activity and a feasible travel mode. Associations exist between walking and the built environment, but knowledge is lacking about specific environmental conditions associated with different purposes of walking. METHODS This cross-sectional study used a survey of 438 adults and objective environmental measures. Multinomial logit models estimated the odds of walking for recreation or transportation purposes. RESULTS Utilitarian destinations were positively associated with transportation walking, but recreational destinations were not associated with any walking. Residential density was correlated with both purposes of walking, and sidewalks with recreation walking only. Hills were positively associated with recreation walking and negatively with transportation walking. CONCLUSIONS Physical environment contributed significantly to explain the probability of walking. However, different attributes of environment were related to transportation versus recreation walking, suggesting the need for multiple and targeted interventions to effectively support walking.
Islands of Good Government: Explaining Successful Corruption Control in Two Spanish Cities

Between 2012 and 2018, Spanish public opinion has been shaken by a seemingly endless series of corruption scandals, to the point that corruption has become one of the main long-term concerns of the Spanish population, according to nation-wide surveys. Despite the sharp rise in corruption scandals within local authorities, there are Spanish cities that have managed to limit corruption and build a transparent and efficient government, which stand out as islands of integrity and good governance. This article qualitatively investigates two cities in Spain—Alcobendas and Sant Cugat del Valles—which, despite being in a region with comparatively lower quality of government, have managed to successfully control corruption. We argue that the key to success is the administrative reorganization prompted by the appointment of city managers that institutionalized professional management. Findings also have implications for practitioners, meaning that complex anti-corruption legislative frameworks will not work within an overburdened administration unless the administrative structure is reformed.
Mnk2 and Mnk1 Are Essential for Constitutive and Inducible Phosphorylation of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4E but Not for Cell Growth or Development

ABSTRACT Mnk1 and Mnk2 are protein kinases that are directly phosphorylated and activated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and implicated in the regulation of protein synthesis through their phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) at Ser209. To investigate their physiological functions, we generated mice lacking the Mnk1 or Mnk2 gene or both; the resulting KO mice were viable, fertile, and developed normally. In embryonic fibroblasts prepared from Mnk1-Mnk2 DKO mice, eIF4E was not detectably phosphorylated at Ser209, even when the ERK and/or p38 MAP kinases were activated. Analysis of embryonic fibroblasts from single KO mice revealed that Mnk1 is responsible for the inducible phosphorylation of eIF4E in response to MAP kinase activation, whereas Mnk2 mainly contributes to eIF4E's basal, constitutive phosphorylation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or insulin-induced upregulation of eIF4E phosphorylation in the spleen, liver, or skeletal muscle was abolished in Mnk1−/− mice, whereas the basal eIF4E phosphorylation levels were decreased in Mnk2−/− mice. In Mnk1-Mnk2 DKO mice, no phosphorylated eIF4E was detected in any tissue studied, even after LPS or insulin injection. However, neither general protein synthesis nor cap-dependent translation, as assayed by a bicistronic reporter assay system, was affected in Mnk-deficient embryonic fibroblasts, despite the absence of phosphorylated eIF4E. Thus, Mnk1 and Mnk2 are exclusive eIF4E kinases both in cultured fibroblasts and adult tissues, and they regulate inducible and constitutive eIF4E phosphorylation, respectively. These results strongly suggest that eIF4E phosphorylation at Ser209 is not essential for cell growth during development.
Neuropeptide Y overflow and metabolism in skeletal muscle arterioles

Non‐technical summary Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in a number of vascular physiological processes that affect sympathetic neurotransmission and angiogenesis. While NPY is of physiological significance, very little is known regarding local overflow characteristics at specific levels of the vasculature. Through the use of a new technique, we were able to quantify NPY overflow from isolated skeletal muscle arterioles of female rats. We observed age‐related differences in NPY overflow and its degradation via dipeptidyl peptidase IV. These results will provide insights into the release and breakdown of NPY at local levels of the vasculature.
Task allocation for multi-robot cooperative hunting behavior based on improved auction algorithm

Within the frameworks of the well-known contract net protocol, a task allocation method for multi-robot cooperative hunting behavior is proposed based on an improved auction algorithm. Previous allocation methods using ordinary auction algorithms might turn out to be unsuitable when targets keep moving. Furthermore, the ordinary auctions might lead to unfavorable releases of the captured targets, because the hunters which were formerly assigned to relative tasks might be designated to some other tasks in a new round of bidding. In this paper an improved auction algorithm is proposed which may establish an ordered task list and holds biddings for each task in the list repeatedly. Therefore the allocation methods can be modified which allow dealing with a considerable volume of tasks in a dynamic environments. In addition, this approach holds no biddings for the accomplished tasks, and the relative hunters will keep guarding on their previously assigned target. The improvements also save the computational cost. Simulations demonstrate the flexibility and the efficiency of the method and the hunting task can be achieved in nearly half the time of the original methods.
MAST SEEDING IN PERENNIAL PLANTS: Why, How, Where?

▪ Abstract For many years biologists have debated whether mast seeding (the synchronous intermittent production of large seed crops in perennial plants) results from weather conditions or is an evolved plant reproductive strategy. In this review, we analyze the evidence for the underlying causes of masting. In the absence of selection for higher or lower variability, plants will vary in tandem with the environment (resource matching). Two selective factors often favor the evolution of masting: increased pollination efficiency in wind-pollinated species, and satiation of seed predators. Other factors select against masting, including animal pollination and frugivore dispersal. A survey of 570 masting datasets shows that wind-pollinated species had higher seed production coefficients of variation (CVs) than biotically pollinated ones. Frugivore-dispersed species had low CVs whereas predator-dispersed plants had high CVs, consistent with gaining benefits from predator satiation rather than dispersal. The glo.
Peak shaving through optimal energy storage control for data centers

We propose efficient control strategies for deciding the amount of energy that a battery needs to charge/discharge over time with the objective of minimizing the Peak Charge and the Energy Charge components of the Data Center (DC) electricity bill. We consider first the case where the DC's power demands throughout the whole billing cycle are known and we present an optimal peak shaving control strategy for a battery that has certain leakage and conversion losses. We then relax this assumption and propose an efficient battery control strategy when we only know predictions of the DC's power demands in a short duration in the future. Several comparative studies are conducted based on real traces from a Google DC in order to validate the proposed techniques.
Ethanol Induces Cholesterol Efflux and Up-regulates ATP-binding Cassette Cholesterol Transporters in Fetal Astrocytes*

Cholesterol plays an important role during brain development, since it is involved in glial cell proliferation, neuronal survival and differentiation, and synaptogenesis. Astrocytes produce large amounts of brain cholesterol and produce and release lipoproteins containing apoE that can extract cholesterol from CNS cells for elimination. We hypothesized that some of the deleterious effects of ethanol in the developing brain may be due to the disruption of cholesterol homeostasis in astrocytes. This study investigates the effect of ethanol on cholesterol efflux mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) cholesterol transporters. In fetal rat astrocytes in culture, ethanol caused a concentration-dependent increase in cholesterol efflux and increased the levels of ABCA1 starting at 25 mm. Similar effects of ethanol on cholesterol efflux and ABCA1 were also observed in fetal human astrocytes. In addition, ABCA1 levels were increased in the brains of 7-day-old pups treated for 3 days with 2, 4, or 6 g/kg ethanol. Ethanol also increased apoE release from fetal rat astrocytes, and conditioned medium prepared from ethanol-treated astrocytes extracted more cholesterol than conditioned medium from untreated cells. In addition, ethanol increased the levels of another cholesterol transporter, ABCG1. Ethanol did not affect cholesterol synthesis and reduced the levels of intracellular cholesterol in rat astrocytes. Retinoic acid, which induces teratogenic effects similarly to ethanol, also caused up-regulation of ABCA1 and ABCG1.
Contribution des radars embarqués à l'étude des stratégies collectives de recherche alimentaire chez les oiseaux marins

Dans l’ocean, les bancs de proies representent une source d’alimentation ponctuelle. Pour pallier a cela, les oiseaux marins profitent de l’information sociale provenant de conspecifiques, heterospecifiques, ou bateaux de peche. Dans cette these, nous cherchons a evaluer l’influence de differentes sources d’information sur les strategies de recherche alimentaire des oiseaux marins en milieu pelagique tropical.Les oiseaux detectent des predateurs ou des bateaux a des distances depassant dix kilometres. Nous etudions donc leur distribution a sub-meso-echelle, ceci grâce a des images d’un radar a bord d’un thonier senneur.Les images radar offrent une visualisation, dans les 30 km autour du navire, de la distribution instantanee de la communaute d’oiseaux en vol et de leurs deplacements. Nous mettons au jour des motifs d’agregation temporaires, d’une dizaine de kilometres de diametre, au sein de la distribution des oiseaux. Les distances entre groupes d’oiseaux sont compatibles avec l’echange d’information au sein de ces agregations.Une etude plus fine revele des vols coordonnes de groupes d’oiseaux distants de plusieurs centaines de metres («râteaux»), suggerant un haut degre de cooperation lors de la recherche de proies. Nous questionnons ensuite le degre de perturbation du senneur dans la recherche alimentaire des oiseaux. Les resultats indiquent que les oiseaux marins discriminent les differentes activites du navire.Ce travail constitue, a notre connaissance, la premiere utilisation des radars embarques pour l’etude de l’ecologie des oiseaux en haute mer, et ouvre nombre de perspectives pour comprendre la dynamique des interactions entre predateurs marins superieurs.
Following User Pathways: Cross Platform and Mixed Methods Analysis in Social Media Studies

Social media and the resulting tidal wave of available data have changed the ways and methods researchers analyze communities at scale. But the full potential for social scientists (and others) is not yet achieved. Despite the popularity of social media analysis in the past decade, few researchers invest in cross-platform analyses. This is a major oversight as 42% of Online Social Media users have multiple social media accounts. Missing are the models and tools necessary to undertake analysis at scale across multiple platforms. Especially promising in support of cross-platform analysis is the mixed method approach (e.g. qualitative and quantitative methods) in order to better understand how users and society interacts online. The workshop 'Following User Pathways' brings together a community of researchers and professionals to address methodological, analytical, conceptual, and technological challenges and opportunities of cross-platform, mixed method analysis in social media ecosystems.
A Large Candidate Gene Survey Identifies the KCNE1 D85N Polymorphism as a Possible Modulator of Drug-Induced Torsades de Pointes

Background— Drug-induced long-QT syndrome (diLQTS) is an adverse drug effect that has an important impact on drug use, development, and regulation. We tested the hypothesis that common variants in key genes controlling cardiac electric properties modify the risk of diLQTS. Methods and Results— In a case-control setting, we included 176 patients of European descent from North America and Europe with diLQTS, defined as documented torsades de pointes during treatment with a QT-prolonging drug. Control samples were obtained from 207 patients of European ancestry who displayed <50 ms QT lengthening during initiation of therapy with a QT-prolonging drug and 837 control subjects from the population-based KORA study. Subjects were successfully genotyped at 1424 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 18 candidate genes including 1386 SNPs tagging common haplotype blocks and 38 nonsynonymous ion channel gene SNPs. For validation, we used a set of cases (n=57) and population-based control subjects of European descent. The SNP KCNE1 D85N (rs1805128), known to modulate an important potassium current in the heart, predicted diLQTS with an odds ratio of 9.0 (95% confidence interval, 3.5–22.9). The variant allele was present in 8.6% of cases, 2.9% of drug-exposed control subjects, and 1.8% of population control subjects. In the validation cohort, the variant allele was present in 3.5% of cases and in 1.4% of control subjects. Conclusions— This high-density candidate SNP approach identified a key potassium channel susceptibility allele that may be associated with the rare adverse drug reaction torsades de pointes.
Receptor subtype involved in α1-adrenergic receptor-mediated Ca2+ signaling in cardiomyocytes

AbstractAim:The enhancement of intracellular Ca2+ signaling in response to α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) stimulation is an essential signal transduction event in the regulation of cardiac functions, such as cardiac growth, cardiac contraction, and cardiac adaptation to various situations. The present study was intended to determine the role(s) of the α1-AR subtype(s) in mediating this response.Methods:We evaluated the effects of subtype-specific agonists and antagonists of the α1-AR on the intracellular Ca2+ signaling of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes using a confocal microscope.Results:After being cultured for 48 h, the myocytes exhibited spontaneous local Ca2+ release, sparks, and global Ca2+ transients. The activation of the α1-AR with phenylephrine, a selective agonist of the α1-AR, dose-dependently increased the frequency of Ca2+ transients with an EC50 value of 2.3 μmol/L. Blocking the α1A-AR subtype with 5-methylurapidil (5-Mu) inhibited the stimulatory effect of phenylephrine with an IC50 value of 6.7 nmol/L. In contrast, blockade of the α1B-AR and α1D-AR subtypes with chlorethylclonidine and BMY 7378, respectively, did not affect the phenylephrine effect. Similarly, the local Ca2+ spark numbers were also increased by the activation of the α1-AR, and this effect could be abolished selectively by 5-Mu. More importantly, A61603, a novel selective α1A-AR agonist, mimicked the effect of phenylephrine, but with more potency (EC50 value=6.9 nmol/L) in the potentiation of Ca2+ transients, and blockade of the α1A-AR by 5-Mu caused abolishment of its effects.Conclusion:These results indicate that α1-adrenergic stimulation of intracellular Ca2+ activity is mediated selectively by the α1A-AR.
DNA barcodes for Mexican Cactaceae, plants under pressure from wild collecting

DNA barcodes could be a useful tool for plant conservation. Of particular importance is the ability to identify unknown plant material, such as from customs seizures of illegally collected specimens. Mexican cacti are an example of a threatened group, under pressure because of wild collection for the xeriscaping trade and private collectors. Mexican cacti also provide a taxonomically and geographically coherent group with which to test DNA barcodes. Here, we sample the matK barcode for 528 species of Cactaceae including approximately 75% of Mexican species and test the utility of the matK region for species‐level identification. We find that the matK DNA barcode can be used to identify uniquely 77% of species sampled, and 79–87% of species of particular conservation importance. However, this is far below the desired rate of 95% and there are significant issues for PCR amplification because of the variability of primer sites. Additionally, we test the nuclear ITS regions for the cactus subfamily Opuntioideae and for the genus Ariocarpus (subfamily Cactoideae). We observed higher rates of variation for ITS (86% unique for Opuntioideae sampled) but a much lower PCR success, encountering significant intra‐individual polymorphism in Ariocarpus precluding the use of this marker in this taxon. We conclude that the matK region should provide useful information as a DNA barcode for Cactaceae if the problems with primers can be addressed, but matK alone is not sufficiently variable to achieve species‐level identification. Additional complementary regions should be investigated as ITS is shown to be unsuitable.
Zinc-induced neuronal death in cortical neurons.

Although Zn2+ is normally stored and released in the brain, excessive exposure to extracellular Zn2+ can be neurotoxic. The purpose of the present study was to determine the type of neuronal cell death, necrosis versus apoptosis, induced by Zn2+ exposure. Addition of 10-50 microM ZnCl2 to the bathing medium of murine neuronal and glial cell cultures induced, over the next 24 hrs. , Zn2+-concentration-dependent neuronal death; some glial death also occurred with Zn2+ concentrations above 30 microM. The neuronal death induced by 20 microM Zn2+ was characterized by coarse chromatin condensation, the formation of apoptotic bodies, and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. It was attenuated in cortical cell cultures prepared from mice null for the bax gene, and by the caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-CH2F (ZVAD, 100 microM), but not by the NMDA receptor antagonist, D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-APV, 200 microM ). In contrast, the neuronal death induced by 50 microM Zn2+ was characterized by plasma membrane disruption and random DNA fragmentation; this death was attenuated by D-APV, but exhibited little sensitivity to ZVAD or deletion of bax. These results suggest that Zn2+ can induce cell death with characteristics of either apoptosis or necrosis, depending on the intensity of the Zn2+ exposure.
NFκB: a promising target for natural products in cancer chemoprevention

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) is found in nearly all animal cell types. It is involved in cellular responses to stimuli such as stress, cytokines, free radicals, ultraviolet irradiation, oxidized LDL and microbial antigens, and has been shown to regulate the expression of a number of genes including bcl‐2, bcl‐xl, cIAP, suvivin, TRAF, COX‐2, MMP‐9, iNOS and cell cycle‐regulatory components. Many carcinogens, inflammatory agents and tumor promoters have been shown to activate NFκB, and resulting tumors demonstrate misregulated NFκB. Incorrect regulation of NFκB has been linked to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, septic shock, viral infection and improper immune development. Aberrant regulation of NFκB is involved in cancer development and progression as well as in drug resistance. Inhibitors of NFκB mediate effects potentially leading to antitumor responses or greater sensitivity to the action of antitumor agents. Tools have been developed for the rapid assessment of NFκB activity, so in concert with a better understanding of NFκB activation mechanisms, many agents capable of suppressing NFκB activation have been identified. The present article focuses on the functions of NFκB, its role in human cancer and the therapeutic potential and benefit of targeting NFκB by natural products in cancer chemoprevention. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The role of Isospora suis as a Pathogen in Conventional Piglet Production in Germany

In order to evaluate the prevalence of Isospora suis in conventional piglet production in Germany, pooled faecal samples from 327 pig litters from 18 pig production units (20–320 sows each) were examined. At least 10 litters from each farm were investigated. I. suis was present on 83% of the farms and 42.5% of the litters, the infection rate being highest in the third week of age (48.2%). I. suis was found more frequently in samples of diarrhoea than in firm faeces (49.2% compared to 22.2%). Twenty naturally infected piglets from six of these farms underwent examination post mortem, including histology, virology and bacteriology. Histological examination revealed atrophy of the villi in various degrees, mild crypt hyperplasia, fusion of the villi, metaplastic epithelium, erosions and necrosis, especially in the medium and the posterior jejunum and in the ileum. Asexual and sexual developmental stages of the parasite were found in varying numbers in the epithelium of the whole of the small intestine. Bacteria and viruses were mostly excluded as the cause of diarrhoea, and it was concluded that I. suis was the primary pathogen inducing distinct changes and clinical symptoms of diarrhoea.
Structure and function of the lamina propria of the tympanic membrane in various mammals.

IT WAS shown by Fumagalli 1 that in man the bundles of collagenous fibers making up the lamina propria of the tympanic membrane are disposed in such a way that their tension does not change with increasing or decreasing tension of the tympanic membrane itself. Investigations on man (Leonardelli, 2 Fumagalli, 1b Filogamo 3 ) have demonstrated, on the cone of radial bundles, a system of bundles (parabolic bundles) originating from the short process of the malleus. They fan out anteriorly and posteriorly, ending in the fibrous ring. They pass, stringlike, under the arch of the crescentic bundle. These two, the parabolic bundles and the crescentic bundle, form a morphological and functional unit, called by Fumagallilb the "paraboliccrescentic system. " The fibers of this system relax when the long process of the malleus moves in the direction of the middle ear (stretching of the radial bundles) and extend when the handle of