Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Photochemical and antioxidative responses of the glume and flag leaf to seasonal senescence in wheat

The non-leaf photosynthetic organs have recently attracted much attention for the breeding and screening of varieties of cereal crops to achieve a high grain yield. However, the glume photosynthetic characteristics and responses to high temperature at the late stages of grain filling are not well known in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the present study, an experiment was conducted to investigate the anatomy, chloroplast temporal changes, chlorophyll fluorescence, xanthophyll cycle and antioxidative defense system in glumes of field-grown wheat during grain filling compared with flag leaves. Observations using a light microscope revealed that the glumes developed a solid structural base for performing photosynthesis. Compared with the flag leaves, the glumes preserved a more integral ultrastructure, as observed under transmission electron microscopy, and had higher values of Fv/Fm and ΦPSII at the maturity stage. Further analysis of the chlorophyll fluorescence demonstrated that the glumes experienced high non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) at the late stages. Determination of the pool size of the xanthophyll cycle suggested that the (A+Z)/(V+A+Z) ratio was consistently higher in glumes than in flag leaves and that the V+A+Z content was considerably higher in glumes at the maturity stage. In addition, the glumes exhibited a higher antioxidant enzyme activity and a lower accumulation of reactive oxygen species. These results suggest that the glumes are photosynthetically active and senesce later than the flag leaves; the advantages may have been achieved by coordinated contributions of the structural features, higher NPQ levels, greater de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle components and antioxidative defense metabolism.
Impacts of cannabis on driving : An analysis of current evidence with an emphasis on Canadian data

Impacts of cannabis on driving: An analysis of current evidence with an emphasis on Canadian data. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of available research and evidence on the potential impact of cannabis on road safety in Canada. Six areas of relevance to this issue are considered: 1) research on the effects of cannabis on the skills necessary for safe driving; 2) research on the prevalence of cannabis use in Canada; 3) research on the prevalence of driving after cannabis use in Canada; 4) epidemiological studies of the impact of cannabis on collision risk; 5) means for assessing the presence of cannabis in drivers; and 6) legal initiatives in other jurisdictions to address the issue of cannabis and driving.
Association of the OCTN1/1672T variant with increased risk for colorectal cancer in young individuals and ulcerative colitis patients

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with colorectal cancer. Chronic inflammation may also play a role in the pathogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer (SCC), particularly in younger patients (<55 years). We evaluated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms of the OCTN1 and OCTN2 genes are associated with UC, SCC, and with UC cases with cancer progression (UCCP). Methods: We evaluated the OCTN1 and OCTN2 polymorphisms in 200 patients with UC, 59 patients with UCCP, 200 patients with SCC, and 200 controls (HC). IL‐8 expression was also assessed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally, we transfected human colon carcinoma Caco2 cells, homozygous for OCTN1/1672T variant, with the OCTN1/1672C allele and NF‐&kgr;B activity was evaluated by luciferase based reporter assay and IL‐8 mRNA expression by real‐time PCR. Results: OCTN2 polymorphisms did not present a significant association with any group of patients compared to normal controls. Conversely, homozygosity for the OCTN1/1672T variant was significantly associated with UC (P = 0.047 vs. HC), with UCCP (UCCP vs. HC, P < 0.001), and with SCC developing in early age (<55 years) (P = 0.021 vs. HC). Importantly, IL‐8 mRNA expression was higher in UC and UCCP patients homozygous for the OCTN1 1672T variant compared to the other genotypes. Moreover, in Caco2 cells transfection of the OCTN1/1672C variant reduced the activity of the proinflammatory factor NF‐&kgr;B. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that OCTN1 could have a role in modulating the severity of chronic inflammation associated with SCC in early age and in UC patients, and that its polymorphisms may help to predict malignant progression of IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2012;)
Combination of palladium nanoparticles and tubastatin-A potentiates apoptosis in human breast cancer cells: a novel therapeutic approach for cancer

Background Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease that occurs in women. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has recently emerged as an effective and attractive target for the treatment of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a combined treatment of tubastatin A (TUB-A) and palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells using two different cytotoxic agents that work by two different mechanisms, thereby decreasing the probability of chemoresistance in cancer cells and increasing the efficacy of toxicity, to provide efficient therapy for advanced stage of cancer without any undesired side effects. Methods PdNPs were synthesized using a novel biomolecule called R-phycoerythrin and characterized using various analytical techniques. The combinatorial effect of TUB-A and PdNPs was assessed by various cellular and biochemical assays and also by gene expression analysis. Results The biologically synthesized PdNPs had an average size of 25 nm and were spherical in shape. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells with TUB-A or PdNPs showed a dose-dependent effect on cell viability. The combination of 4 μM TUB-A and 4 μM PdNPs had a significant inhibitory effect on cell viability compared with either TUB-A or PdNPs alone. The combinatorial treatment also had a more pronounced effect on the inhibition of HDAC activity and enhanced apoptosis by regulating various cellular and biochemical changes. Conclusion Our results suggest that there was a strong synergistic interaction between TUB-A and PdNPs in increasing apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. These data provide an important preclinical basis for future clinical trials on this drug combination. This combinatorial treatment increased therapeutic potentials, thereby demonstrating a relevant targeted therapy for breast cancer. Furthermore, we have provided the first evidence for the combinatorial effect and mechanism of toxicity of TUB-A and PdNPs in human breast cancer cells. The novelties of the study were identification of a combination therapy that consists of suitable therapeutic molecules that kill cancer cells and also exploration of two different possible mechanisms involved to reduce chemoresistance in cancer cells.
Protein kinase D in vascular biology and angiogenesis

The Protein Kinase D (PKD) family comprises diacylglycerol stimulated serine/threonine protein kinases that participate in many key signaling pathways in a diverse range of cells. Recent studies show that PKD isoforms 1 and 2 play critical roles in vascular biology and angiogenesis and there has been considerable progress in determining some of the key angiogenic signaling pathways mediated by PKD in endothelial cells. Less is currently known regarding the specific roles of PKD isoforms in endothelial cells and the role of PKD in smooth muscle cells. PKD is also emerging as a potentially important mediator of tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis and there is growing interest in PKD as a novel therapeutic target in cancer. © 2011 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 63(4): 258–263, 2011
Lymphoid Enhancer Factor-1 Links Two Hereditary Leukemia Syndromes through Core-binding Factor α Regulation of ELA2*

Two hereditary human leukemia syndromes are severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), caused by mutations in the gene ELA2, encoding the protease neutrophil elastase, and familial platelet disorder with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), caused by mutations in the gene AML1, encoding the transcription factor core-binding factor α (CBFα). In mice, CBFα regulates the expression of ELA2, suggesting a common link for both diseases. However, gene-targeted mouse models have failed to reproduce either human disease, thus prohibiting further in vivo studies in mice. Here we investigate CBFα regulation of the human ELA2 promoter, taking advantage of bone marrow obtained from patients with either illness. In particular, we have identified novel ELA2 promoter substitutions (-199 C to A) within a potential motif for lymphoid enhancer factor-1 (LEF-1), a transcriptional mediator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, in SCN patients. The LEF-1 motif lies adjacent to a potential CBFα binding site that is in a different position in human compared with mouse ELA2. We find that LEF-1 and CBFα co-activate ELA2 expression. In vitro, the high mobility group domain of LEF-1 interacts with the runt DNA binding and proline-, serine-, threonine-rich activation domains of CBFα. ELA2 transcript levels are up-regulated in bone marrow of an SCN patient with the -199 C to A substitution. Conversely, a mutation of the CBFα activation domain, found in a patient with familial platelet disorder with AML, fails to stimulate the ELA2 promoter in vitro, and bone marrow correspondingly demonstrates reduced ELA2 transcript. Observations in these complementary patients indicate that LEF-1 cooperates with CBFα to activate ELA2 in vivo and also suggest the possibility that up-regulating promoter mutations can contribute to SCN. Two hereditary AML predisposition syndromes may therefore intersect via LEF-1, potentially linking them to more generalized cancer mechanisms.
Human GCIP interacts with CT847, a novel Chlamydia trachomatis type III secretion substrate, and is degraded in a tissue‐culture infection model

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis occupies a parasitophorous vacuole and employs a type III secretion mechanism to translocate host‐interactive proteins. These proteins most likely contribute to pathogenesis through modulation of host cell mechanisms crucial for the establishment and maintenance of a permissive intracellular environment. Using a surrogate Yersinia type III secretion system (T3SS), we have identified the conserved gene product CT847 as a chlamydial T3SS substrate. Yeast two‐hybrid studies using CT847 as bait to screen a HeLa cell cDNA library identified an interaction with mammalian Grap2 cyclin D‐interacting protein (GCIP). Immunoblot analyses of C. trachomatis‐infected HeLa cells showed that GCIP levels begin to decrease (as compared with mock‐infected HeLa cells) between 8 h and 12 h post infection. GCIP was virtually undetectable in 24 h time point material. This decrease was inhibited by proteasome inhibitors lactacystin and MG‐132, and the T3SS inhibitor Compound 1. CT847 was detectible in purified reticulate body but not elementary body lysates, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) expression analyses indicate a mid‐cycle expression pattern. Both of these findings are consistent with CT847 contributing to the observed effect on GCIP. Given the established roles of GCIP, we believe that we have discovered a novel C. trachomatis antihost protein whose activity is relevant to chlamydial pathogenesis.
0.5 V Supply Voltage Operation of In0.65Ga0.35As/GaAs0.4Sb0.6 Tunnel FET

In this letter, we demonstrate using fast current-voltage measurements, low switching slope of 64 mV/decade over a drain current range between 10<sup>-3</sup> and 2 × 10<sup>-2</sup> μA/μm in staggered-gap In<sub>0.65</sub>Ga<sub>0.35</sub>As/GaAs<sub>0.4</sub>Sb<sub>0.6</sub> tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) at V<sub>DS</sub> = 0.5 V. This is achieved through a combination of low damage mesa sidewall etch and improvement in electrical quality of the high-κ gate-stack. Benchmarking our results against experimentally demonstrated TFETs, we conclude that, the staggered-gap TFETs are capable of achieving simultaneously high drive current and low switching slope.
Space time spreading with modified Walsh-Hadamard sequences

Previous work has shown that the performance of a space time spreading (STS) system using Walsh codes with two transmit antennas at the base station (BS) is degraded in the presence of mutual interference from adjacent sectors in the same cell. We use modified Walsh-Hadamard sequences exhibiting improved cross-correlation performance, which potentially mitigates the effects of MAI (multiple access interference). The presented study also looks at variation of sets of different modified Walsh-Hadamard codes being used by the adjacent interferer, with a hundred randomly selected pairings being chosen, as well as the case where one set of alternate codes is used. It is shown using simulation that significant improvement of the order of 0.5-2 dB is possible using these sequences instead of the standard Walsh code previously proposed.
Adjunctive maneuvers to treat urethral stricture: a review of the world literature

The development of urethral stricture (US) or bladder neck contracture is a relatively uncommon but well described condition observed primarily in men. Despite familiarity with US disease, management remains challenging for urologists. Risk factors for the development of USs or bladder neck contracture include primary treatment modality, tobacco smoking, coronary artery disease and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Numerous treatment options exist for this condition that vary in procedural complexity, including intermittent self catheterization (CIC), serial urethral dilation, endoscopic techniques and open reconstructive repairs. Repetitive procedures for this condition may carry increased failure rates and morbidities. For the treatment of refractory or recalcitrant bladder neck contracture, newer intralesional anti-proliferative, anti-scar agents have been used in combination with transurethral bladder neck incisions to augment outcome and long-term effect. The primary focus of this systematic review of the published literature is to streamline and summarize various and newer therapeutic modalities available to manage patients with US or bladder neck contracture.
An Approach to Linezolid and Vancomycin against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

In vitro activities of linezolid and vancomycin which were evaluated against methicill in resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). One hundred clinical isolates of MRSA were collected. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of linezolid and vancomycin were determined by the Epsilon-test method. The results showed 100 percent susceptibility of linezolid and vancomycin against MRSA isolates. According to the MIC90 values, linezolid was the most active agent. The heterogeneity of methicillin resistance determined by the dropped plate count revealed homogeneous resistance to methicillin of all isolates.
Clathrin- and Dynamin-Independent Endocytosis of FGFR3 – Implications for Signalling

Endocytosis of tyrosine kinase receptors can influence both the duration and the specificity of the signal emitted. We have investigated the mechanisms of internalization of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) and compared it to that of FGFR1 which is internalized predominantly through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Interestingly, we observed that FGFR3 was internalized at a slower rate than FGFR1 indicating that it may use a different endocytic mechanism than FGFR1. Indeed, after depletion of cells for clathrin, internalization of FGFR3 was only partly inhibited while endocytosis of FGFR1 was almost completely abolished. Similarly, expression of dominant negative mutants of dynamin resulted in partial inhibition of the endocytosis of FGFR3 whereas internalization of FGFR1 was blocked. Interfering with proposed regulators of clathrin-independent endocytosis such as Arf6, flotillin 1 and 2 and Cdc42 did not affect the endocytosis of FGFR1 or FGFR3. Furthermore, depletion of clathrin decreased the degradation of FGFR1 resulting in sustained signalling. In the case of FGFR3, both the degradation and the signalling were only slightly affected by clathrin depletion. The data indicate that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is required for efficient internalization and downregulation of FGFR1 while FGFR3, however, is internalized by both clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent mechanisms.
When early adopters don't adopt

How do bitcoin early adopters seed the adoption S curve? Individuals who naturally adopt a new technology early are important for influencing whether and how the technology diffuses more broadly among later users (1–7). Such natural early adopters (NEAs) may influence the difference between successful diffusion of new technology and failure. Yet the factors that most influence how and why NEAs engage with new technologies are not entirely understood. We asked, “What if natural early adopters are not able to adopt early? ” This paper is the first to measure the counterfactual diffusion curve that occurs when NEAs are not allowed to adopt early. The results suggest that NEAs can stifle broader diffusion of a technology if their usual ability to be first—and to derive value from being first—is compromised. Small changes in the initial availability of a technology among different types of users can have a lasting effect on its potential.
Phenotype Frequencies of Autosomal Minor Histocompatibility Antigens Display Significant Differences among Populations

Minor histocompatibility (H) antigens are allogeneic target molecules having significant roles in alloimmune responses after human leukocyte antigen–matched solid organ and stem cell transplantation (SCT). Minor H antigens are instrumental in the processes of transplant rejection, graft-versus-host disease, and in the curative graft-versus-tumor effect of SCT. The latter characteristic enabled the current application of selected minor H antigens in clinical immunotherapeutic SCT protocols. No information exists on the global phenotypic distribution of the currently identified minor H antigens. Therefore, an estimation of their overall impact in human leukocyte antigen–matched solid organ and SCT in the major ethnic populations is still lacking. For the first time, a worldwide phenotype frequency analysis of ten autosomal minor H antigens was executed by 31 laboratories and comprised 2,685 randomly selected individuals from six major ethnic populations. Significant differences in minor H antigen frequencies were observed between the ethnic populations, some of which appeared to be geographically correlated.
A novel basis for logic rewriting

Given a set of logic primitives and a Boolean function, exact synthesis finds the optimum representation (e.g., depth or size) of the function in terms of the primitives. Due to its high computational complexity, the use of exact synthesis is limited to small networks. Some logic rewriting algorithms use exact synthesis to replace small subnetworks by their optimum representations. However, conventional approaches have two major drawbacks. First, their scalability is limited, as Boolean functions are enumerated to precompute their optimum representations. Second, the strategies used to replace subnetworks are not satisfactory. We show how the use of exact synthesis for logic rewriting can be improved. To this end, we propose a novel method that includes various improvements over conventional approaches: (i) we improve the subnetwork selection strategy, (ii) we show how enumeration can be avoided, allowing our method to scale to larger subnetworks, and (iii) we introduce XOR Majority Graphs (XMGs) as compact logic representations that make exact synthesis more efficient. We show a 45.8% geometric mean reduction (taken over size, depth, and switching activity), a 6.5% size reduction, and depth · size reductions of 8.6%, compared to the academic state-of-the-art. Finally, we outperform 3 over 9 of the best known size results for the EPFL benchmark suite, reducing size by up to 11.5% and depth up to 46.7%.
Epidemiology of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in India

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a common hematological malignancy. The age-adjusted incidence rates for NHL in men and women in India are 2.9/100,000 and 1.5/100,000, respectively. These are about one fourth of the incidence rates reported from Western Europe or North America. Within India, the incidence is several-fold higher in urban cancer registries compared to rural areas; the incidence being higher in metropolitan cities and Indian immigrants suggesting that urban lifestyles and economic progress may increase the cancer incidence. Compared to developed nations, the key differences in the presentation in India include: median age of 54 years (almost a decade less), higher male to female ratio, higher proportion of patients with B-symptoms (40-60 vs. 20-30%), poor ECOG performance status (≥2) at diagnosis (50 vs. 20-30%), higher frequency of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (60-70 vs. <40%), lower frequency of follicular NHL (<20 vs. 30-40%) and T-cell type in 10-20 vs. <10%. The estimated mortality rate due to NHL is higher in India than in North America and Western Europe. Diagnostic and treatment delays, incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate or suboptimal treatment may be possible reasons for the poor outcome. Any improvement in the outcomes for NHL in India will require a nationwide approach, e.g. creation of several regional and district-level centers with expertise in lymphoma management. Collection of data on patient- and disease-related characteristics, treatment outcome, development of infrastructure, centralized review of histopathology subtype, novel treatment protocols, rigorous follow-up, training of staff, and financial support towards treatment could be possible strategies to improve the outcome.
A backjumping technique for Disjunctive Logic Programming

In this work we present a backjumping technique for Disjunctive Logic Programming under the Stable Model Semantics (SDLP). It builds upon related techniques that had originally been introduced for constraint solving, which have been adapted to propositional satisfiability testing, and recently also to non-disjunctive logic programming under the stable model semantics (SLP) [1,2]. We focus on backjumping without clause learning, providing a new theoretical framework for backjumping in SDLP, elaborating on and exploiting peculiarities of the disjunctive setting. We present a reason calculus and associated computations, which - compared to the traditional approaches - reduces the information to be stored, while fully preserving the correctness and the efficiency of the backjumping technique, handling specific aspects of disjunction in a benign way. We implemented the proposed technique in DLV, the state-of-the-art SDLP system.We have conducted several experiments on hard random and structured instances in order to assess the impact of backjumping. To this end, we have compared DLV in various versions: With and without the backjumping method described in this paper, in combination with two different heuristic functions. Our conclusion is that under any of the heuristic functions, DLV with backjumping is favourable to DLV without backjumping. DLV with backjumping performs particularly well on structured satisfiability and quantified boolean formula instances, where the search space and execution time are effectively cut.