Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosome analysis of nuclear power plant workers using fluorescence in situ hybridization and Giemsa assay

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of ionizing radiation in vivo in exposed Bulgarian nuclear power plant workers by using classical cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic analyses of peripheral lymphocytes. Chromosome analysis using fluorescence in situ hybrydization (FISH) and Giemsa techniques was undertaken on 63 workers and 45 administrative staff controls from the Bulgarian Nuclear Power Plant. Using the Giemsa method, the frequencies of cells studied with chromosome aberrations, dicentrics plus rings and chromosome fragments in the radiation workers were significantly higher compared with the control group (P = 0.044, P = 0.014, and P = 0.033, respectively). A significant association between frequencies of dicentrics plus rings and accumulated doses was registered (P < 0.01). In the present study, a FISH cocktail of whole chromosome paints for chromosomes 1, 4 and 11 was used. A significant association between frequency of translocations and accumulated doses was also observed (P < 0.001). Within the control group, a correlation was found between age and the spontaneous frequency of translocations. No correlation was found between smoking status and frequency of translocations. When compared with the control group, workers with accumulated doses up to 100 mSv showed no increase in genome translocation frequency, whereas workers with accumulated doses from 101 to 200 mSv showed a statistically significant doubling of genome translocation frequency (P = 0.009). Thus, in cases of chronic exposure and for purposes of retrospective dosimetry, the genome frequency of translocations is a more useful marker for evaluation of genotoxic effects than dicentric frequency.
Sequential culture medium promotes the in vitro development of Macaca fascicularis embryos to blastocysts

In vitro production of blastocyst stage embryos from Macaca fascicularis (Mf) has not previously been demonstrated without cell support. Historical data indicates that a large proportion of Mf embryos arrest at the morula stage in nonsequential culture medium (NSM) lacking serum supplementation and/or cell support. Here we report the application of a sequential culture system supporting in vitro production of Mf blastocysts. Mf embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF; n = 69) were subjected to in vitro culture without cell support in either a commercial sequential embryo culture medium (SM) or an NSM. At 24hr post‐insemination (PI) embryos generated from in vivo and in vitro matured oocytes and cultured in the NSM cleaved to two or more cells in significantly greater proportions (15/23; 65%) compared to embryos cultured in SM (14/46; 30%). However, by day 3 PI embryo development beyond eight cells was not different in NSM (9/23; 39%) compared to SM (25/46; 54%). At day 5 PI embryo development to the morula stage was slightly lower in NSM (8/23, 35%) compared to SM (21/46, 45%), and embryo degeneration was slightly higher in NSM (9/23, 39%) compared to SM (9/46, 20%). After 7–9 days of in vitro culture, embryo development to the blastocyst stage and embryo degeneration were significantly lower and higher, respectively, in NSM (0/23, 0%; and 23/23, 100%) compared to SM (9/46, 20%; and 26/46, 56%). In this study the sequential culture system was better able to support in vitro development of Mf embryos compared to nonsequential culture systems. Am. J. Primatol. 57:203–212, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence of Hyperglycemia on Oxidative Stress and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Activation After Focal Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion in Rats: Relation to Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction

Background and Purpose— Hyperglycemia is linked to a worse outcome after ischemic stroke. Among the manifestations of brain damage caused by ischemia are blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and edema formation. Oxidative stress and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activation are implicated in BBB dysfunction after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our present study was designed to clarify the relation among hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and MMP-9 activation associated with BBB dysfunction after transient focal cerebral ischemia (tFCI). Methods— We used a model of 60 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion on the following animals: normoglycemic wild-type rats, wild-type rats with hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin, and human copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) transgenic rats with streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia. We evaluated edema volume, Evans blue leakage, and oxidative stress, such as the carbonyl groups and oxidized hydroethidine (HEt), SOD activity, and gelatinolytic activity, including MMP-9. Results— Hyperglycemia significantly increased edema volume and Evans blue leakage. Moreover, it enhanced the levels of the carbonyl groups, the oxidized HEt signals, and MMP-9 activity after tFCI without alteration in SOD activity. Gelatinolytic activity and oxidized HEt signals had a clear spatial relation in the hyperglycemic rats. SOD1 overexpression reduced the hyperglycemia-enhanced Evans blue leakage and MMP-9 activation after tFCI. Conclusions— Hyperglycemia increases oxidative stress and MMP-9 activity, exacerbating BBB dysfunction after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Superoxide overproduction may be a causal link among hyperglycemia, MMP-9 activation, and BBB dysfunction.
Energy-efficient memory hierarchy for Motion and Disparity Estimation in Multiview Video Coding

This work presents an energy-efficient memory hierarchy for Motion and Disparity Estimation on Multiview Video Coding employing a Reference Frames-Centered Data Reuse (RCDR) scheme. In RCDR the reference search window becomes the center of the motion/disparity estimation processing flow and calls for processing all blocks requesting its data. By doing so, RCDR avoids multiple search window retransmissions leading to reduced number of external memory accesses, thus memory energy reduction. To deal with out-of-order processing and further reduce external memory traffic, a statistics-based partial results compressor is developed. The on-chip video memory energy is reduced by employing a statistical power gating scheme and candidate blocks reordering. Experimental results show that our reference-centered memory hierarchy outperforms the state-of-the-art [7][13] by providing reduction of up to 71% for external memory energy, 88% on-chip memory static energy, and 65% on-chip memory dynamic energy.
Cigarette Smoke Causes Caspase-Independent Apoptosis of Bronchial Epithelial Cells from Asthmatic Donors

Background Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated important links between air pollution and asthma. Amongst these pollutants, environmental cigarette smoke is a risk factor both for asthma pathogenesis and exacerbation. As the barrier to the inhaled environment, the bronchial epithelium is a key structure that is exposed to cigarette smoke. Objectives Since primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) from asthmatic donors are more susceptible to oxidant-induced apoptosis, we hypothesized that they would be susceptible to cigarette smoke-induced cell death. Methods PBECs from normal and asthmatic donors were exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE); cell survival and apoptosis were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and protective effects of antioxidants evaluated. The mechanism of cell death was evaluated using caspase inhibitors and immunofluorescent staining for apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Results Exposure of PBEC cultures to CSE resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cell death. At 20% CSE, PBECs from asthmatic donors exhibited significantly more apoptosis than cells from non-asthmatic controls. Reduced glutathione (GSH), but not ascorbic acid (AA), protected against CSE-induced apoptosis. To investigate mechanisms of CSE-induced apoptosis, caspase-3 or -9 inhibitors were tested, but these failed to prevent apoptosis; in contrast, CSE promoted nuclear translocation of AIF from the mitochondria. GSH reduced the number of nuclear-AIF positive cells whereas AA was ineffective. Conclusion Our results show that PBECs from asthmatic donors are more susceptible to CSE-induced apoptosis. This response involves AIF, which has been implicated in DNA damage and ROS-mediated cell-death. Epithelial susceptibility to CSE may contribute to the impact of environmental tobacco smoke in asthma.
On giant screw dislocations in ZnS polytype crystals

Abstract Vapour-grown platelet crystals of ZnS containing long-period polytypes have been found by x-ray topography to contain a single screw dislocation with a very large Burgers vector parallel to the c axis. Individual polytype regions can have highly perfect lattices; the few dislocations observed in them in addition to the giant screw have Burgers vectors in the basal plane. A divergent-beam section topograph arrangement has been used to measure giant Burgers vectors to an accuracy of about 30%. Within this uncertainty, the Burgers vector magnitudes match the polytype repeat period in the five crystals upon which measurements have been made, the repeat periods ranging from 50 A to 106 A. The x-ray topographic studies provide good evidence in support of the periodic slip process for polytype formation.
Determinants of Family Bond And Stock Holdings

This study examined characteristics of individual bond and stock holders, using data from the 1989 Survey of Consumer Finances. The results of the tobit models showed bonds and stocks are more likely to be held by families with adequate financial resources to maintain daily lives and enough funds to meet short term financial needs. Households having a financial planning horizon of ten years or more higher amounts of bonds and of stocks. Reporting a saving motive of "growth" was associated with higher stock holdings, but reporting a saving motive of "retirement" was not associated with higher bond or stock holdings. Controlling for income and other variables, stock and bond holdings increased with education and were higher for whites than for nonwhites.
Coronavirus transcription: subgenomic mouse hepatitis virus replicative intermediates function in RNA synthesis

Both genomic and subgenomic replicative intermediates (RIs) and replicative-form (RF) structures were found in 17CL1 mouse cells that had been infected with the A59 strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), a prototypic coronavirus. Seven species of RNase-resistant RF RNAs, whose sizes were consistent with the fact that each was derived from an RI that was engaged in the synthesis of one of the seven MHV positive-strand RNAs, were produced by treatment with RNase A. Because the radiolabeling of the seven RF RNAs was proportional to that of the corresponding seven positive-strand RNAs, the relative rate of synthesis of each of the MHV positive-strand RNAs may be controlled by the relative number of each of the size classes of RIs that are produced. In contrast to alphavirus, which produced its subgenome-length RF RNAs from genome-length RIs, MHV RF RNAs were derived from genome- and subgenome-length RIs. Only the three largest MHV RF RNAs (RFI, RFII, and RFIII) were derived from the RIs that migrated slowest on agarose gels. The four smallest RF RNAs (RFIV, RFV, RFVI, and RFVII) were derived from RIs that migrated in a broad region of the gel that extended from the position of 28S rRNA to the position of the viral single-stranded MHV mRNA-3. Because all seven RIs were labeled during very short pulses with [3H]uridine, we concluded that the subgenome-length RIs are transcriptionally active. These findings, with the recent report of the presence of subgenome-length negative-strand RNAs in cells infected with porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (P. B. Sethna, S.-L. Hung, and D. A. Brian, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 5626-5630, 1989), strongly suggest that coronaviruses utilize a novel replication strategy that employs the synthesis of subgenomic negative strands to produce subgenomic mRNAs.
TSS: Efficient Term Set Search in Large Peer-to-Peer Textual Collections

Previous multikeyword search in DHT-based P2P systems often relies on multiple single keyword search operations, suffering from unacceptable traffic cost and poor accuracy. Precomputing term-set-based index can significantly reduce the cost but needs exponentially growing index size. Based on our observations that 1) queries are typically short and 2) users usually have limited interests, we propose a novel index pruning method, called TSS. By solely publishing the most relevant term sets from documents on the peers, TSS provides comparable search performance with a centralized solution, while the index size is reduced from exponential to the scale of O(nlog(n)). We evaluate this design through comprehensive trace-driven simulations using the TREC WT10G data collection and the query log of a major commercial search engine.
Semi-autonomous electrosurgery for tumor resection using a multi-degree of freedom electrosurgical tool and visual servoing

This paper specifies a surgical robot performing semi-autonomous electrosurgery for tumor resection and evaluates its accuracy using a visual servoing paradigm. We describe the design and integration of a novel, multi-degree of freedom electrosurgical tool for the smart tissue autonomous robot (STAR). Standardized line tests are executed to determine ideal cut parameters in three different types of porcine tissue. STAR is then programmed with the ideal cut setting for porcine tissue and compared against expert surgeons using open and laparoscopic techniques in a line cutting task. We conclude with a proof of concept demonstration using STAR to semi-autonomously resect pseudo-tumors in porcine tissue using visual servoing. When tasked to excise tumors with a consistent 4mm margin, STAR can semi-autonomously dissect tissue with an average margin of 3.67 mm and a standard deviation of 0.89mm.
Cystic lung disease in tuberculosis: An unusual presentation

Cysts in the lung can arise due to large number of causes out of which tuberculosis is very rare, We report a case of tuberculosis in a young female presenting as a febrile illness and respiratory failure with radiological features of cystic lung disease. With treatment,fever and respiratory distress subsided and cysts in the lungs showed partial regression. We highlight the need to consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnoses of cystic lung disease under appropriate circumstances.
Dynamically detuned oscillations account for the coupled rate and temporal code of place cell firing

Firing of place cells in the exploring rat conveys doubly coded spatial information: both the rate of spikes and their timing relative to the phase of the ongoing field theta oscillation are correlated with the location of the animal. Specifically, the firing rate of a place cell waxes and wanes, while the timing of spikes precesses monotonically as the animal traverses the portion of the environment preferred by the cell. We propose a mechanism for the generation of this firing pattern that can be applied for place cells in all three hippocampal subfields and that encodes spatial information in the output of the cell without relying on topographical connections or topographical input. A single pyramidal cell was modeled so that the cell received rhythmic inhibition in phase with theta field potential oscillation on the soma and was excited on the dendrite with input depending on the speed of the rat. The dendrite sustained an intrinsic membrane potential oscillation, frequency modulated by its input. Firing probability of the cell was determined jointly by somatic and dendritic oscillations. Results were obtained on different levels of abstraction: a purely analytical derivation was arrived at, corroborated by numerical simulations of rate neurons, and an extension of these simulations to spiking neurons was also performed. Realistic patterns of rate and temporal coding emerged and were found to be inseparable. These results may have implications on the robustness of information coding in place cell firing and on the ways information is processed in structures downstream to the hippocampus. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Ribonuclease III Domain Protein Functions in Group II Intron Splicing in Maize Chloroplasts[W]

Chloroplast genomes in land plants harbor ∼20 group II introns. Genetic approaches have identified proteins involved in the splicing of many of these introns, but the proteins identified to date cannot account for the large size of intron ribonucleoprotein complexes and are not sufficient to reconstitute splicing in vitro. Here, we describe an additional protein that promotes chloroplast group II intron splicing in vivo. This protein, RNC1, was identified by mass spectrometry analysis of maize (Zea mays) proteins that coimmunoprecipitate with two previously identified chloroplast splicing factors, CAF1 and CAF2. RNC1 is a plant-specific protein that contains two ribonuclease III (RNase III) domains, the domain that harbors the active site of RNase III and Dicer enzymes. However, several amino acids that are essential for catalysis by RNase III and Dicer are missing from the RNase III domains in RNC1. RNC1 is found in complexes with a subset of chloroplast group II introns that includes but is not limited to CAF1- and CAF2-dependent introns. The splicing of many of the introns with which it associates is disrupted in maize rnc1 insertion mutants, indicating that RNC1 facilitates splicing in vivo. Recombinant RNC1 binds both single-stranded and double-stranded RNA with no discernible sequence specificity and lacks endonuclease activity. These results suggest that RNC1 is recruited to specific introns via protein–protein interactions and that its role in splicing involves RNA binding but not RNA cleavage activity.
Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty in Management of Atherosclerotic Renovascular Hypertension: Results in 100 Patients

The long-term effect of percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) on blood pressure and renal function was assessed in 100 consecutive patients with atherosclerotic renovascular hypertension. Technical success rates (complete plus partial) of a first PTRA averaged 76.2%, 74.1%, and 67.7% for the unilateral (n=42), bilateral (n=27), and solitary (n=31) groups, respectively. Of the technical successes, 59% (43/73) experienced sustained blood pressure benefit (mostly amelioration) during a mean follow-up period of 29 months. Rates of blood pressure benefit were similar in the three groups. Ostial lesions comprised the majority of blood pressure benefit failures. Repeat angioplasty in 14 patients resulted in a 71% technical success rate and a 50% blood pressure benefit rate during a mean follow-up period of 22 months. Long-term stability of mean serum creatinine level was observed after technically successful angioplasty in all three groups. Acute renal insufficiency, which was reversible in all but one patient, complicated 26% of the procedures. Mechanical complications occurred in 14% (20/145) of the arteries acted on; surgical intervention was required in five patients. The mortality rate was 2%. These results suggest that angioplasty is effective in both the long-term management of renovascular hypertension and the preservation of renal function hi a large fraction of patients with atherosclerotic renovascular hypertension.
Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup analysis in patients with bipolar disorder

Several lines of evidence support mitochondrial dysfunction in bipolar disorder. Elevated calcium level in platelets is reported in this disease. To verify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups characteristic to bipolar disorder, we sequenced mtDNA of seven regions and performed haplogroup analysis in 195 patients with bipolar disorder and 255 controls. They belonged to 16 major mtDNA haplogroups, A, B4, B5, C, D4, D5, F, G, M7, M8, M9, M10‐12, N9a, N9b, Y, and Z. The logistic regression analysis revealed that the haplogroup N9a was over‐represented in bipolar disorder. We also performed a case–control study for two functional mtDNA polymorphisms, mtDNA5460G > A and 12358A > G, that altered intracellular calcium dynamics. While the mtDNA5460G > A polymorphism was not associated with bipolar disorder, the mtDNA12358A > G polymorphism was associated with bipolar disorder in 199 patients with bipolar disorder and 260 controls. However, this association was not replicated in an independent sample set. Possible significances of these findings are discussed. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CaM Kinase II mediates maladaptive post-infarct remodeling and pro-inflammatory chemoattractant signaling but not acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

CaMKII was suggested to mediate ischemic myocardial injury and adverse cardiac remodeling. Here, we investigated the roles of different CaMKII isoforms and splice variants in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by the use of new genetic CaMKII mouse models. Although CaMKIIδC was upregulated 1 day after I/R injury, cardiac damage 1 day after I/R was neither affected in CaMKIIδ‐deficient mice, CaMKIIδ‐deficient mice in which the splice variants CaMKIIδB and C were re‐expressed, nor in cardiomyocyte‐specific CaMKIIδ/γ double knockout mice (DKO). In contrast, 5 weeks after I/R, DKO mice were protected against extensive scar formation and cardiac dysfunction, which was associated with reduced leukocyte infiltration and attenuated expression of members of the chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand family, in particular CCL3 (macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α, MIP‐1α). Intriguingly, CaMKII was sufficient and required to induce CCL3 expression in isolated cardiomyocytes, indicating a cardiomyocyte autonomous effect. We propose that CaMKII‐dependent chemoattractant signaling explains the effects on post‐I/R remodeling. Taken together, we demonstrate that CaMKII is not critically involved in acute I/R‐induced damage but in the process of post‐infarct remodeling and inflammatory processes.
Optical spectra in (La,Y)TiO3: Variation of Mott-Hubbard gap features with change of electron correlation and band filling.

Optical spectra have been investigated for the prototypical Mott-Hubbard (MH) insulators ${\mathrm{LaTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{YTiO}}_{3}$, and their solid solutions ${\mathrm{La}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Y}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$. The MH gap shows a critical variation with x or equivalently with the change of the one-electron bandwidth W. By an extrapolation of the rapidly varying MH gap with the electron correlation strength (U\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}=U/W), we could determine the relative distance of each compound from the hypothetical Mott transition point (U${\mathrm{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}}_{\mathit{c}}$). The band-filling dependence of the gap spectra has been also investigated for ${\mathrm{LaTiO}}_{3+\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}/2}$ with the nominal hole concentration \ensuremath{\delta}. The systematic collapse of the MH gap is argued, together with similar results on filling-controlled compounds ${\mathrm{Y}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ca}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{TiO}}_{3}$, in terms of doping-induced spectral weight transfer.