Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin Increases Ceramide Synthesis in Skeletal Muscle

Aims. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of insulin on ceramide metabolism in skeletal muscle. Methods. Skeletal muscle cells were treated with insulin with or without palmitate for various time periods. Lipids (ceramides and TAG) were isolated and gene expression of multiple biosynthetic enzymes were quantified. Additionally, adult male mice received daily insulin injections for 14 days, followed by muscle ceramide analysis. Results. In muscle cells, insulin elicited an increase in ceramides comparable to palmitate alone. This is likely partly due to an insulin-induced increase in expression of multiple enzymes, particularly SPT2, which, when knocked down, prevented the increase in ceramides. In mice, 14 days of insulin injection resulted in increased soleus ceramides, but not TAG. However, insulin injections did significantly increase hepatic TAG compared with vehicle-injected animals. Conclusions. This study suggests that insulin elicits an anabolic effect on sphingolipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, resulting in increased ceramide accumulation. These findings reveal a potential mechanism of the deleterious consequences of the hyperinsulinemia that accompanies insulin resistance and suggest a possible novel therapeutic target to mitigate its effects.
Retreatment of Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysms in Patients Randomized by Coiling or Clipping in the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT)

Background and Purpose— Because the long-term security of endovascular treatments remains uncertain, a follow-up study of the patients treated in the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial was performed to compare the frequency, timing, and consequences of aneurysm recurrence. Methods— Patient data were reclassified by actual treatment performed. Aneurysm and patient characteristics, including occlusion grades, time and type of retreatment, and clinical outcomes, were compared. The relationship between these variables and late retreatment as a surrogate for recurrence was analyzed by means of the Cox proportional hazards model. Results— Retreatment was performed in 191 of 1096 (17.4%) patients after primary endovascular coiling (EVT) and in 39 of 1012 patients (3.8%) after neurosurgical clipping. After EVT, 97 (8.8%) patients were retreated early and 94 (9.0%) late, 7 (0.6%) after rebleeding and 87 (8.3%) without. The mean time to late retreatment was 20.7 months. After neurosurgical clipping, 30 (2.9%) patients were retreated early and 9 (0.85%) late, 3 (0.3%) after rebleeding and 6 (0.6%) without. The mean time to late retreatment was 5.7 months. The hazard ratio (HR) for retreatment after EVT was 6.9 (95% CI=3.4 to 14.1) after adjustment for age (P=0.001, HR=0.97, 95% CI=0.95 to 0.98), lumen size (P=0.006, HR=1.1, 95% CI=1.03 to 1.18), and incomplete occlusion (P<0.001, HR=7.6, 95% CI=3.3 to 17.5). Conclusions— Late retreatment was 6.9 times more likely after EVT. Younger age, larger lumen size, and incomplete occlusion were risk factors for late retreatment after EVT. After neurosurgical clipping, retreatments were earlier; whereas EVT retreatments continued to be performed throughout the follow-up period. Short-term follow-up imaging is therefore insufficient to detect recurrences after EVT.
Localizing Value of Seizure Manifestations of Temporal Lobe Epilepsies and the Consequence of Analyzing Their Sequential Appearance

We investigated the localizing and lateralizing value of principal seizure manifestations in temporal lobe epilepsies (signal symptoms, oroalimentary automatisms, somatomotor manifestations, unilateral dystonic posturing, ictal speech, motionless stare) of 223 complex partial seizures in 50 patients. All the patients had invasive long‐term monitoring with the combined implantation of intracerebral electrodes in and subdural electrodes on the bilateral temporal lobes. Postoperative freedom from seizures was ascertained for longer than one year. We found that 35 patients had amygdalohippocampal seizures and 15 had lateral temporal seizures. The value of the manifestations was established in relation to the site and side of seizure origin and to the progression of seizure discharges within the unilateral temporal lobe or to the contralateral cerebral hemisphere. Several signs among the manifestations were found to be reliable in predicting the site or side of the temporal lobe seizure focus. We emphasized the importance of investigating sequential changes of seizure manifestations in relation to ictal EEG findings by means of simultaneous recording.
Preclinical Evidence for the Therapeutic Potential of CD38-Targeted Immuno-Chemotherapy in Multiple Myeloma Patients Refractory to Lenalidomide and Bortezomib

Purpose: Novel therapeutic agents have significantly improved the survival of patients with multiple myeloma. Nonetheless, the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma who become refractory to the novel agents lenalidomide and bortezomib is very poor, indicating the urgent need for new therapeutic options for these patients. The human CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab is being evaluated as a novel therapy for multiple myeloma. Prompted with the encouraging results of ongoing clinical phase I/II trials, we now addressed the potential value of daratumumab alone or in combination with lenalidomide or bortezomib for the treatment of lenalidomide- and bortezomib-refractory patients. Experimental Design: In ex vivo assays, mainly evaluating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and in an in vivo xenograft mouse model, we evaluated daratumumab alone or in combination with lenalidomide or bortezomib as a potential therapy for lenalidomide- and bortezomib-refractory multiple myeloma patients. Results: Daratumumab induced significant lysis of lenalidomide/bortezomib-resistant multiple myeloma cell lines and of primary multiple myeloma cells in the bone marrow mononuclear cells derived from lenalidomide- and/or bortezomib-refractory patients. In these assays, lenalidomide but not bortezomib, synergistically enhanced daratumumab-mediated multiple myeloma lysis through activation of natural killer cells. Finally, in an in vivo xenograft model, only the combination of daratumumab with lenalidomide effectively reduced the tumorigenic growth of primary multiple myeloma cells from a lenalidomide- and bortezomib-refractory patient. Conclusions: Our results provide the first preclinical evidence for the benefit of daratumumab plus lenalidomide combination for lenalidomide- and bortezomib-refractory patients. Clin Cancer Res; 21(12); 2802–10. ©2014 AACR. See related commentary by Laubach and Richardson, p. 2660
Starch: Physicochemical and Functional Aspects

When starch is heated in water, it absorbs water and swells. is is the process of gelatinization, a process that causes a tremendous change in the rheological properties of the starch suspension. e properties of starch gels are very sensitive to factors such as shearing, temperature, heating or cooling rate, and, of course, the source of the starch and the presence of other components. e gelatinization process depends on the presence of both crystalline and amorphous domains in the starch granule.
Dissociating Striatal and Hippocampal Function Developmentally with a Stimulus–Response Compatibility Task

The current study examined the development of cognitive and neural systems involved in overriding a learned action in favor of a new one using a stimulus–response compatibility task and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eight right-handed adults (mean age, 22–30 years), and eight children (7–11 years) were scanned while they performed a task. Both children and adults were less accurate for incompatible stimulus–response mappings than compatible ones; the children's performance was significantly worse. The comparison of the incompatible and compatible conditions showed large volumes of activity in the ventral prefrontal cortex, ventral caudate nucleus, thalamus, and hippocampus. Striatal activity correlated with the percentage of errors in overriding the old stimulus–response association. The hippocampal activity correlated with the reaction time to make a response to a new stimulus–response mapping that required the reversal of a prior association between a stimulus and a response location. Developmental differences were observed in the volume of striatal/pallidal and hippocampal/parahippocampal activity in that these regions were larger and extended more ventrally in children relative to adults. These results suggest that with maturation and learning, projections to and from these regions may become more refined and focal. Moreover, these findings are consistent with the role of ventral frontostriatal circuitry in overriding habitual and well learned actions and hippocampal systems in learning and reversing associations between a given stimulus and spatial location.
Comparison of PCR, Nested PCR, and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA PCR for Detection and Typing of Ureaplasma urealyticum in Specimens from Pregnant Women

ABSTRACT A PCR assay, using three primer pairs, was developed for the detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum, parvo biovar,mba types 1, 3, and 6, in cultured clinical specimens. The primer pairs were designed by using the polymorphic base positions within a 310- to 311-bp fragment of the 5′ end and upstream control region of the mba gene. The specificity of the assay was confirmed with reference serovars 1, 3, 6, and 14 and by the amplified-fragment sizes (81 bp for mba 1, 262 bp formba 3, and 193 bp for mba 6). A more sensitive nested PCR was also developed. This involved a first-step PCR, using the primers UMS-125 and UMA226, followed by the nestedmba-type PCR described above. This nested PCR enabled the detection and typing of small numbers of U. urealyticumcells, including mixtures, directly in original clinical specimens. By using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR with seven arbitrary primers, we were also able to differentiate the two biovars of U. urealyticum and to identify 13 RAPD-PCR subtypes. By applying these subtyping techniques to clinical samples collected from pregnant women, we established that (i) U. urealyticum is often a persistent colonizer of the lower genital tract from early midtrimester until the third trimester of pregnancy, (ii) mba type 6 was isolated significantly more often (P = 0.048) from women who delivered preterm than from women who delivered at term, (iii) no particular ureaplasma subtype(s) was associated with placental infections and/or adverse pregnancy outcomes, and (iv) the ureaplasma subtypes most frequently isolated from women were the same subtypes most often isolated from infected placentas.
Progress in Enzyme-Retting of Flax

Abstract New methods for retting flax are sought to overcome problems in the current method of dew-retting of flax. Published data are reviewed and new data presented on the development and testing of a method to ret flax using pectinase-rich enzyme mixtures plus chelators based on cost and fiber yield and properties. In spray enzyme retting (SER), flax stems are crimped to physically disrupt the plant's protective barrier and then sprayed until soaked with, or briefly immersed in, an enzyme/chelator formulation. Flax is then incubated at temperatures optimal for enzyme activity, washed, and dried. Pilot scale tests, conducted with 10 kg samples of flax retted with a series of formulations, showed that this method effectively retted flax stems from a variety of sources, including fiber flax, mature fiber flax, and linseed straw. Fiber yield, strength, and fineness were significantly influenced by variations in enzyme-chelator amounts. Cellulases inpectinase mixtures appeared to preferentially attack dislocations in fibers and fiber bundles resulting in loss of fiber strength. Polygalacturonases alone effectively separated fiber from non-fiber components. The SER method proved to be an effective framework for further tests on enzyme-chelator formulations that now must be integrated with physical processing to optimize the extraction of flax fibers based on cost and fiber yield and properties.
The effects of quantization on multilayer neural networks

The effect of weight quantization in multilayer neural networks is discussed. A method is derived by which one can predict the performance degradation at the output given the properties of the network and number of bits of quantization. Predictions from this method are evaluated against simulation results. An algorithm to decrease the noise at the output is presented and the results are compared with those above.
Simultaneous super-resolution and 3D video using graph-cuts

This paper presents a new method to increase the quality of 3D video, a new media developed to represent 3D objects in motion. This representation is obtained from multi-view reconstruction techniques that require images recorded simultaneously by several video cameras. All cameras are calibrated and placed around a dedicated studio to fully surround the models. The limited quality and quantity of cameras may produce inaccurate 3D model reconstruction with low quality texture. To overcome this issue, first we propose super-resolution (SR) techniques for 3D video: SR on multi-view images and SR on single-view video frames. Second, we propose to combine both super-resolution and dynamic 3D shape reconstruction problems into a unique Markov random field (MRF) energy formulation. The MRF minimization is performed using graph-cuts. Thus, we jointly compute the optimal solution for super-resolved texture and 3D shape model reconstruction. Moreover, we propose a coarse-to-fine strategy to iteratively produce 3D video with increasing quality. Our experiments show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed technique on challenging 3D video sequences.
A real-time MRI study of articulatory setting in second language speech

Previous work has shown that languages differ in their articulatory setting, the postural configuration that the vocal tract articulators tend to adopt when they are not engaged in any active speech gesture, and that this posture might be specified as part of the phonological knowledge speakers have of the language. This study tests whether the articulatory setting of a language can be acquired by non-native speakers. Three native speakers of German who had learned English as a second language were imaged using real-time MRI of the vocal tract while reading passages in German and English, and features that capture vocal tract posture were extracted from the inter-speech pauses in their native and non-native languages. Results show that the speakers exhibit distinct inter-speech postures in each language, with a lower and more retracted tongue in English, consistent with classic descriptions of the differences between the German and the English articulatory settings. This supports the view that non-native speakers may acquire relevant features of the articulatory setting of a second language, and also lends further support to the idea that articulatory setting is part of a speaker’s phonological competence in a language. Index Terms: articulatory setting, speech production, second language speech acquisition, real-time MRI.
The effect of high and low dietary fiber diets on the performance of two lines of chickens with divergent growth rates

viii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Thesis Organization 2 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 3 Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) 3 Nutrient composition and value of DDGS 7 Wheat Bran 11 Nutrient composition and value of wheat bran 12 Classification of Fiber 15 Nutritional and Biological Effects of Dietary Fiber 16 Chicken Ceca Microbiology 19 Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Chicken Ceca 21 Literature Cited 23 CHAPTER 3. EFFECTS OF HIGH FIBER INGREDIENTS ON THE PERFORMANCE, METABOLIZABLE ENERGY AND FIBER DIGESTIBILITY OF BROILER AND LAYER CHICKS 37 Abstract 37 Introduction 38 Material and Methods 40 Results 43 Discussion 44 Acknowledgements 47 Literature Cited 48 Figures and Tables 52
Size matters (spacing not): 18 points for a dyslexic-friendly Wikipedia

In 2012, Wikipedia was the sixth-most visited website on the Internet. Being one of the main repositories of knowledge, students from all over the world consult it. But, around 10% of these students have dyslexia, which impairs their access to text-based websites. How could Wikipedia be presented to be more readable for this target group? In an experiment with 28 participants with dyslexia, we compare reading speed, comprehension, and subjective readability for the font sizes 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, and 26 points, and line spacings 0.8, 1.0, 1.4, and 1.8. The results show that font size has a significant effect on the readability and the understandability of the text, while line spacing does not. On the basis of our results, we recommend using 18-point font size when designing web text for readers with dyslexia. Our results significantly differ from previous recommendations, presumably, because this is the first work to cover a wide range of values and to study them in the context of an actual website.
Basigin (EMMPRIN/CD147) interacts with integrin to affect cellular architecture

Basigin, an IgG family glycoprotein found on the surface of human metastatic tumors, stimulates fibroblasts to secrete matrix metalloproteases that remodel the extracellular matrix. Using Drosophila melanogaster we identify intracellular, matrix metalloprotease-independent, roles for basigin. Specifically, we found that basigin, interacting with integrin, is required for normal cell architecture in some cell types. Basigin promotes cytoskeletal rearrangements and the formation of lamellipodia in cultured insect cells. Loss of basigin from photoreceptors leads to misplaced nuclei, rough ER and mitochondria, as well as to swollen axon terminals. These changes in intracellular structure suggest cytoskeletal disruptions. These defects can be rescued by either fly or mouse basigin. Basigin and integrin colocalize to cultured cells and to the visual system. Basigin-mediated changes in the architecture of cultured cells require integrin binding activity. Basigin and integrin interact genetically to affect cell structure in the animal, possibly by forming complexes at cell contacts that help organize internal cell structure.
Disruption of Cyclooxygenase Genes in Mice

1Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709, 2Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, and 3Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
Structure of the human cohesin inhibitor Wapl

Cohesin, along with positive regulators, establishes sister-chromatid cohesion by forming a ring to circle chromatin. The wings apart-like protein (Wapl) is a key negative regulator of cohesin and forms a complex with precocious dissociation of sisters protein 5 (Pds5) to promote cohesin release from chromatin. Here we report the crystal structure and functional characterization of human Wapl. Wapl contains a flexible, variable N-terminal region (Wapl-N) and a conserved C-terminal domain (Wapl-C) consisting of eight HEAT (Huntingtin, Elongation factor 3, A subunit, and target of rapamycin) repeats. Wapl-C folds into an elongated structure with two lobes. Structure-based mutagenesis maps the functional surface of Wapl-C to two distinct patches (I and II) on the N lobe and a localized patch (III) on the C lobe. Mutating critical patch I residues weaken Wapl binding to cohesin and diminish sister-chromatid resolution and cohesin release from mitotic chromosomes in human cells and Xenopus egg extracts. Surprisingly, patch III on the C lobe does not contribute to Wapl binding to cohesin or its known regulators. Although patch I mutations reduce Wapl binding to intact cohesin, they do not affect Wapl–Pds5 binding to the cohesin subcomplex of sister chromatid cohesion protein 1 (Scc1) and stromal antigen 2 (SA2) in vitro, which is instead mediated by Wapl-N. Thus, Wapl-N forms extensive interactions with Pds5 and Scc1–SA2. Wapl-C interacts with other cohesin subunits and possibly unknown effectors to trigger cohesin release from chromatin.
Knee deformity in rheumatoid arthritis is closely correlated with generalized osteoporosis

To examine the relationship between knee deformity and osteoporosis in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine and distal radius was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry, and knee deformity (valgus or varus deformity) was measured using plain radiograms in 55 women with RA. Associations between knee deformity and BMD, disease related variables, including RA stage, RA duration, age, cumulative doses of administered glucocorticosteroids, body mass index, or postmenopausal period were evaluated. Cut-off values of the BMD defining RA patients with knee deformity were very close to the BMD value corresponding to 70% of young adult mean in the lumbar spine and distal radius. The femorotibial alignment was significantly correlated with age and deformity of the proximal tibia. Deformity of the proximal tibia was negatively correlated with the radial BMD and lumbar BMD. Deformity of the proximal tibia showed a significant difference between the groups of less than 5 years after menopause and the group of 5–10 years after menopause. We concluded that knee deformity in RA derived from deformity of the proximal tibia, and it was closely correlated with generalized osteoporosis.
Nitrogen Removal Characteristics of a Newly Isolated Indigenous Aerobic Denitrifier from Oligotrophic Drinking Water Reservoir, Zoogloea sp. N299

Nitrogen is considered to be one of the most widespread pollutants leading to eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems, especially in drinking water reservoirs. In this study, an oligotrophic aerobic denitrifier was isolated from drinking water reservoir sediment. Nitrogen removal performance was explored. The strain was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as Zoogloea sp. N299. This species exhibits a periplasmic nitrate reductase gene (napA). Its specific growth rate was 0.22 h−1. Obvious denitrification and perfect nitrogen removal performances occurred when cultured in nitrate and nitrite mediums, at rates of 75.53% ± 1.69% and 58.65% ± 0.61%, respectively. The ammonia removal rate reached 44.12% ± 1.61% in ammonia medium. Zoogloea sp. N299 was inoculated into sterilized and unsterilized reservoir source waters with a dissolved oxygen level of 5–9 mg/L, pH 8–9, and C/N 1.14:1. The total nitrogen removal rate reached 46.41% ± 3.17% (sterilized) and 44.88% ± 4.31% (unsterilized). The cell optical density suggested the strain could survive in oligotrophic drinking water reservoir water conditions and perform nitrogen removal. Sodium acetate was the most favorable carbon source for nitrogen removal by strain N299 (p < 0.05). High C/N was beneficial for nitrate reduction (p < 0.05). The nitrate removal efficiencies showed no significant differences among the tested inoculums dosage (p > 0.05). Furthermore, strain N299 could efficiently remove nitrate at neutral and slightly alkaline and low temperature conditions. These results, therefore, demonstrate that Zoogloea sp. N299 has high removal characteristics, and can be used as a nitrogen removal microbial inoculum with simultaneous aerobic nitrification and denitrification in a micro-polluted reservoir water ecosystem.