Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UNIQUENESS AND LOCATION OF THE FRACTURE PLANE IN THE PLASMA MEMBRANE OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS

The structural features observed in freeze-frac-precooled object stage (-150°C) . After the tempera-tured bacterial membranes have, in the now ture of the object is raised to -100 °C in vacuo, the numerous reports, generally been interpreted as holders are unlocked . This is carried out by pushing belonging to the external membrane surfaces . the microtome arm against a small protruding part of However, several lines of evidence indicate the the upper holder. Immediately thereafter the frac-occurrence of membrane splitting as contrasted tured surfaces are replicated according to Moor (9) . The replicas are then cleaned and mounted on to cleavage along both surfaces in freeze-fractured Formvar-coated copper grids (Belden Mfg. Co., biological membranes (for a review see Branton Chicago, Ill., supplied by VECO, Eerbeek, Holland) [1969]). according to the usual procedure (10). Because of In earlier observations on the plasma membrane their larger size, yeast cells have been used as markers of Bacillus subtilis we have assumed that fracturing to find the complementary parts of the fractured occurred along both surfaces of the membrane (11, bacteria. 12). The aim of the present investigation on B . subtilis has been twofold: (a) to verify whether
Residual force enhancement in myofibrils and sarcomeres

Residual force enhancement has been observed following active stretch of skeletal muscles and single fibres. However, there has been intense debate whether force enhancement is a sarcomeric property, or is associated with sarcomere length instability and the associated development of non-uniformities. Here, we studied force enhancement for the first time in isolated myofibrils (n=18) that, owing to the strict in series arrangement, allowed for evaluation of this property in individual sarcomeres (n=79). We found consistent force enhancement following stretch in all myofibrils and each sarcomere, and forces in the enhanced state typically exceeded the isometric forces on the plateau of the force–length relationship. Measurements were made on the plateau and the descending limb of the force–length relationship and revealed gross sarcomere length non-uniformities prior to and following active myofibril stretching, but in contrast to previous accounts, revealed that sarcomere lengths were perfectly stable under these experimental conditions. We conclude that force enhancement is a sarcomeric property that does not depend on sarcomere length instability, that force enhancement varies greatly for different sarcomeres within the same myofibril and that sarcomeres with vastly different amounts of actin–myosin overlap produce the same isometric steady-state forces. This last finding was not explained by differences in the amount of contractile proteins within sarcomeres, vastly different passive properties of individual sarcomeres or (half-) sarcomere length instabilities, suggesting that the basic mechanical properties of muscles, such as force enhancement, force depression and creep, which have traditionally been associated with sarcomere instabilities and the corresponding dynamic redistribution of sarcomere lengths, are not caused by such instabilities, but rather seem to be inherent properties of the mechanisms of contraction.
Severe Liver Cirrhosis Markedly Reduces AhR-Mediated Induction of Cytochrome P450 in Rats by Decreasing the Transcription of Target Genes

Although the induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) has long been investigated in patients with cirrhosis, the question whether liver dysfunction impairs the response to CYP inducers still remains unresolved. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the possible effect of cirrhosis on induction has not been investigated. Since ethical constraints do not permit methodologically rigorous studies in humans, this question was addressed by investigating the effect of the prototypical inducer benzo[a]pyrene (BP) on CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in cirrhotic rats stratified according to the severity of liver dysfunction. We simultaneously assessed mRNA level, protein expression and enzymatic activity of the CYP1A enzymes, as well as mRNA and protein expressions of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which mediates the BP effect. Basal mRNA and protein expressions of CYP1A1 were virtually absent in both healthy and cirrhotic rats. On the contrary, CYP1A2 mRNA, protein and enzyme activity were constitutively present in healthy rats and decreased significantly as liver function worsened. BP treatment markedly increased the concentrations of mRNA and immunodetectable protein, and the enzymatic activities of both CYP1A enzymes to similar levels in healthy and non-ascitic cirrhotic rats. Induced mRNA levels, protein expressions and enzymatic activities of both CYPs were much lower in ascitic rats and were proportionally reduced. Both constitutive and induced protein expressions of AhR were significantly lower in ascitic than in healthy rats. These results indicate that the inducibility of CYP1A enzymes is well preserved in compensated cirrhosis, whereas it is markedly reduced when liver dysfunction becomes severe. Induction appears to be impaired at the transcriptional level, due to the reduced expression of AhR, which controls the transcription of CYP1A genes.
The evaluation of the effect of metformin on breast fibrocystic disease.

BACKGROUND Fibrocystic changes (FCC) is the most common benign breast disease. The main pathophysiologic mechanism of FCC, excessive cell proliferation in response to monthly estrogen and progesterone changes. Regarding to antiproliferative of metformin, the aim of this study is the evaluation of the effect of metformin on FCC in women who were referred to gynecology clinics of ArakMETHODS:This study is a double blind placebo control randomized clinical trial. At the first among women who were referred to gynecology of Arak, 186 women with FCC between 18-40 years were selected. The women were randomly classified into three groups. The first group took metformin and the second group as placebo group took vitamin E and the third group did not take any drug during six months. All groups were compared in clinical symptoms based on visual analogue scale (VAS) and the sonographic data also were recorded and compared. Data analysis was performed by unilateral variance, student t and Chi-square. RESULTS The three groups were not different in aspect of mean of the cysts number, cyst size, tenderness and discharge from breast before the intervention, but after the intervention, there was a significant decrease in metformin group (p value < 0.001) based on variance analysis test. There was not a meaningful difference of pain and the location of cysts between the groups after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS The present study showed that metformin is effective in treatment of FCC and decreasing of clinical symptoms and imaging items.
Technology Shocks Matter

This paper uses the neoclassical growth model to identify the effects of technological change on the US business cycle. In the model there are two sources of technological change: neutral, which effects the production of all goods homogeneously, and investment-specific. Investment-specific shocks are the unique source of the secular trend in the real price of investment goods, while shocks to both kinds of technology are the only factors which affect labor productivity in the long run. Consistent with previous empirical work which considers only neutral shocks, the results suggest these shocks account for little, about 6 percent, of the business cycle variation in hours worked. In contrast, investment-specific shocks account for about 48 percent, a new finding which suggests that technology shocks are an important source of the business cycle.
Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in pregnant women and their newborn infants in the region of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Toxoplasmosis transmission during pregnancy can cause severe sequelae in fetuses and newborns. Maternal antibodies may be indicators of risk or immunity. The aim here was to evaluate seropositivity for anti-Toxoplasma gondii (anti-T. gondii) immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and IgG avidity in pregnant women and their newborn infants. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in a high-risk pregnancy outpatient clinic. METHODS: Serum samples from pregnant women (n = 87) and their respective newborns (n = 87) were evaluated for anti-T. gondii antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) (IgM and IgG), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (IgG) and an avidity test. RESULTS: Anti-T. gondii antibodies were identified in 64.4% of the serum samples from the mothers and their infants (56/87). Except for two maternal serum samples (2.3%), all others were negative for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies, using IIF. The results showed that 92.9% of the pregnant women had high IgG avidity indexes (> 30%) and four samples had avidity indexes between 16 and 30%. Two women in the third trimester of pregnancy were positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies; their babies had avidity indexes between 16 and 30%. The avidity indexes of serum from the other 83 newborns were similar to the results from their mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that 2% of the pregnant women were at risk of T. gondii transmission during the gestational period. These data seem to reflect the real situation of gestational toxoplasmosis in the northwestern region of the state of São Paulo.
Automatic Syllabification for Manipuri language

Development of hand crafted rule for syllabifying words of a language is an expensive task. This paper proposes several data-driven methods for automatic syllabification of words written in Manipuri language. Manipuri is one of the scheduled Indian languages. First, we propose a language-independent rule-based approach formulated using entropy based phonotactic segmentation. Second, we project the syllabification problem as a sequence labeling problem and investigate its effect using various sequence labeling approaches. Third, we combine the effect of sequence labeling and rule-based method and investigate the performance of the hybrid approach. From various experimental observations, it is evident that the proposed methods outperform the baseline rule-based method. The entropy based phonotactic segmentation provides a word accuracy of 96%, CRF (sequence labeling approach) provides 97% and hybrid approach provides 98% word accuracy.
An holistic approach to understanding the changing nature of organisational structure

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on an exploratory study to revisit and critically reappraise the impact of IT upon organisational structure, by exploring how the deployment of ERP, when accompanied by a specific strategic orientation, impacted upon the host organisation's structural design.Design/methodology/approach – The study was initially enacted through a postal questionnaire survey of IT managers within a sample of China's largest manufacturing organisations. Follow‐up interviews were then conducted with senior managers, who had first‐hand experience of working on ERP implementations, to help to more fully understand the impact of ERP upon organisational structure.Findings – The study found that the implementation of ERP technology and the strategic orientation of the host organisation are both likely to modify the structural design of Chinese manufacturing organisations. Moreover, it has been found that the success of an ERP deployment is a stronger predictor of organisational form.
Kidney Function Decline and Apparent Treatment-Resistant Hypertension in the Elderly

Background Cross-sectional studies show a strong association between chronic kidney disease and apparent treatment-resistant hypertension, but the longitudinal association of the rate of kidney function decline with the risk of resistant hypertension is unknown. Methods The population-based Three-City included 8,695 participants older than 65 years, 4265 of them treated for hypertension. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) of new-onset apparent treatment-resistant hypertension, defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg despite use of 3 antihypertensive drug classes or ≥ 4 classes regardless of blood pressure, associated with the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) level and its rate of decline over 4 years, compared with both controlled hypertension and uncontrolled nonresistant hypertension with ≤ 2 drugs. GFR was estimated with three different equations. Results Baseline prevalence of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension and of controlled and uncontrolled nonresistant hypertension, were 6.5%, 62.3% and 31.2%, respectively. During follow-up, 162 participants developed apparent treatment-resistant hypertension. Mean eGFR decline with the MDRD equation was 1.5±2.9 mL/min/1.73 m² per year: 27.7% of the participants had an eGFR ≥3 and 10.1% ≥ 5 mL/min/1.73 m² per year. After adjusting for age, sex, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular history, the ORs for new-onset apparent treatment-resistant hypertension associated with a mean eGFR level, per 15 mL/min/1.73m² drop, were 1.23 [95% confidence interval 0.91–1.64] compared to controlled hypertension and 1.10 [0.83–1.45] compared to uncontrolled nonresistant hypertension; ORs associated with a decline rate ≥ 3 mL/min/1.73m² per year were 1.89 [1.09–3.29] and 1.99 [1.19–3.35], respectively. Similar results were obtained when we estimated GFR with the CKDEPI and the BIS1 equations. ORs tended to be higher for an eGFR decline rate ≥ 5 mL/min/1.73m² per year. Conclusion The speed of kidney function decline is associated more strongly than kidney function itself with the risk of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension in the elderly.
Gaussianity of cosmic velocity fields and linearity of the velocity-gravity relation

ABSTRACT We present a numerical study of the relation between the cosmic peculiar velocity ﬁeldand the gravitationalaccelerationﬁeld. We show that on mildly non-linear scales (4–10h −1 Mpc Gaussian smoothing), the distribution of the Cartesian coordinates of eachof these ﬁelds is well approximated by a Gaussian. In particular, their kurtoses andnegentropies are small compared to those of the velocity divergence and density ﬁelds. We ﬁnd that at these scales the relation between the velocity and gravity ﬁeld followslinear theory to good accuracy. Speciﬁcally, the systematic errors in velocity–velocitycomparisons due to assuming the linear model do not exceed 6% in β. To correct forthem, we test various nonlinear estimators of velocity from density. We show that aslight modiﬁcation of the α-formula proposed by Kudlicki et al. yields an estimatorwhich is essentially unbiased and has a small variance.Key words: cosmology: theory – cosmology: dark matter – large-scale structure ofthe Universe – methods: numerical
Study of the flow induced by a sliding discharge

In this work, we report on electrical and fluid-dynamics studies concerning the flow induced by a sliding discharge (SD). This kind of discharge was created with a three electrode system configuration: one excited with AC and the others with a DC negative voltage. The SD was activated on a quiescent fluid at atmospheric pressure. The flow field induced by the SD was analysed by measurements undertaken with Pitot probes and Schlieren Image Velocimetry. Under the conditions of our experiments two "jet flows", that blown towards the interelectrode space, were induced from the air exposed electrodes. As a consequence of the mutual interaction of these two flows and of the magnitude of each flow, a resulting plume like planar jet of adjustable direction (0-180deg) could be formed. A robust control of the axis direction of the plume could be achieved by modifying the AC voltage value.
Effect of cutting speed and feed rate on surface roughness of AISI 316L SS using end-milling

This paper discusses the effect of cutting parameters on the surface topography of AISI 316L stainless steel with tungsten carbide tool by using response surface methodology (RSM). Feed rates ranges from 0.10 mm/rev to 0.14 mm/rev while the cutting speeds ranges from 80 m/min to 120 m/min were used. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Mitutoyo surface tester were used to study in detail the surface topography of AISI 316L stainless steel. A mathematical relationship was built between cutting parameters and surface roughness. From the results it was found that feed rate was the main factor affecting the surface roughness while cutting speed have negligible effect on the surface roughness of the end-milled AISI 316L stainless steel samples. From analysis of variance it was found that the percentage contribution of feed rate was 10.38 % and cutting speed as 2.1 %.
High Precision Nanoscale AFM Height Measurements of JAggregates V. V. Prokhorov, E. I. Mal'tsev, O. M. Perelygina, D. A. Lypenko,

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to obtain highresolution images of nanosized organic Jaggregate molecular crystals of 3,3'�di(gammas ulfopropyl)�5,5�dichlorotiamonomethinecyanine (TC) and 3,3'�bis(2�sulfopropyl)�5,5',6,6'�tetrachloro�1,1'�dioctylbenzimidacarbocyanine (C8S3) and precise height measurements of Jaggregates monolayers were conducted. It was found that TC Jaggregates obtained both in the solution bulk and by selfassembly on the mica surface are extended monolayer sheets of high mechanical flexibility. The height of TC is 1.05 ± 0.05 nm, which corresponds to the crystallographic size of a single molecule along the short axis. A model of asymmetric singlelayer molecular packing is suggested in which sulfopropyl groups are located on the same side of the layer plane. In the case of C8S3, narrow multi� layer ribbonlike structures with heights of 3 to 30 nm were observed. The heights are strictly quantized with a step of 3 nm. A bilayer model of C8S3 molecular packing in Jaggregates is discussed with partially interpen� etrating monolayers with hydrophobic sides oriented face to face. A model of structural C8S3 units as "ele� mentary ribbons" with the transverse dimensions of 3 × 4 nm is suggested on the basis of the comparison of AFM data with electron microscopy data from other works.
Vitamin D Induces Increased Systolic Arterial Pressure via Vascular Reactivity and Mechanical Properties

Background/Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate whether supplementation of high doses of cholecalciferol for two months in normotensive rats results in increased systolic arterial pressure and which are the mechanisms involved. Specifically, this study assesses the potential effect on cardiac output as well as the changes in aortic structure and functional properties. Methods Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: 1) Control group (C, n = 20), with no supplementation of vitamin D, 2) VD3 (n = 19), supplemented with 3,000 IU vitamin D/kg of chow; 3) VD10 (n = 21), supplemented with 10,000 IU vitamin D/kg of chow. After two months, echocardiographic analyses, measurements of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), vascular reactivity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mechanical properties, histological analysis and metalloproteinase-2 and -9 activity were performed. Results SAP was higher in VD3 and VD10 than in C rats (p = 0.001). Echocardiographic variables were not different among groups. Responses to phenylephrine in endothelium-denuded aortas was higher in VD3 compared to the C group (p = 0.041). Vascular relaxation induced by acetylcholine (p = 0.023) and sodium nitroprusside (p = 0.005) was impaired in both supplemented groups compared to the C group and apocynin treatment reversed impaired vasodilation. Collagen volume fraction (<0.001) and MMP-2 activity (p = 0.025) was higher in VD10 group compared to the VD3 group. Elastin volume fraction was lower in VD10 than in C and yield point was lower in VD3 than in C. Conclusion Our findings support the view that vitamin D supplementation increases arterial pressure in normotensive rats and this is associated with structural and functional vascular changes, modulated by NADPH oxidase, nitric oxide, and extracellular matrix components.
Robot locomotion on hard and soft ground: Measuring stability and ground properties in-situ

Dynamic behavior of legged robots is strongly affected by ground impedance. Empirical observation of robot hardware is needed because ground impedance and foot-ground interaction is challenging to predict in simulation. This paper presents experimental data of the MIT Super Mini Cheetah robot hopping on hard and soft ground. We show that controllers tuned for each surface perform better for each specific surface type, assessing performance using measurements of 1. ) stability of the robot in response to self-disturbances applied by the robot onto itself and 2. ) the peak accelerations of the robot that occur during ground impact, which should be minimized to reduce mechanical stress. To aid in controller selection on different ground types, we show that the robot can measure ground stiffness and friction in-situ by measuring its own interaction with the ground. To motivate future work in variable-terrain control and in-situ ground measurement, we show preliminary results of running gaits that transition between hard and soft ground.
Angiotensin II-induced hypertension is associated with a selective inhibition of EDHF-mediated responses in the rat mesenteric artery *

Hypertension has been shown to be associated with impaired endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-mediated arterial relaxation and hyperpolarization. Treatments of hypertensive rats with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system have been shown to restore both EDHF-mediated responses and the expression of connexins involved in the intercellular transfer of the hyperpolarization, in mesenteric arteries. The present study was designed to determine whether chronic treatment of rats with angiotensin II impairs EDHF-mediated responses and the expression of connexins in the mesenteric arterial wall. Male Wistar rats were treated with angiotensin II (0.4 mg/kg/day) during 21 days using osmotic mini-pumps. Arterial pressure was measured by tail-cuff plethysmography. Contractile responses and membrane potential were measured in isolated mesenteric arteries. The expression of the three connexins Cx37, Cx40 and Cx43 was quantified in segments of mesenteric arteries by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real time RT-PCR. Angiotensin II administration increased the mean systolic blood pressure. EDHF-mediated relaxation and hyperpolarization to acetylcholine and red wine polyphenols were significantly impaired in mesenteric arteries from angiotensin II-treated rats in comparison with control animals whereas NO-mediated relaxation was unaltered. The expression of connexins Cx37, Cx40 and Cx43 was significantly decreased in the mesenteric artery from angiotensin II-treated rats. These findings indicate that angiotensin II-induced hypertension is associated with a selective impairment of EDHF-mediated relaxation and hyperpolarization in the rat mesenteric artery. The inhibition of EDHF-mediated responses is due, at least partly, to a decreased expression of connexins Cx37, Cx40 and Cx43 in the arterial wall. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. JPET Fast Forward. Published on November 4, 2008 as DOI: 10.1124/jpet.108. 145326 at A PE T Jornals on N ovem er 3, 2017 jpet.asjournals. org D ow nladed from