Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PITX2 controls asymmetric gonadal development in both sexes of the chick and can rescue the degeneration of the right ovary

The gonads arise on the ventromedial surface of each mesonephros. In most birds, female gonadal development is unusual in that only the left ovary becomes functional, whereas that on the right degenerates during embryogenesis. Males develop a pair of equally functional testes. We show that the chick gonads already have distinct morphological and molecular left-right (L-R) characteristics in both sexes at indifferent (genital ridge) stages and that these persist, becoming more elaborate during sex determination and differentiation, but have no consequences for testis differentiation. We find that these L-R differences depend on the L-R asymmetry pathway that controls the situs of organs such as the heart and gut. Moreover, a key determinant of this, Pitx2, is expressed asymmetrically, such that it is found only in the left gonad in both sexes from the start of their development. Misexpression of Pitx2 on the right side before and during gonadogenesis is sufficient to transform the right gonad into a left-like gonad. In ZW embryos, this transformation rescues the degenerative fate of the right ovary, allowing for the differentiation of left-like cortex containing meiotic germ cells. There is therefore a mechanism in females that actively promotes the underlying L-R asymmetry initiated by Pitx2 and the degeneration of the right gonad, and a mechanism in males that allows it to be ignored or overridden.
Nitric oxide as a bifunctional regulator of apoptosis.

It was inevitable that important relationships between two of the most intensely studied topics in biomedical research, apoptosis and nitric oxide (NO), would become apparent. Apoptosis is essential to normal development as well as physiological cell turnover. Although apoptosis in excess can manifest as tissue damage, a failure to undergo apoptosis constitutes pathological cellular overgrowth. It is now evident that NO and its reaction products can either promote or prevent apoptosis in a multitude of settings. The ubiquitous distribution of the NO synthases and the remarkable diffusibility and diverse chemical reactivity of NO in biological systems make this molecule unique among the regulators of apoptosis. Understanding the factors that govern the consequences of NO exposure on cell viability and identifying the conditions in which NO regulation of apoptosis contribute to pathology are topics of considerable interest and potential importance. In this article, we will review the recent observations on NO as a regulator of apoptosis. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is distinguished from lytic or necrotic cell death by specific biochemical and structural events (see recent review in Reference 11 ). Apoptogenic signals trigger cell-specific signaling pathways, including protease activation, followed by the appearance of morphological changes characteristic of cells undergoing apoptosis, including condensation of nuclei and cytoplasm, blebbing of the cytoplasmic membranes, and finally fragmentation into apoptotic bodies that are phagocytosed by neighboring cells. The elucidation of the signaling events in apoptosis is occurring at a rapid pace and includes the identification of the key roles of cysteine proteases (known as caspases), Bcl-2 family members, and mitochondria. Caspases, the mammalian counterpart of ced-3 in Caenorhabditis elegans , are a family of cysteine proteases now known to contain at least 14 homologs. Ectopic expression of any of the caspase family proteases can cause apoptosis; however, not all caspase family …
The effect of specimen geometry on plastic zone size: A study using the J integral

In this investigation the nature of the plastic zone ahead of a crack-tip in centrecracked tension, double-edge-notched tension, single-edge-notched tension, compact tension, extended compact tension, and single-edge-notched bend specimens have been assessed by elastic-plastic finite element analyses at different applied load levels (J integral). The magnitudes of the plastic zone size (PZS) in the investigated specimens have been compared using a new reference standard J/aσy where a is crack length and σy is yield stress of the material. The results demonstrate that the PZS is almost invariant with respect to specimen geometry up to a critical value of J/aσy at a specific a/W ratio. However, beyond this critical value, the magnitudes of the PZS are found to depend on the specimen geometry, which has been attributed to the varying in-plane constraints at the crack tip in various specimens.
TRPC Channels As Effectors of Cardiac Hypertrophy

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels of multiple subclasses are expressed in the heart, although their functions are only now beginning to emerge, especially for the TRPC subclass that appears to regulate the cardiac hypertrophic response. Although TRP channels permeate many different cations, they are most often ascribed a specific biological function because of Ca2+ influx, either for microdomain signaling or to reload internal Ca2+ stores in the endoplasmic reticulum through a store-operated mechanism. However, adult cardiac myocytes arguably do not require store-operated Ca2+ entry to regulate sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ levels and excitation–contraction coupling; hence, TRP channels expressed in the heart most likely coordinate signaling within local domains or through direct interaction with Ca2+-dependent regulatory proteins. Here, we review the emerging evidence that TRP channels, especially TRPCs, are critical regulators of microdomain signaling in the heart to control pathological hypertrophy in coordination with signaling through effectors such as calcineurin and NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells).
DNA methylation–based immune response signature improves patient diagnosis in multiple cancers

BACKGROUND. The tumor immune response is increasingly associated with better clinical outcomes in breast and other cancers. However, the evaluation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) relies on histopathological measurements with limited accuracy and reproducibility. Here, we profiled DNA methylation markers to identify a methylation of TIL (MeTIL) signature that recapitulates TIL evaluations and their prognostic value for long-term outcomes in breast cancer (BC). METHODS. MeTIL signature scores were correlated with clinical endpoints reflecting overall or disease-free survival and a pathologic complete response to preoperative anthracycline therapy in 3 BC cohorts from the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels and in other cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas. RESULTS. The MeTIL signature measured TIL distributions in a sensitive manner and predicted survival and response to chemotherapy in BC better than did histopathological assessment of TILs or gene expression–based immune markers, respectively. The MeTIL signature also improved the prediction of survival in other malignancies, including melanoma and lung cancer. Furthermore, the MeTIL signature predicted differences in survival for malignancies in which TILs were not known to have a prognostic value. Finally, we showed that MeTIL markers can be determined by bisulfite pyrosequencing of small amounts of DNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, supporting clinical applications for this methodology. CONCLUSIONS. This study highlights the power of DNA methylation to evaluate tumor immune responses and the potential of this approach to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast and other cancers. FUNDING. This work was funded by the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) and Télévie, the INNOVIRIS Brussels Region BRUBREAST Project, the IUAP P7/03 program, the Belgian “Foundation against Cancer,” the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), and the Fonds Gaston Ithier.
Re‐evaluating the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in reward and reinforcement

The orbitofrontal cortex and adjacent ventromedial prefrontal cortex carry reward representations and mediate flexible behaviour when circumstances change. Here we review how recent experiments in humans and macaques have confirmed the existence of a major difference between the functions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and adjacent medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) on the one hand and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) on the other. These differences, however, may not be best accounted for in terms of specializations for reward and error/punishment processing as is commonly assumed. Instead we argue that both lesion and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies reveal that the lOFC is concerned with the assignment of credit for both reward and error outcomes to the choice of specific stimuli and with the linking of specific stimulus representations to representations of specific types of reward outcome. By contrast, we argue that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/mOFC is concerned with evaluation, value‐guided decision‐making and maintenance of a choice over successive decisions. Despite the popular view that they cause perseveration of behaviour and inability to inhibit repetition of a previously made choice, we found that lesions in neither orbitofrontal subdivision caused perseveration. On the contrary, lesions in the lOFC made animals switch more rapidly between choices when they were finding it difficult to assign reward values to choices. Lesions in the mOFC caused animals to lose their normal predisposition to repeat previously successful choices, suggesting that the mOFC does not just mediate value comparison in choice but also facilitates maintenance of the same choice if it has been successful.
In vivo efficacy in airway disease models of roflumilast, a novel orally active PDE4 inhibitor.

We have investigated the bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory properties of roflumilast (3-cyclopropylmethoxy-4-difluoromethoxy-N-[3,5-dichloropyrid-4-yl]-benzamide), a novel, highly potent, and selective phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor. Additionally, we compared the effects of roflumilast and its N-oxide, the primary metabolite in vivo, with those of the PDE4 inhibitors piclamilast, rolipram, and cilomilast. Roflumilast inhibited the ovalbumin-evoked contractions of tracheal chains prepared from sensitized guinea pigs (EC(50) = 2 x 10(-7) M) but showed no relaxant effect on tissues contracted spontaneously. In spasmogen-challenged rats and guinea pigs, intravenously administered roflumilast displayed bronchodilatory activity (ED(50) = 4.4 and 7.1 micromol/kg, respectively). Furthermore, roflumilast dose dependently attenuated allergen-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs (ED(50) = 0.1 micromol/kg i.v. ). Roflumilast given orally (ED(50) = 1.5 micromol/kg) showed equal potency to its N-oxide (ED(50) = 1.0 micromol/kg) but was superior to piclamilast (ED(50) = 8.3 micromol/kg), rolipram (ED(50) = 32.5 micromol/kg), and cilomilast (ED(50) = 52.2 micromol/kg) in suppressing allergen-induced early airway reactions. To assess the anti-inflammatory potential of orally administered roflumilast, antigen-induced cell infiltration, total protein, and TNFalpha concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of Brown Norway rats were determined. Roflumilast and its N-oxide equally inhibited eosinophilia (ED(50) = 2.7 and 2.5 micromol/kg, respectively), whereas the reference inhibitors displayed lower potency (ED(50) = 17-106 micromol/kg). Besides, orally administered roflumilast abrogated LPS-induced circulating TNFalpha in the rat (ED(50) = 0.3 micromol/kg), an effect shared by its N-oxide, with both molecules exhibiting 8-, 25-, and 310-fold superiority to piclamilast, rolipram, and cilomilast, respectively. These results, coupled with the in vitro effects of roflumilast on inflammatory cells, suggest that roflumilast represents a potential new drug for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Correspondence Address

It is a fact that there are no neuroanatomy journals published in Turkey at present. Actually, the situation is not any different throughout the world. There are many 'neuroscience' journals dealing with neuroanatomy from the clinical-sciences point of view. Neuroanatomical standpoints appear to be often omitted except in the anatomy journals containing neuroanatomical publications. The difference could be likened to looking through a window from the inside or the outside. This double reality or gap is the main core which led us to the idea of publishing NEUROANATOMY. NEUROANATOMY is an annual, peer-reviewed journal, having a dynamic international Editorial and Scientific Advisory Board. Articles for the journal are chosen by the editors and published in English to make it easier for international use and more suitable for cataloging in the indexes. The journal contains electronic and printed versions. Editors give special importance to the electronic version due to the fact that it can be updated easily and can reach a large mass of readers. The electronic version also aims any one paper to be able to be used by its author or international scientific members effectively and without delay. As soon as a paper is accepted for publication, it emerges as a PDF (Portable Document File-Adobe Acrobat File) formatted style in the internet address. Collected papers throughout the year in the electronic version are put together in the printed version and published with the same page number and format. This is how our first volume came into being. Printouts pass as original copies until the end of the year. The same will apply for future volumes. As this journal came to life with an 'amateur' spirit, special care was taken to perform maximum professional quality to be cherished by all members of the scientific world. The basic aim of the journal is to present a medium where all people concerned with neuroanatomy will have a chance to introduce their studies and hypotheses. From this point of view, it is clear that besides objective scientific observations, the journal also welcomes rational speculative scientific subjects. As in all scientific journals the only subject to which the journal's doors are barred, is scientific fraud. We would especially like to thank our Editorial and Scientific Board members and all others who have worked for long days and given their unconditional support for the publishing of Volume 1. Our great many thanks also go to …
Association of Overweight with Asthma Prevalence in Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between asthma and overweight in adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 13–14-year-old adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Asthma was defined according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated; overweight was defined as BMI ≥ 85th percentile. The distribution of asthma and associated symptoms were compared according weight category using the χ2 test for linear trend. The association between asthma and overweight, controlling for confounding variables, was studied using odds ratios (OR), confidence intervals (95% CI) and logistic regression, stratified by sex. Results: 2,858 (50.1% female) adolescents were studied; 458 (16.1%) were overweight and 13.3% asthmatic. Average BMI was higher among asthmatics (p = 0.01). When stratified, this difference remained only among girls (p = 0.03). Asthma prevalence increased with higher BMI (p = 0.02). Asthma was associated to overweight (OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.07–2.13), irrespective of sedentary lifestyle, smoking mother and presence of dog in the domicile, but only among the girls. Conclusions: In Rio de Janeiro adolescents, we found a positive association between asthma and overweight, exclusively among girls. This suggests that health policies related to asthma and overweight/obesity in this age group need to take sex into consideration.
Version Peer reviewed version Link to publication record in King ' s Research Portal

This study addresses the achievable sum-rate for the uplink of a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) operating in a linear Wyner-type topology, i.e., with partial channel connectivity. In the system, the radio units (RUs) communicate with a central, or cloud, unit (CU) by means of digital finite-capacity fronthaul links. The messages sent by the user equipments (UEs) are jointly decoded by the CU based on the compressed baseband signals received on the fronthaul links. Unlike prior works, each RU is assumed to be also connected to its neighboring RUs via finitecapacity fronthaul links. Under the standard assumption that the RUs do not perform channel decoding (i.e., oblivious RUs), each RU performs in-network processing of the uplink received signal and of the compressed baseband signal received from the adjacent RU, with the CU carrying out channel decoding. A closedform expression of the achievable sum-rate is derived assuming point-to-point compression, and then analytical expressions are provided for more advanced fronthaul compression schemes that leverage side information. Numerical examples provide insights into the advantages of inter-RU communications and into the performance gap to existing sum-rate upper bounds.
Equivalent Circuit of Normal Mode Helical Antennas Using Frequency-Independent Lumped Elements

An equivalent circuit consisting of eight frequency independent lumped elements is derived for center-driven normal mode helical antennas. The equivalent circuit is composed of two parts; a five-element circuit representing the wire antenna and a three-element circuit for the helical turns. Comparison of the calculated input impedance of the equivalent circuit with full-wave simulations demonstrates reasonable agreement over a broad frequency range that includes the first resonant frequency, where the antenna usually operates. Application of the equivalent circuit does not require an EM solver and it is readily implemented in circuit simulators.
Development of eSSR-Markers in Setaria italica and Their Applicability in Studying Genetic Diversity, Cross-Transferability and Comparative Mapping in Millet and Non-Millet Species

Foxtail millet ( Setaria italica L.) is a tractable experimental model crop for studying functional genomics of millets and bioenergy grasses. But the limited availability of genomic resources, particularly expressed sequence-based genic markers is significantly impeding its genetic improvement. Considering this, we attempted to develop EST-derived-SSR (eSSR) markers and utilize them in germplasm characterization, cross-genera transferability and in silico comparative mapping. From 66,027 foxtail millet EST sequences 24,828 non-redundant ESTs were deduced, representing ~16 Mb, which revealed 534 (~2%) eSSRs in 495 SSR containing ESTs at a frequency of 1/30 kb. A total of 447 pp were successfully designed, of which 327 were mapped physically onto nine chromosomes. About 106 selected primer pairs representing the foxtail millet genome showed high-level of cross-genera amplification at an average of ~88% in eight millets and four non-millet species. Broad range of genetic diversity (0.02–0.65) obtained in constructed phylogenetic tree using 40 eSSR markers demonstrated its utility in germplasm characterizations and phylogenetics. Comparative mapping of physically mapped eSSR markers showed considerable proportion of sequence-based orthology and syntenic relationship between foxtail millet chromosomes and sorghum (~68%), maize (~61%) and rice (~42%) chromosomes. Synteny analysis of eSSRs of foxtail millet, rice, maize and sorghum suggested the nested chromosome fusion frequently observed in grass genomes. Thus, for the first time we had generated large-scale eSSR markers in foxtail millet and demonstrated their utility in germplasm characterization, transferability, phylogenetics and comparative mapping studies in millets and bioenergy grass species.
Explicit Multiregister Measurements for Hidden Subgroup Problems

We present an explicit measurement in the Fourier basis that solves an important case of the Hidden Subgroup Problem, including the case to which Graph Isomorphism reduces. This entangled measurement uses $k=\log_2 |G|$ registers, and each of the $2^k$ subsets of the registers contributes some information. While this does not, in general, yield an efficient algorithm, it generalizes the relationship between Subset Sum and the HSP in the dihedral group, and sheds some light on how quantum algorithms for Graph Isomorphism might work.
Robust template matching for affine resistant image watermarks

Digital watermarks have been proposed as a method for discouraging illicit copying and distribution of copyrighted material. This paper describes a method for the secure and robust copyright protection of digital images. We present an approach for embedding a digital watermark into an image using the Fourier transform. To this watermark is added a template in the Fourier transform domain to render the method robust against general linear transformations. We detail a new algorithm based on polar maps for the accurate and efficient recovery of the template in an image which has undergone a general affine transformation. We also present results which demonstrate the robustness of the method against some common image processing operations such as compression, rotation, scaling, and aspect ratio changes.
A comparison of an interior permanent magnet and copper rotor induction motor in a hybrid electric vehicle application

This paper compares a permanent magnet motor to an induction motor in a hybrid electric vehicle application. The comparison considers replacing an existing 50kW Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) motor with a copper-rotor induction motor (CR-IM). The 2004 Toyota Prius Hybrid system is used as the baseline for the analysis. The size, weight and cost of the two topologies are compared and the difference in lifetime energy use over various drive cycles is analysed. Additional considerations including the impact on battery sizing and the inverter VA rating are also considered and discussed.
A TGA/FT-IR study for measuring OC and EC in aerosol samples

Carbon analysis consists in the evaluation of the carbonaceous content of the aerosol (TC) but, more impor- tantly, of its distribution between the two components EC (Elemental Carbon) and OC (Organic Carbon) that are char- acterized by different physical-chemical properties. In spite of the numerous studies focused on this topic, nowadays a universal methodology for the determination of the two com- ponents EC and OC is not available. In fact OC and EC (also known as black carbon or soot) are operationally defined by the method of analysis and, as a consequence, different meth- ods can produce different results. In this paper we present results on the application of TGA/FT-IR (Thermo-gravimetric Analysis/Fourier Trans- formed Infrared Spectroscopy) to the characterization of car- bonaceous aerosols. The analytical methodology was ap- plied to PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10µm) four-hour time resolution samples col- lected in Milan urban area. The method is a two-steps ther- mal one and it is based on the different thermal behaviour of OC and EC. It has been set up analyzing suitable stan- dards containing both organic and elemental carbon. Carbon quantification is achieved by on-line, continuous monitoring of CO2 infrared absorption at 2361 cm 1 . A good separa- tion between OC and EC on particulate matter (PM) sam- ples has been obtained. Ranges and average values were 12-70µg/m 3 and 20µg/m 3 for OC and 0.2-6µg/m 3 and 2µg/m 3 for EC. On average OC and EC made up 29 (±13)% and 2.5 (±1.8)% of the PM10 fraction, respectively. The method reliability has been verified by a preliminary compar- ison with TOT (Thermal Optical Transmission) technique. OC and EC values determined for ambient samples of PM10 were correlated with meteorological parameters as well as with Radon concentrations.