Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The tetrapod fauna of the upper Permian Naobaogou Formation of China: a new species of Elginia (Parareptilia, Pareiasauria)

The pareiasaur fossil record in China is poor compared to that of Russia or South Africa. A new pareiasaur specimen is here reported from the upper Permian Naobaogou Formation of the Daqing Mountains, Nei Mongol, China. It is recognized as a new species of Elginia, a taxon otherwise known only from the upper Permian Cutties Hillock Sandstone of Scotland. Diagnostic features include a moderately developed cheek flange; prominent otic notch (formed between squamosal and quadratojugal at the posterior margin of the temporal plate); enlarged supraorbital bosses on prefrontal, postfrontal and postorbital; a hypertrophied supratemporal horn, and squamosal horn prominently projecting posteriorly from caudal margin of temporal plate. The new taxon is differentiated from E. mirabilis by a well‐developed and crescentic postfrontal boss, which is the largest among a series of circumorbital bosses; upper orbital border distinctly domed with a smooth rather than angled anterodorsal margin; lesser developed cranial bosses, basal confluence of the transverse process and postzygapophysis forms a horizontal flange in some dorsal vertebrae. The new discovery significantly extends the geographical distribution of Elginia and Elginiidae.
The role of cueing in attentional capture

In the present study, participants searched for an odd-man-out target within the shape dimension (either a diamond or a circle) while a colour distractor singleton could be present. In some conditions, the identity of the target singleton for the upcoming trial was cued in advance by either a word cue (e.g., a word saying “diamond”) or a symbolic cue (e.g., a cue showing the shape of a diamond). The results indicate that cueing the upcoming target singleton reduced but did not eliminate attentional capture by the irrelevant colour distractor. Furthermore, cueing benefits were especially large when a colour distractor was present, suggesting that top-down processing plays a large role after attention has been captured to the location of the irrelevant colour distractor. Finally, when no distractor is present, top-down processing plays no role; in those circumstances, only priming can facilitate singleton search.
A Replicated Quantitative Analysis of Fault Distributions in Complex Software Systems

To contribute to the body of empirical research on fault distributions during development of complex software systems, a replication of a study of Fenton and Ohlsson is conducted. The hypotheses from the original study are investigated using data taken from an environment that differs in terms of system size, project duration, and programming language. We have investigated four sets of hypotheses on data from three successive telecommunications projects: 1) the Pareto principle, that is, a small number of modules contain a majority of the faults (in the replication, the Pareto principle is confirmed), 2) fault persistence between test phases (a high fault incidence in function testing is shown to imply the same in system testing, as well as prerelease versus postrelease fault incidence), 3) the relation between number of faults and lines of code (the size relation from the original study could be neither confirmed nor disproved in the replication), and 4) fault density similarities across test phases and projects (in the replication study, fault densities are confirmed to be similar across projects). Through this replication study, we have contributed to what is known on fault distributions, which seem to be stable across environments.
Characterization of a ribonuclease III-like protein required for cleavage of the pre-rRNA in the 3′ETS in Arabidopsis

Ribonuclease III (RNaseIII) is responsible for processing and maturation of RNA precursors into functional rRNA, mRNA and other small RNA. In contrast to bacterial and yeast cells, higher eukaryotes contain at least three classes of RNaseIII, including class IV or dicer-like proteins. Here, we describe the functional characterization of AtRTL2, an Arabidopsis thaliana RNaseIII-like protein that belongs to a small family of genes distinct from the dicer family. We demonstrate that AtRTL2 is required for 3′external transcribed spacer (ETS) cleavage of the pre-rRNA in vivo. AtRTL2 localizes in the nucleus and cytoplasm, a nuclear export signal (NES) in the N-terminal sequence probably controlling AtRTL2 cellular localization. The modeled 3D structure of the RNaseIII domain of AtRTL2 is similar to the bacterial RNaseIII domain, suggesting a comparable catalytic mechanism. However, unlike bacterial RNaseIII, the AtRTL2 protein forms a highly salt-resistant homodimer that is only disrupted on treatment with DTT. These data indicate that AtRTL2 may use a dimeric mechanism to cleave double-stranded RNA, but unlike bacterial or yeast RNase III proteins, AtRTL2 forms homodimers through formation of disulfide bonds, suggesting that redox conditions may operate to regulate the activity of RNaseIII.
Thymidylate synthase gene variations: predictive and prognostic markers

Since its introduction more than 50 years ago by Heidelberger et al., the fluoropyrimidine 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has remained the mainstay of therapeutic regimens used in the treatment of colorectal cancer and other human malignancies, with single-agent response rates of 20% to 25% in advanced disease stage. Pharmacogenomics has emerged as a useful tool to address interindividual gene variations by analyzing the interplay of host and tumor genotype and drug efficacy and toxicity. Having a reliable panel of prognostic and predictive markers will be critical in selecting an individualized and tailored chemotherapy regimen based on the particular tumor and host genotype. Although conflicting results have been reported, higher thymidylate synthase (TS) protein and mRNA expression levels in tumors have generally been associated with poor clinical outcome in patients treated with 5-FU–based chemotherapy regimens. However, the cause of the variability in TS expression still remains not fully understood, although several germ-line polymorphisms seem to affect the expression of TS, some of which have been found to have an effect on prognosis and the probability of response to 5-FU–based chemotherapy. This review will provide an update on pharmacogenomic studies of TS that were aimed at elucidating their role as prognostic and predictive markers. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(5):1000–7]
Scaling in long term data sets of geomagnetic indices and solar wind ϵ as seen by WIND spacecraft

We study scaling in fluctuations of the geomagnetic indices (AE, AU, and AL) that provide a measure of magnetospheric activity and of the ϵ parameter which is a measure of the solar wind driver. Generalized structure function (GSF) analysis shows that fluctuations exhibit self‐similar scaling up to about 1 hour for the AU index and about 2 hours for AL, AE and ϵ when the most extreme fluctuations over 10 standard deviations are excluded. The scaling exponents of the GSF are found to be similar for the three AE indices, and to differ significantly from that of ϵ. This is corroborated by direct comparison of their rescaled probability density functions.
Optimization technique for linearly polarized radial-line slot-array antennas using the multiple sweep method of moments

This paper presents an effective full-wave procedure to optimize linearly polarized radial-line slot-array antennas. The procedure is based on a recursive method for solving large matrix equations known as the multiple sweep method of moments. As a result of this paper, new design suggestions have been introduced which greatly contribute to the performance improvement of this type of antennas. These elements are the arrangement of the slots in concentric ellipses instead of circles and a slight but crucial modification on the usual collocation of the reflection-canceling slots.
Sunlight and carcinogenesis: Expression of p53 and pyrimidine dimers in human skin following UVA I, UVA I + II and solar simulating radiations

DNA damage by UV radiation plays an essential role in skin cancer induction. We report that even sub‐erythemal doses of solar simulating radiation, are capable of inducing substantial nuclear damage, namely pyrimidine dimers and p53 induction in human skin in situ<0R>. The quantity and distribution of p53 induced in human skin by UV radiation depended highly on the waveband and dose of UV used. Solar simulating radiation induced very high levels of p53 throughout all layers in epidermal keratinocytes 24 hr following an erythemal dose (230 ± 15.9/1000 cells), and the induction followed a dose response. Following UVA I + II and UVA I radiations, p53 expression was approximately half of that seen with equivalent biological doses of solar simulating radiation (63.5 ± 28.5 and 103 ± 15.9, respectively). Expression of p53 was seen in basal cell keratinocytes at lower doses of UVA, but all layers of the epidermis were affected at higher doses. Pyrimidine dimer induction, however, was seen to be the same for equivalent biological doses of UVA I, UVA I + II and solar simulating radiations, which coincides with previous findings that pyrimidine dimers initiate the erythemal response and are implicated in skin carcinogenesis. When equivalent biological doses of pure UVA are used with no UVB contamination, significant nuclear alterations occur in human skin in situ,<0R> which can approach those seen with UVB radiation. Our results suggest that DNA damage assessed in vivo<0R> by immunohistochemistry could provide a very sensitive endpoint for determining the efficacy of protective measures, such as sunscreens or protective clothing, against both UVB‐ and UVA‐induced damage in human skin. Int. J. Cancer 76:201–206, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Complete genome sequence, taxonomic assignment, and comparative analysis of the untranslated regions of the Modoc virus, a flavivirus with no known vector.

We recently developed a model for flavivirus infection in mice and hamsters using the Modoc virus (MODV), a flavivirus with no known vector (P. Leyssen, A. Van Lommel, C. Drosten, H. Schmitz, E. De Clercq, and J. Neyts, 2001, Virology 279, 27-37). We now present the coding and noncoding sequence of MODV. The Modoc virus genome was determined to be 10,600 nucleotides in length with a single open reading frame extending from nucleotides 110 to 10,234, encoding 3374 amino acids. The deduced gene order of the single open reading frame is C-prM-E-NS1-NS2A-NS2B-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5, which is exactly the same as that of the mosquito- and tick-borne flaviviruses. It is flanked by a 5'- and 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of 109 and 366 nucleotides, respectively. Alignment of the MODV amino acid sequence with that of 20 other flaviviruses revealed several regions with high sequence similarity corresponding to functionally important domains (e.g., the serine protease/helicase/NTPase of NS3 and the methyltransferase/RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of NS5) and conserved sites for proteolytic cleavage by viral and cellular proteases. Phylogenetic analysis of the entire coding region confirmed the classification of MODV within the flaviviruses with no known vector, which is in agreement with previous findings based on partial NS5 sequences. A detailed comparative analysis of the putative folding patterns of the 5'- and 3'-UTR of MODV and of the tick- and mosquito-borne viruses was carried out. Structural elements in the 5'- and 3' UTR of MODV that are preserved among vector-borne flaviviruses were noted and so were structural elements distinguishing the MODV UTRs from mosquito-borne and tick-borne flaviviruses. Also the putative secondary structure of circularized MODV RNA is presented.
Zosteriform spread of herpes simplex virus as a model of recrudescence and its use to investigate the role of immune cells in prevention of recurrent disease

During the development of a zosteriform rash, which occurs after flank inoculation of BALB/c mice with herpes simplex virus, clinically normal skin becomes infected via nerve endings. This is analogous to the final step in the development of a recrudescent lesion, which may occur after reactivation of latent virus. Therefore, the zosteriform reaction has potential as a model with which to study the modification of such a recrudescent infection by immune processes. Using an adoptive transfer system, we confirmed that immune lymph node cells are potent in accelerating the clearance of virus from the primary site of replication (the inoculation site). This effect was T cell dependent. However, if injection of the same cell population was delayed until ganglionic infection was established, the appearance of the zosteriform rash was not prevented, and the virus titer recovered from the lower flank was not reduced. Immunoperoxidase studies showed that virus is at first highly localized to the epidermis after it emerges from nerves. As determined by conventional histology, little cellular infiltration was seen until clinical lesions were apparent. These observations indicate that recrudescent lesions appear in the presence of cell populations normally associated with rapid virus clearance; cellular immune mechanisms may be rendered ineffective owing to the lack of recruitment to the site of recrudescence until tissue breakdown instigates an inflammatory response.
A parallel Prolog execution model: theoretical approach and experimental results

This paper presents a parallel all-solution extension of Prolog integrating AND parallelism and a restricted form of OR parallelism, both explicitly declared by the user. Parallel sub-goals may share variables and incrementally communicate partially instantiated terms via their common variables, thus allowing stream AND parallelism. Furthermore, the communication direction does not need to be declared by the user or deduced by a static analysis. The resolution model is detailed and its completeness proven. The authors describe a transputer network implementation. <<ETX>>
Factors Affecting Formation and Growth of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study

Background and Purpose — We sought to investigate factors determining growth rate of unruptured intracranial aneurysms as well as formation of new (de novo) aneurysms in patients from a time period when unruptured aneurysms were not treated surgically. Methods — Eighty-seven patients (79 had ruptured aneurysms clipped at start of follow-up) with 111 unruptured aneurysms as well as an additional 7 patients (2 with and 5 without unruptured aneurysms) who developed new aneurysms were followed from the 1950s to the 1970s until death or subarachnoid hemorrhage or until the last contact. Patients’ cerebral arteries were examined later either with conventional (control) angiography (n=38) and/or, for those alive during 1996–1998, with 3-dimensional CT angiography (n=57). In addition, 10 patients were studied at neuropathological autopsy. Results — Mean±SD duration of follow-up was 18.9±9.4 years (range, 1.2 to 38.9 years). Unruptured aneurysms increased in size ≥1 mm in 39 of the 87 patients (45%) and ≥3 mm in 31 (36%). New aneurysms were found in 15 of the 89 patients and in 5 without an unruptured aneurysm at the beginning of follow-up. Aneurysm rupture was associated very significantly (P <0.001) with aneurysm growth during follow-up. Of several potential risk factors tested, only cigarette smoking (odds ratio [OR], 3.92; 95% CI, 1.29 to 11.93) and female sex (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.11 to 10.22) were, after adjustment for age, significant (P <0.05) independent risk factors for occurrence of aneurysm growth of ≥1 mm. Only cigarette smoking (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.14 to 10.64;P <0.05) was associated with growth of ≥3 mm. Age- and hypertension-adjusted risk factors for aneurysm formation were female sex (OR, 4.73; 95% CI, 1.16 to 19.38) and cigarette smoking (OR, 4.07; 95% CI, 1.09 to 15.15). Conclusions — Women and cigarette smokers are at increased risk for intracranial aneurysm formation and growth. Cigarette smoking in particular hastens aneurysm growth. Cessation of smoking is important for patients with unruptured aneurysms and possibly also for those with a prior subarachnoid hemorrhage.
GI Policies in Norway and England: Are they within the Spirit of Recent EU Directives?

The removal of GI from their current ‘silo systems’ is a socio-political challenge based on intertwined regional and national policies, and the different policies and cultures of public sector information holders. These socio-political issues have created a web of complex access policies (e.g., pricing, copyright, and licensing agreements) that have in many cases negatively influenced access of GI. Therefore, for GI to be made more accessible there should be in place more transparent, formalised, non-conflicting and well-structured policies to regulate sharing and reuse. A number of European States have made considerable efforts to facilitate the sharing and reuse of GI. Recently, their efforts were boosted by the European Union through the issuing of two key Directives (PSI and INSPIRE) to facilitate the concept of reuse of Public Sector Information (PSI) and the sharing of Public Sector Geo-Information (PSGI) in the case of INSPIRE. The challenge then is to determine whether these Directives are effective in improving the quality of access to PSI across Europe. The success of the Directives can in part be measured by answering the following questions: Are the current and future access policies of member States in compliance with the letter of the Directives? And are they in compliance within the spirit of the Directives? In an attempt to answer the above questions the authors investigated and analysed key policies supporting the concept of sharing and the reusing of PSI/PSGI in five European jurisdictions. This paper discusses key findings of the investigation with respect to Norway and England. The paper presents the results of the investigation in the following manner: a discussion of the concept of sharing and reusing of PSGI, followed by a review of the key EU Directives that directly or indirectly govern access to PSGI, and a discussion on PSGI access policies in Norway and England. An analysis of these policies is then presented to illustrate whether or not they are within the spirit and letter of current EU Directives.
Lymphatics of the Mitral Valve of the Dog: Demonstration and Discussion of the Possible Significance

Thin-walled vessels have been visualized histologically in the mitral valve of the dog; these vessels were increased in number and caliber in animals with chronic impairment of cardiac lymph flow. Injection of diluted India ink into the free edge of the anterior mitral leaflet of the beating heart revealed extensive networks of vessels, grossly visible on the atrial surface of the valve. Histological study showed the India ink to be within thin-walled channels. Thus, there is compelling evidence that the visualized vessels are lymphatics and that their size and number increase when the cardiac lymphatic drainage is chronically impaired. The possible significance of the presence of lymphatic capillaries in the mitral valve is discussed.
Molecular Epidemiology of ESBL Genes and Multi-Drug Resistance in Diarrheagenic Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated from Adults in Iran

Resistance to oxyimino cephalosporins antibiotics in Enterobacteriaceae is primarily done by the extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). Clear identification of risk factors for ESBLs-producing infections is necessary. Therefore, efficient strategies can be developed to decrease outbreak of these infections. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial susceptibility and ESBLs pattern of diarrhogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains isolated from adult patients. In the present study, diarrheogenic E. coli strains were isolated from 54 patients from the University of Medical Sciences hospitals in Shiraz. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by disk diffusion method by CLSI criteria. The presence of blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M genes was investigated by PCR using designated primers. The prevalence of ESBLs-producer E. coli strains was 12.96%. Antimicrobial resistance testing showed a high resistance to cefexime, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin and penicillin. Overall, β-lactamase genes were identified in 52 (96.30%) isolates which were identified as 45 (83.33%) blaTEM, 17 (31.48%) blaSHV and 11 (20.37%) blaCTX-M. ESBLs-producer E. coli is very prevalent in Diarrheogenic strains isolated from adult patients. Also, this study clearly showed that the blaTEM gene for ESBLs-producer E. coli was widespread in Iran.
Comparison of two surgical techniques for creating an acute myocardial infarct in rats

OBJECTIVE To perform a comparative assessment of two surgical techniques that are used creating an acute myocardial infarc by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery in order to generate rats with a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%. METHODS The study was completely randomized and comprised 89 halothane-anaesthetised rats, which were divided into three groups. The control group (SHAM) comprised fourteen rats, whose left anterior descending coronary artery was not occluded. Group 1 (G1): comprised by 35 endotracheally intubated and mechanically ventilated rats, whose left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded. Group 2 (G2): comprised 40 rats being manually ventilated using a nasal respirator whose left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded. Other differences between the two techniques include the method of performing the thoracotomy and removing the pericardium in order to expose the heart, and the use of different methods and suture types for closing the thorax. Seven days after surgery, the cardiac function of all surviving rats was determined by echocardiography. RESULTS No rats SHAM group had progressed to death or had left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40%. Nine of the 16 surviving G1 rats (56.3%) and six of the 20 surviving G2 rats (30%) had a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%. CONCLUSION The results indicate a tendency of the technique used in G1 to be better than in G2. This improvement is probably due to the greater duration of the open thorax, which reduces the pressure over time from the surgeon, allowing occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery with higher accuracy.
Intracellular GSH Depletion Triggered Mitochondrial Bax Translocation to Accomplish Resveratrol-Induced Apoptosis in the U937 Cell Line

We have previously demonstrated that resveratrol (Resv)-induced cellular apoptosis occurs after formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) but the role of GSH has not been well defined. Our experimental data enumerated that Resv treatment (50 μm) induced apoptosis in human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cells, which was preceded by cellular GSH efflux. High concentration of extracellular thiol (GSH, N-acetyl cysteine) and two specific inhibitors of carrier-mediated GSH extrusion, methionine or cystathionine, prevented the process of oxidative burst and cell death. This proved that GSH efflux could be a major molecular switch to modulate Resv-induced ROS generation. Spectrofluorometric data depicted that after 6 h of Resv treatment, ROS generation was evident. Pretreatment of cells with intracellular ROS scavenger (polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase and polyethylene glycol-catalase) efficiently reduced ROS generation but failed to prevent intracellular GSH depletion. Thus, it suggested that intracellular GSH depletion was independent of ROS production but dependent on GSH extrusion. Furthermore, to bridge the link between GSH efflux and ROS generation, we carried out confocal microscopy of the localization of Bax protein. Microscopic analysis and small interfering RNA treatment emphasized that cellular GSH efflux triggered Bax translocation to mitochondria, which resulted in the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS generation, and caspase 3 activation and thus triggered apoptosis.