Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
b-Amylase 1 and b-Amylase 3 Are Plastidic Starch Hydrolases in Arabidopsis That Seem to Be Adapted for Different Thermal , pH , and Stress Conditions 1 [ W ] [ OPEN ]

Starch degradation in chloroplasts requires b-amylase (BAM) activity, which is encoded by a multigene family. Of nine Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) BAM genes, six encode plastidic enzymes, but only four of these are catalytically active. In vegetative plants, BAM1 acts during the day in guard cells, whereas BAM3 is the dominant activity in mesophyll cells at night. Plastidic BAMs have been difficult to assay in leaf extracts, in part because of a cytosolic activity encoded by BAM5. We generated a series of double mutants lacking BAM5 and each of the active plastidic enzymes (BAM1, BAM2, BAM3, and BAM6) and found that most of the plastidic activity in 5-week-old plants was encoded by BAM1 and BAM3. Both of these activities were relatively constant during the day and the night. Analysis of leaf extracts from double mutants and purified BAM1 and BAM3 proteins revealed that these proteins have distinct properties. Using soluble starch as the substrate, BAM1 and BAM3 had optimum activity at pH 6.0 to 6.5, but at high pH, BAM1 was more active than BAM3, consistent with its known daytime role in the guard cell stroma. The optimum temperature for BAM1, which is transcriptionally induced by heat stress, was about 10°C higher than that of BAM3, which is transcriptionally induced by cold stress. The amino acid composition of BAM1 and BAM3 orthologs reflected differences that are consistent with known adaptations of proteins from heatand coldadapted organisms, suggesting that these dayand night-active enzymes have undergone thermal adaptation.
The Role of the Surviving Parent in the Adaptation of Bereaved Adolescents

The experience of having a parent become ill and die constitutes a major blow to an adolescent. One of the factors that may influence the ability of an adolescent to adapt in a healthy manner to the death of a parent is the degree of support available from the surviving parent. In the present study, 50 bereaved adolescents were seen for a semi-structured interview and psychological testing. Participants rated the overall helpfulness of their surviving parent and also described the kinds of help they received. The major dependent variable was level of depression, as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. Findings showed that individuals who had a good relationship with a surviving parent prior to and following loss adapted better than those with a poor relationship. Surviving parents tended to be rated in extreme ways – as either very helpful or as not at all helpful. Implications for interventions during the terminal phase of a parent's illness, as well as following death, are discussed.
Glide-symmetric locomotion reinforcement in patients with multiple sclerosis by visual feedback

Purpose. To compare the effects of gait training with distinct glide-symmetric visual feedback cues, adapted to the geometry of human locomotion, to the effects of training with visual cues of no distinct symmetry, on the walking abilities of subjects with gait disorders due to multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods. Ten patients trained with transverse lines while 11 patients trained with checkerboard tiles, both provided by a wearable virtual reality device. Baseline performance (walking speed and stride length along a 10 m straight track) was measured before device use. Following 20 min training with the device and 10 min rest, performance without the device was measured again and compared to the baseline performance. Results. The average improvement in the group using the visual cue of transverse lines was 7.79% ± 4.24% in walking speed and 7.20% ± 3.92% in stride length. The average improvement in the group using the visual cue of checkerboard tiles was 21.09% ± 18.39% in walking speed and 12.99% ± 1.72% in stride length. Conclusions. Patients with gait disorders due to MS, training with a glide-symmetric visual feedback cue, showed a significantly higher improvement in their gait parameters than patients training with a visual feedback cue of no without distinct symmetry.
Research Article Association between uric acid and renal function in hypertensive patients: which role for systemic vascular involvement?

The role of systemic vascular involvement in mediating the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and renal function in hypertension has not been explored. Main purpose of our study was to investigate whether morphofunctional vascular changes, assessed as carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), might mediate the association between SUA and renal damage. We enrolled 523 hypertensive subjects with or without chronic kidney disease and divided population into tertiles of SUA based on sex-specific cutoff values. cIMT and aPWV were higher in uppermost SUAtertile patients when compared to those in the lowest ones (all P < .001). Uricemia strongly correlated with cIMT and aPWV at univariate analysis (P < .001) and with cIMTafter adjustment for confounders (P < .001). Adjustment for cIMTattenuated the relationship between SUA and estimated glomerular filtration rate (P ¼ .019). Systemic vascular changes seem partially to mediate the association between SUA and renal function in hypertensive patients, regardless of kidney function. J Am Soc
Responses of bats from temperate regions to changes in ambient temperature.

1. Responses to upward and downward changes in ambient temperature from 5° C. were studied in dormant bats of the species E. fuscus, P. subflavus, M. sodalis, M. lucifugus and L. borealis. Rectal temperatures and heart rates were recorded.2. Except for L. borealis which did not arouse until ambient temperature reached about 20° C. , all species responded by arousal from dormancy when the temperature was increased to 15° C.3. The effects of decreasing ambient temperature varied considerably among species. E. fuscus invariably aroused from dormancy. L. borealis never aroused but showed a thermoregulatory response by increasing its metabolism to compensate for the increase in heat loss. The responses of the other species depended upon the abruptness of the temperature change. Abrupt lowering of ambient temperature tended to induce arousal in M. lucifugus and M. sodalis, whereas these species responded similarly to L. borealis when exposed to gradually decreasing temperature. P. subflavus usually aroused in re.
Significance of Silent Infarcts in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Aged 80 Years and Older

Background: The significance of silent infarcts (SIs) is unknown in very elderly patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Fifty patients aged 80 years and older with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were studied. The conventional risk factors for stroke, the scores of age-related white matter changes, and the findings on echocardiography were compared between patients with and without SIs. Results: Thirty-eight patients (76%) had one or more SIs. The patients without SIs frequently had atrial fibrillation (50% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.014) or spontaneous echo contrast or thrombi on echocardiography (57.1% vs. 0%, p = 0.026) and showed lower scores on age-related white matter changes (0.5 ± 0.67 vs. 1.13 ± 0.58, p = 0.002) than did patients with SIs. There were no differences in other risk factors for stroke between the two groups. Conclusion: In patients aged 80 years and older, the absence of SIs with a first-ever acute ischemic stroke may suggest the presence of cardiac embolic sources or atrial fibrillation.
Immediate Versus Delayed Computerized Brief Intervention for Illicit Drug Misuse

Objective:Computerized brief interventions are a promising approach for integrating substance use interventions into primary care settings. We sought to examine the effectiveness of a computerized brief intervention for illicit drug misuse, which prior research showed performed no worse than a traditional in-person brief intervention. Methods:Community health center patients were screened for eligibility using the World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Participants were adult patients (aged 18–62 years; 53% female) with moderate-risk illicit drug use (N = 80), randomized to receive the computerized brief intervention either immediately or at their 3-month follow-up. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3, and 6-month follow-up, and included the ASSIST and drug hair testing. Results:Most participants in the sample (90%) reported moderate-risk marijuana use. Although the sample as a whole reported significant decreases in ASSIST Global Drug Risk scores and ASSIST marijuana-specific scores, no significant differences were detected between “immediate” and “delayed” conditions on either of these measures. Likewise, no significant differences were detected between conditions in drug-positive hair test results at either follow-up. Conclusions:This study did not find differences between immediate versus delayed computerized brief intervention in reducing drug use or associated risks, suggesting potential regression to the mean or reactivity to the consent, screening, or assessment process. The findings are discussed in light of the study's limitations and directions for future research.
Ammonium action on post‐synaptic inhibition in crayfish neurones: implications for the mechanism of chloride extrusion

1. The reversal potential of the Cl−‐dependent, inhibitory post‐synaptic potential (Ei.p.s.p.) was measured in the isolated crayfish stretch receptor neurone using two intracellular micro‐electrodes. The difference between Ei.p.s.p. and the resting membrane potential (Em), the i.p.s.p. driving force, was reversibly decreased by addition of NH3/NH4+, and the mechanism of this decrease was investigated.
Improving Closed-Loop Signal Shaping of Flexible Systems with Smith Predictor and Quantitative Feedback

Input shaping is a technique used to move flexible systems from point to point rapidly by suppressing the residual vibration at the destination. The vibration suppression is obtained from the principle of destruction of impulse responses. The input shaper, when placed before the flexible system inside the control loop, proves to deliver several benefits. However, this so-called closed-loop signal shaping has one major disadvantage that it adds time delays to the closed-loop system. Being a transcendental function, the time delays cause difficulty in analysis and design of the feedback controller. In most cases, the time delays also limit the maximum achievable bandwidth. In this paper, for the very first time, Smith predictors were applied to the closed-loop signal shaping to remove the time delay from the loop. It was shown in simulation result that the detrimental effect of the time delays was completely removed in the case of perfect plant model. The quantitative feedback control was used in the study to quantify the amount of achievable bandwidth and to suppress vibrations from the plant-input disturbance.
Crystallisation of CP43, a chlorophyll binding protein of photosystem II: an electron microscopy analysis of molecular packing.

Microcrystals of the chlorophyll binding protein, CP43, isolated from spinach thylakoid membranes have been studied by electron microscopy both in negative stain and in vitreous ice. Image analyses of three characteristic views show that the crystals are built of five different layers perpendicular to the c-axis. Each layer consists of different orientations of the CP43 protein. The unit cell derived from the end-on view (looking down the c-axis) shows an angle of 120 degrees, suggesting a threefold rotational symmetry. Both negative staining and cryo data are consistent with a hexagonal crystal lattice. Interpretation of the arrangement of the CP43 protein within this crystal lattice can be made based on 8- and 9-A electron crystallographic structures previously published that provide a model for the organisation of the transmembrane helices of CP43. Overall the analysis presented is consistent with X-ray diffraction data obtained from larger CP43 crystals and forms a framework on which to base further structural studies of this chlorophyll binding protein.
Role of right atrial receptors in the control of drinking in the rat.

Balloons were implanted at the junction of the superior vena cava and right atrium of the rat. Inflation of the balloon stretched the vein‐atrial junction but did not cause a change in either arterial or central venous blood pressure. Inflating the balloon attenuated spontaneous night‐time water intake and the drinking responses to 24 h water deprivation and subcutaneous (s.c.) isoprenaline (10 micrograms/kg body wt.). Water intake after I.P. hyperoncotic colloid (polyethylene glycol 20 M) was virtually abolished when the balloon was inflated immediately before giving access to water (4 h after injection). Inflating the balloon had no effect on drinking following I.V. hypertonic saline (5 ml 2M‐NaCl/kg body wt.). These results support the hypothesis that volume receptors on the right side of the heart are involved in controlling water intake.
Acetaldehyde inhibits NF-kappaB activation through IkappaBalpha preservation in rat Kupffer cells.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Treatment with acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors leads to increased liver acetaldehyde levels and prevents hepatic inflammation and necrosis in ethanol-fed rats. This is accompanied by IkappaBa preservation and decreased activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. The present in vitro study was aimed to clarify whether acetaldehyde has an effect on degradation of IkappaBalpha and activation of NF-kappaB in LPS-stimulated rat Kupffer cells. METHODS Kupffer cells were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats and preincubated with various concentrations of acetaldehyde (25-100 microM). Thereafter the cells were stimulated with LPS, and cytosolic and nuclear fractions were prepared. IkappaBalpha and p65 proteins and activation of NF-kappaB were evaluated. RESULTS In LPS-stimulated rat Kupffer cells, acetaldehyde diminished proteolytic degradation of IkappaBalpha, inhibited nuclear translocation of cytosolic p65 protein, and, accordingly, markedly decreased NF-kappaB activation. CONCLUSIONS Acetaldehyde is clearly involved in the stabilization of IkappaBalpha protein and suppression of NF-kappaB activation in rat Kupffer cells. Acetaldehyde may form an adduct with IkappaBalpha, thus making the protein less susceptible to degradation.
On the mechanisms of neuroprotection by creatine and phosphocreatine

Creatine and phosphocreatine were evaluated for their ability to prevent death of cultured striatal and hippocampal neurons exposed to either glutamate or 3‐nitropropionic acid (3NP) and to inhibit the mitochondrial permeability transition in CNS mitochondria. Phosphocreatine (PCr), and to a lesser extent creatine (Cr), but not (5R,10S)‐(+)‐5‐methyl‐10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten‐5,10‐imine hydrogen maleate (MK801), dose‐dependently ameliorated 3NP toxicity when applied simultaneously with the 3NP in Mg2+‐free media. Pre‐treatment of PCr for 2 or 5 days and Cr for 5 days protected against glutamate excitotoxicity equivalent to that achieved by MK801 post‐treatment. The combination of PCr or Cr pre‐treatment and MK801 post‐treatment did not provide additional protection, indicating that both prevented the toxicity attributable to secondary glutamate release. To determine if Cr or PCr directly inhibited the permeability transition, mitochondrial swelling and depolarization were assayed in isolated, purified brain mitochondria. PCr reduced the amount of swelling induced by calcium by 20%. Cr decreased mitochondrial swelling when inhibitors of creatine kinase octamer–dimer transition were present. However, in brain mitochondria prepared from rats fed a diet supplemented with 2% creatine for 2 weeks, the extent of calcium‐induced mitochondrial swelling was not altered. Thus, the neuroprotective properties of PCr and Cr may reflect enhancement of cytoplasmic high‐energy phosphates but not permeability transition inhibition.
The Cryptococcus neoformans STE11α gene is similar to other fungal mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) genes but is mating type specific

Partial sequence analysis of the Cryptococcus neoformans MATα mating type locus revealed the presence of a gene with substantial sequence similarity to other fungal mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) genes. The C. neoformans gene, designated STE11α, showed the highest degree of similarity to the Neurospora crassa nrc‐1, Schizosaccharomyces pombe byr2 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE11 genes. A polymerase chain reaction‐mediated sib‐selection technique was successfully adapted for the purpose of disrupting STE11α. C. neoformans ste11αΔ mutants were found to be sterile, consistent with the phenotypes of ste11 and byr2 mutants in S. cerevisiae and S. pombe respectively. Haploid ste11αΔ mutants were also found to be unable to produce hyphae, suggesting that the C. neoformans gene is functionally conserved when compared with its S. cerevisiae MAPKKK counterpart. Comparison of the wild‐type STE11α strain with a ste11αΔ disruptant for virulence using the mouse model showed that the ste11αΔ strain was less virulent, but the difference was only minor. In spite of some of the conserved functions of STE11α, linkage analysis showed that STE11α is only found in mating type α strains. These results demonstrate that, although functionally conserved, the mating pathway in C. neoformans has a unique organization.
Direct stimulus perception and transcription activation by a membrane‐bound DNA binding protein

Few membrane proteins with a role in transcriptional regulation have been studied, and none are able to perceive their respective stimuli and activate transcription of their regulons without the aid of auxiliary proteins. The bacitracin resistance regulator, BcrR, of Enterococcus faecalis is a membrane‐bound DNA binding protein and is required for bacitracin‐dependent expression of the bacitracin resistance genes, bcrABD. Here, we show that BcrR interacts directly with Zn2+ bacitracin (Kd = 2–5 μM), but not metal‐free bacitracin. A solution‐based DNA binding assay demonstrated that the affinity of BcrR for its target DNA is much higher (Kd = 40 nM) than previously found for transmembrane regulators and is comparable to that of soluble DNA binding proteins. A construct of BcrR that lacked the transmembrane domain was unable to bind to DNA, indicating that membrane localization was important for DNA binding. Bacitracin did not cause a change in the DNaseI footprint of BcrR on the bcrA promoter, but in vitro transcription assays with BcrR proteoliposomes showed bacitracin‐dependent activation of transcription. These findings demonstrate that BcrR is a bona fide one‐component transmembrane signal transduction system, which perceives an extracellular stimulus (presence of bacitracin) and relays it to an intracellular transcriptional response independent of any auxiliary proteins.
Coordination languages for open system design

Three coordination languages, Linda, Flat Concurrent Prolog, and DeltaProlog, are discussed with respect to their features for open system design. It is interesting to compare the Linda coordination model with the model of logic languages, because both involve forms of communication based on pattern matching. Although they seem to be equivalent with respect to their expressive power, current implementations of Flat Concurrent Prolog and DeltaProlog miss the efficiency of Linda, for reasons that are discussed. Shared Prolog, a new parallel logic language that is closer to the Linda coordination model, is introduced. <<ETX>>
Phosphorylation of histone H3 serine 10 in early mouse embryos: Active phosphorylation at late S phase and differential effects of ZM447439 on first two embryonic mitoses

Cell division in mammalian cells is regulated by Aurora kinases. The activity of Aurora A is indispensable for correct function of centrosomes and proper spindle formation, while Aurora B for chromosome biorientation and separation. Aurora B is also responsible for the phosphorylation of histone H3 serine 10 (H3S10Ph) from G2 to metaphase. Data concerning the Aurora B activity and H3S10Ph in embryonic cells are limited to primordial and maturing oocytes and advanced pronuclei in zygotes. In the present study we have analyzed H3S10Ph in 1- and 2-cell mouse embryos. We show that H3S10 remains phosphorylated at anaphase and telophase of the second meiotic division, as well as during the anaphase and telophase of the first and second embryonic mitoses. At late G1 H3S10 is dephosphorylated and subsequently phosphorylated de novo at late S phase of the first and second cell cycle. These results show that the H3S10 phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle in embryonic cells is different than in somatic cells. The behaviour of thymocyte G0 nuclei introduced into ovulated oocytes and early 1-cell parthenogenotes confirms that kinases responsible for de novo H3S10 phosphorylation, most probably Aurora B, are active until G1 of the first cell cycle of mouse embryo. The inhibition of Aurora kinases by ZM447439 caused abnormalities both in the first and second mitoses. However, the disturbances in each division differed, suggesting important differences in the control of these mitoses. In ZM447439-treated mitotic zygotes Mad2 protein remained continuously present on kinetochores, what confirmed that spindle checkpoint remained active.
Mesencephalic and diencephalic afferent connections to the thalamic nucleus rotundus in the lizard, Psammodromus algirus

The present work is an analysis of the afferent projections to the thalamic nucleus rotundus in a lizard, both at the light‐ and electron‐microscopic level, using biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) as a neuroanatomical tracer. This study has confirmed previously reported afferent projections to nucleus rotundus in reptiles and has also identified a number of new cellular aggregates projecting to this dorsal thalamic nucleus. After BDA injections into nucleus rotundus, retrogradely labelled neurons were observed consistently within the following neuronal groups in the midbrain and the diencephalon: (i) the stratum griseum centrale of the optic tectum; (ii) the nucleus subpretectalis in the pretectum; (iii) the nucleus ansa lenticularis posterior, the posterior nucleus of the ventral supraoptic commissure, and the posteroventral nucleus, in the dorsal thalamus and (iv) the lateral suprachiasmatic nucleus and part of the reticular complex in the ventral thalamus. Tectal axons entering nucleus rotundus were fine and varicose and formed exclusively asymmetric synaptic contacts, mainly on small dendritic profiles. Rotundal neurons had symmetric synapses made by large boutons probably of nontectal origin. After comparing our results with those in other reptiles, birds and mammals, we propose that the sauropsidian nucleus rotundus forms part of a visual tectofugal pathway that conveys mesencephalic visual information to the striatum and dorsal ventricular ridge, and is similar to the mammalian colliculo‐posterior/intralaminar–striatoamygdaloid pathway, the function of which may be to participate in visually guided behaviour.