Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific inhibition of rRNA transcription and dynamic relocation of fibrillarin induced by mercury.

Current evidence suggests that the nucleolus is composed of different substructures that are dynamic and form in response to the requirement for new ribosome synthesis. Thus, agents that disrupt nucleolar organization may deregulate basic cellular events and eventually contribute to human disease. Here we report that environmentally relevant concentrations (5 microM) of inorganic mercury induce a redistribution of nucleolar protein fibrillarin from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm in epithelial cell lines. Since treatment with transcription inhibitors led to a similar relocation of fibrillarin, the effects of mercury on transcription were studied by run-on transcription assays: mercuric ions specifically blocked synthesis of ribosomal RNA, whereas activity of RNA polymerase II remained unchanged and occurred throughout the nucleoplasm. Moreover, we show by double-labeling that inhibition of nucleolar transcription and redistribution of fibrillarin occur simultaneously, underlining that fibrillarin relocation is a consequence of the blockade of ribosomal RNA synthesis by mercury. We also detected redistribution of fibrillarin in vivo, e.g., in splenic cells of mice chronically exposed to HgCl(2). Thus, implications of this alteration of nuclear structure and function for mercury-induced autoimmunity are discussed.
On the Electrodepositing of Cobalt Nanoparticles on ITO in the Presence of Boric Acid

Cyclic voltammetry, the magneto-optical Kerr effect, and atomic force microcopy are used to study the effect of boric acid on electrodeposited Co nanoparticles (NPs). The results show that the adsorption of boric acid increases the population density of Co NPs and that the texture of the Co NPs is strongly varied by the boric acid due to a variety of dissociated boric acid forms. The c-axis of the electrodeposited Co nanoparticles has an increasing tendency to lie on an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) surface when boric acid is added. This causes the Co NPs to have an in-plane easy axis of magnetization when a higher concentration of boric acid is used. The addition of boric acid is an efficient way to control the texture of Co NPs. A possible mechanism of how boric acid affects the magnetic and structural properties of electrodeposited Co NPs is discussed in this paper.
Numerical hypocoercivity for the Kolmogorov equation

In this talk present a recent joint work with Alessio Porretta. We prove that a finite-difference centered approximation for the Kolmogorov equation in the whole space preserves the decay properties of continuous solu- tions as t → ∞, independently of the mesh-size parameters. This is a manifestation of the property of numerical hypo-coercivity and it holds both for semi-discrete and fully discrete approximations. The method of proof is based on the energy methods developed by Herau and Villani, employing well-balanced Lyapunov functionals mixing different energies, suitably weighted and equilibrated by multiplicative powers in time. The decreasing character of this Lyapunov functional leads to the optimal decay of the L-norms of solutions and partial derivatives, which are of different order because of the anisotropy of the model. References [1] A. Porretta, E. Zuazua. Numerical hypocoercivity for the Kolmogorov equation. Preprint, 2014. [http://www.bcamath. org/documentos public/archivos/publicaciones/1-01-2015.pdf]
Effect of fish oil on glutathione redox system in multiple sclerosis.

UNLABELLED Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory and autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Dysregulation of glutathione homeostasis and alterations in glutathione-dependent enzyme activities are implicated in the induction and progression of MS. Evidence suggests that Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of fish oil on the activity of glutathione reductase (GR), content of reduced and oxidized glutathione, and GSH/GSSG ratio in MS. 50 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were enrolled. The experimental group received orally 4 g/day of fish oil for 12 months. Fish oil supplementation resulted in a significant increase in n-3 fatty acids and a decrease n-6 fatty acids. No differences in glutathione reductase activity, content of reduced and oxidized glutathione, and GSH/GSSG ratio were found. CONCLUSION Glutathione reductase activity was not significantly different between the groups; however, fish oil supplementation resulted in smaller increase in GR compared with control group, suggesting a possible effect on antioxidant defence mechanisms.
C5′- and C3′-sugar radicals produced via photo-excitation of one-electron oxidized adenine in 2′-deoxyadenosine and its derivatives

We report that photo-excitation of one-electron-oxidized adenine [A(-H)•] in dAdo and its 2′-deoxyribonucleotides leads to formation of deoxyribose sugar radicals in remarkably high yields. Illumination of A(-H)• in dAdo, 3′-dAMP and 5′-dAMP in aqueous glasses at 143 K leads to 80-100% conversion to sugar radicals at C5′ and C3′. The position of the phosphate in 5′- and 3′-dAMP is observed to deactivate radical formation at the site of substitution. In addition, the pH has a crucial influence on the site of sugar radical formation; e.g. at pH ∼5, photo-excitation of A(-H)• in dAdo at 143 K produces mainly C5′• whereas only C3′• is observed at high pH ∼12. 13C substitution at C5′ in dAdo yields 13C anisotropic couplings of (28, 28, 84) G whose isotropic component 46.7 G identifies formation of the near planar C5′•. A β-13C 16 G isotropic coupling from C3′• is also found. These results are found to be in accord with theoretically calculated 13C couplings at C5′ [DFT, B3LYP, 6-31(G) level] for C5′• and C3′•. Calculations using time-dependent density functional theory [TD-DFT B3LYP, 6-31G(d)] confirm that transitions in the near UV and visible induce hole transfer from the base radical to the sugar group leading to sugar radical formation.
Cross-Cultural Structural Parameter Invariance on PISA 2006 Student Questionnaires

Problem Statement: In cross-cultural studies such as PISA, it is not possible to use a single form, since the scales are applied to different countries, and it is necessary to translate the form into the language of the country that will use it. Language differences may have a strong impact on measurement inequalities. Nevertheless, translated tests may not function in the same way, because of different culture and language characteristics of different countries. This situation may be described as the test not being equivalent, or fair, for different cultures. Translation is the first step of a long-lasting process in adapting the test to different cultures; the basic objective of adaptation is to preserve the structural equivalence between the versions of two or more languages, and to protect the test content. Purpose of Study: This study aims to examine the factorial invariance of some of the PISA questionnaire in relation to its scientific context, and the equality of the questionnaire across the ten countries, by a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis model. Methods: In this study, samplings from ten countries were used. For the crosscultural invariance of PISA questionnaires, a set of confirmatory factor analysis procedures were used. If the introduction of a set of invariance constraints results in a substantial reduction in goodness of fit, then there is evidence against the appropriateness of those invariance constraints. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with LISREL. Findings and Results: As a result, in the model in which there is a constraint indicating that factor loadings should be equal for all countries, there is no evidence of a decrease in fit index level, exceeding the criterion in comparison to the baseline model. This result strongly supports the conclusion that factor loadings do not vary from one country to another. However, in the model in which error variances are
FPGA-Accelerated Molecular Dynamics Simulations System

Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, supported by parallel software and special hardware, are widely used in materials, computational chemistry and biology science. With advancing of FPGA capability and inclusion of embedded multipliers, lots of studies steer to focus on FPGA accelerated MD simulations. In this paper, we propose a system that can implement the computation on FPGA for Lennard-Jones (LJ) force which has been proved of dominating the whole execution time, and then the results are transferred to the host which takes the charge of all motion integration and other computations. To perform efficient computation on FPGA, we present two methods, one is combining discrete function and interpolation for computing high power, and the other is using Filter filtrate particles and exploiting two LJ force Calculators.
Crucial Role for Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Early Microcirculatory Derangement and Recipient Survival following Murine Pancreas Transplantation

Objective Aim of this study was to identify the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoform involved in early microcirculatory derangements following solid organ transplantation. Background Tetrahydrobiopterin donor treatment has been shown to specifically attenuate these derangements following pancreas transplantation, and tetrahydrobiopterin-mediated protective effects to rely on its NOS-cofactor activity, rather than on its antioxidant capacity. However, the NOS-isoform mainly involved in this process has still to be defined. Methods Using a murine pancreas transplantation model, grafts lacking one of the three NOS-isoforms were compared to grafts from wild-type controls. Donors were treated with either tetrahydrobiopterin or remained untreated. All grafts were subjected to 16 h cold ischemia time and transplanted into wild-type recipients. Following 4 h graft reperfusion, microcirculation was analysed by confocal intravital fluorescence microscopy. Recipient survival was monitored for 50 days. Results Transplantation of the pancreas from untreated wild-type donor mice resulted in microcirculatory damage of the transplanted graft and no recipient survived more than 72 h. Transplanting grafts from untreated donor mice lacking either endothelial or inducible NOS led to similar outcomes. In contrast, donor treatment with tetrahydrobiopterin prevented microcirculatory breakdown enabling long-term survival. Sole exception was transplantation of grafts from untreated donor mice lacking neuronal NOS. It resulted in intact microvascular structure and long-term recipient survival, either if donor mice were untreated or treated with tetrahydrobiopterin. Conclusion We demonstrate for the first time the crucial involvement of neuronal NOS in early microcirculatory derangements following solid organ transplantation. In this model, protective effects of tetrahydrobiopterin are mediated by targeting this isoform.
Micro-Doppler Based Classification of Human Aquatic Activities via Transfer Learning of Convolutional Neural Networks

Accurate classification of human aquatic activities using radar has a variety of potential applications such as rescue operations and border patrols. Nevertheless, the classification of activities on water using radar has not been extensively studied, unlike the case on dry ground, due to its unique challenge. Namely, not only is the radar cross section of a human on water small, but the micro-Doppler signatures are much noisier due to water drops and waves. In this paper, we first investigate whether discriminative signatures could be obtained for activities on water through a simulation study. Then, we show how we can effectively achieve high classification accuracy by applying deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) directly to the spectrogram of real measurement data. From the five-fold cross-validation on our dataset, which consists of five aquatic activities, we report that the conventional feature-based scheme only achieves an accuracy of 45.1%. In contrast, the DCNN trained using only the collected data attains 66.7%, and the transfer learned DCNN, which takes a DCNN pre-trained on a RGB image dataset and fine-tunes the parameters using the collected data, achieves a much higher 80.3%, which is a significant performance boost.
Human steady-state visually evoked potential topography and attention

This work began with a review of visual spatial selective attention, from a behavioural perspective with particular emphasis placed upon the spotlight model. To complement the behavioural review, the physiological aspects of the visual system were studied to find possible loci of the spotlight. The literature pointed to the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus, interacting with the parietal and frontal cortices. Some experimental work examined relationships between visual spatial selective attention and event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded from the scalp. The second section of this thesis reviewed the ERP measures relating specifically to the visual modality for their possible application in a visual attentional task. This yielded two independent findings. First, the Probe-ERP paradigm comprising an attentional task being performed by the subject, with a separate stimulus to probe the unused resources within the system. Second, the steady-state evoked response, with the stimulus presented as a small sinusoidal variation around a mean level of contrast. The combination of the ProbeERP paradigm and the steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) warranted experimental evaluation. Implementation of the SSVEP required the design and construction of a complete sixty-four channel system, with provision of topographic data presentation, to display potentials across the scalp. This work involved development of computer hardware and instrumentation, software for data collection, analysis, artifact detection, interpolation and topographic display. After completion of the system, exploratory research involving the SSVEP began. An examination of the relationship between SSVEP and spontaneous EEG activity, particularly in the alpha band (8–13 Hz), indicated that the SSVEP probe activity and spontaneous alpha activity resulted from related, but independent mechanisms. Two other major experiments followed, involving the Probe-SSVEP with visual vigilance and selective attention. The results indicated that particular regions of the v brain are involved with these activities—including the prefrontal, the right temporal, and the parieto-occipital areas. As an adjunct to the major experimental work, a small pilot involving a few braininjured individuals indicated that the technique has promise in examination of clinical populations.
Alternative pathway of complement: recruitment of precursor properdin by the labile C3/C5 convertase and the potentiation of the pathway

In this study the physiological role of properdin and the differential subunit composition of the solid phase enzymes of the pathway have been explored. Cell-bound C3 and C5 convertase differ in their C3b requirement. Apparently one molecule of C3b is sufficient to allow formation of C3 convertase (C3b,B), whereas two or more are required for generation of C5 convertase (C3bn,B). This conclusion was drawn from results indicating the critical role of the spacial distribution of C3b molecules on the cell surface in enzyme formation. While the C3/C5 convertase is fully capable of acting on C5 and thereby initiating the assembly of the cytolytic membrane attack complex, it is exceedingly labile and vulnerable to destruction by the C3b inactivator. It is the apparent role of properdin to confer a degree of stability upon the labile enzyme and to protect its C3 convertase function against enzymatic destruction. To achieve these effects, precursor properdin (pre-P) is recruited in a binding-activation reaction by the labile C3/C5 convertase. Multiple C3b molecules appear to be needed for the formation of properdin-activating principle. Three modes of regulation have been described, which involve spontaneous dissociation enzymatic degradation by C3b inactivator and disassembly by beta1H. The functional differences of pre-P and activated properdin (P) were delineated, pre-P displaying a weak affinity for C3b and P the capacity of strong interaction, P generating a soluble C3 convertase in serum and pre-P being unable to do so. Because of the profound differences between native pre-P and the laboratory product P, the question was raised as to whether soluble P represents an unphysiological form of the protein. On the basis of this and other studies, the conclusion was reached that in vitro properdin recruitment constitutes the terminal event of the properdin pathway, and that properdin augments the function of C3/C5 convertase without changing its substrate specificity.
A Rapid Method to Achieve Aero-Engine Blade Form Detection

This paper proposes a rapid method to detect aero-engine blade form, according to the characteristics of an aero-engine blade surface. This method first deduces an inclination error model in free-form surface measurements based on the non-contact laser triangulation principle. Then a four-coordinate measuring system was independently developed, a special fixture was designed according to the blade shape features, and a fast measurement of the blade features path was planned. Finally, by using the inclination error model for correction of acquired data, the measurement error that was caused by tilt form is compensated. As a result the measurement accuracy of the Laser Displacement Sensor was less than 10 μm. After the experimental verification, this method makes full use of optical non-contact measurement fast speed, high precision and wide measuring range of features. Using a standard gauge block as a measurement reference, the coordinate system conversion data is simple and practical. It not only improves the measurement accuracy of the blade surface, but also its measurement efficiency. Therefore, this method increases the value of the measurement of complex surfaces.
The Characteristics of Action Potentials in Primo Vessels and the Effects of Acetylcholine Injection to the Action Potentials

In a previous study, we found that Primo vessels generate different action potentials in smooth muscles, but this study compared the pulse shape to distinguish the two tissues. Thus, a more sophisticated extracellular experiment was performed in this study using an acetylcholine injection; we then observed changes in the amplitude, FWHM (full width at half maximum), and period to explore Primo vessel function. A third type of pulse was recorded for Primo vessels. We observed fast depolarizing and repolarizing phases for this pulse. Further, its FWHM was 30 ms between smooth muscles and neurons. Acetylcholine affected only the period. The amplitude and FWHM were consistent after injection. Primo-vessels generated action potentials at twice the frequency after injection. From the results, we speculate that Primo-vessels perform a role in transferring signals in a different manner, which may be relevant for acupuncture treatment.
The Netrin Receptor DCC Is Required in the Pubertal Organization of Mesocortical Dopamine Circuitry

Netrins are guidance cues involved in neural connectivity. We have shown that the netrin-1 receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) is involved in the functional organization of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Adult mice with a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in dcc exhibit changes in indexes of DA function, including DA-related behaviors. These phenotypes are only observed after puberty, a critical period in the maturation of the mesocortical DA projection. Here, we examined whether dcc heterozygous mice exhibit structural changes in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) DA synaptic connectivity, before and after puberty. Stereological counts of tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH)-positive varicosities were increased in the cingulate 1 and prelimbic regions of the pregenual mPFC. dcc heterozygous mice also exhibited alterations in the size, complexity, and dendritic spine density of mPFC layer V pyramidal neuron basilar dendritic arbors. Remarkably, these presynaptic and postsynaptic partner phenotypes were not observed in juvenile mice, suggesting that DCC selectively influences the extensive branching and synaptic differentiation that occurs in the maturing mPFC DA circuit at puberty. Immunolabeling experiments in wild-type mice demonstrated that DCC is segregated to TH-positive fibers innervating the nucleus accumbens, with only scarce DCC labeling in mPFC TH-positive fibers. Netrin had an inverted target expression pattern. Thus, DCC-mediated netrin-1 signaling may influence the formation/maintenance of mesocorticolimbic DA topography. In support of this, we report that dcc heterozygous mice exhibit a twofold increase in the density of mPFC DCC/TH-positive varicosities. Our results implicate DCC-mediated netrin-1 signaling in the establishment of mPFC DA circuitry during puberty.
Linking MOOC courseware to accommodate diverse learner backgrounds

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) brings great opportunities to millions of learners. However, the size of the learner population and the heterogeneity of the learners' backgrounds make conventional one-size-fits-all pedagogy insufficient. For example, learners lacking in prior knowledge may struggle with different concepts. In this paper, we propose a framework - educational content linking, to address the challenges. By linking and organizing scattered educational materials for a given MOOC into an easily accessible structure, this framework can provide guidance and recommendation of these contents, as well as improve navigation. Thus, learners can select appropriate supporting materials to suit their individualized needs and achieve self-exploring remediation. This paper describes an end-to-end case study, which found that learners, especially novices, can search learning materials faster without sacrificing accuracy, and can retain concepts more readily with our proposed approach. We have also obtained encouraging preliminary results that suggest that content linking can be achieved automatically using human language technology and stochastic modeling techniques.
Fermion Systems in Discrete Space-Time Exemplifying the Spontaneous Generation of a Causal Structure

As toy models for space-time on the Planck scale, we consider examples of fermion systems in discrete space-time which are composed of one or two particles defined on two up to nine space-time points. We study the self-organization of the particles as described by a variational principle both analytically and numerically. We find an effect of spontaneous symmetry breaking which leads to the emergence of a discrete causal structure.
Further studies on the properties and assay of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase of rat liver.

Renewed interest in the direct oxidative pathway of glucose 6-phosphate metabolism during the last few years has revealed that this pathway is by no means restricted to erythrocytes, yeast and microorganisms. The triphosphopyridine-nucleotide(TPN)-specific glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases are also widely distributed in mammalian tissues (Dickens & Glock, 1950, 1951; Horecker & Smyrniotis, 1951), in a variety of lower plants and animals (Cohen, 1950) and also in higher plants (Conn & Vennesland, 1951; Gibbs, 1952). The significance of this pathway in animal tissues, its physiological control and the relative importance of the direct oxidative and glycolytic routes of carbohydrate metabolism are still, however, chiefly matters of conjecture. An essential preliminary step to such an investigation is to devise a satisfactory procedure for the assay of glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases in animal tissues and it was with this object in view that the present work was undertaken.