Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key Issues in the Modes of Action and Effects of Trichloroethylene Metabolites for Liver and Kidney Tumorigenesis

Trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure has been associated with increased risk of liver and kidney cancer in both laboratory animal and epidemiologic studies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001 draft TCE risk assessment concluded that it is difficult to determine which TCE metabolites may be responsible for these effects, the key events involved in their modes of action (MOAs), and the relevance of these MOAs to humans. In this article, which is part of a mini-monograph on key issues in the health risk assessment of TCE, we present a review of recently published scientific literature examining the effects of TCE metabolites in the context of the preceding questions. Studies of the TCE metabolites dichloroacetic acid (DCA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), and chloral hydrate suggest that both DCA and TCA are involved in TCE-induced liver tumorigenesis and that many DCA effects are consistent with conditions that increase the risk of liver cancer in humans. Studies of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine have revealed a number of different possible cell signaling effects that may be related to kidney tumorigenesis at lower concentrations than those leading to cytotoxicity. Recent studies of trichloroethanol exploring an alternative hypothesis for kidney tumorigenesis have failed to establish the formation of formate as a key event for TCE-induced kidney tumors. Overall, although MOAs and key events for TCE-induced liver and kidney tumors have yet to be definitively established, these results support the likelihood that toxicity is due to multiple metabolites through several MOAs, none of which appear to be irrelevant to humans.
An Efficient Power Divider for Dual-Band Microwave Applications

In this article, a modified Cheng dual-band power divider is proposed. In modified design, output ports of the divider have been redesigned by incorporating extended lines having electrical length (π/2)(f1/f2) where, f1 and f2 are center frequencies. The impedance of extended lines is calculated from an average value of bi-section impedance transformers used in the Cheng design. Dependent upon the frequencies, the modified design offered 5-20 dB improvement in return loss and thus exhibited enhanced transmission.
Kappa (κ) model for Kachchh region of Western India

ABSTRACT The empirical factor Kappa (κ), governs the rapid decay of spectral amplitude at high frequencies. It is one of the important parameters required in the simulations of earthquake strong ground motions. The present study estimates κ for 16 sites of Kachchh region of Gujarat (India). The Kachchh region is one of the most seismically active intraplate regions of the world that has experienced shocks of magnitude up to 8.0 in past. We have analyzed 159 accelerograms of 34 earthquakes of magnitude range 3.3–4.9 to estimate the κ. The estimated values of κ vary from 0.016 to 0.045 with an average of 0.023. Our results show no significant dependence of κ on distance (R) for the region. The analysis based on two sites shows that κ0 (κ at R = 0) is lower for the hard rock site (0.016) as compared with the value for the soft rock site (0.0201). One of the important observations of this study is that κ is not the source property for Kachchh region. The estimated values of the κ are useful for the stochastic simulation of earthquake strong ground motions.
Occurrence, characterization and insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis strains isolated from argan fields in Morocco

Soils collected from five locations in the argan forest (an endemic plant) in Morocco were used to form the first collection of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains from this area (58 strains). Here we found that the argan forest is a major source of Bt, as 90.62% of the samples contained Bt strains. These strains produced mainly spherical or irregular crystals that in some cases remained adhered to the spore after cell lysis. There was no strain producing bipyramidal crystals, suggesting the absence of strains bearing cry1 genes. This was confirmed by PCR analysis using eight primer pairs that can potentially detect 13 different groups of cry and cyt genes. Strains containing cry7/8 were the most abundant (25.53%), followed by strains harbouring cry9A (14.89%), cry11 (8.51%) and cry4 (4.25%). The mixtures of spores and crystals as well as culture supernatants were assayed for toxicity towards Ceratitis capitata (Medfly), showing up to 30% mortality. Our findings suggest that the argan region is a suitable target for future and wider screening programmes looking for strains bearing toxins or combinations of them to develop more efficient Bt‐based formulates.
Human Corneal Endothelial Cells Expanded In Vitro Are a Powerful Resource for Tissue Engineering

Human corneal endothelial cells have two major functions: barrier function mediated by proteins such as ZO-1 and pump function mediated by Na-K-ATPase which help to maintain visual function. However, human corneal endothelial cells are notorious for their limited proliferative capability in vivo and are therefore prone to corneal endothelial dysfunction that eventually may lead to blindness. At present, the only method to cure corneal endothelial dysfunction is by transplantation of a cadaver donor cornea with normal corneal endothelial cells. Due to the global shortage of donor corneas, it is vital to engineer corneal tissue in vitro that could potentially be transplanted clinically. In this review, we summarize the advances in understanding the behavior of human corneal endothelial cells, their current engineering strategy in vitro and their potential applications.
Some Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vpu Proteins Are Able To Antagonize Macaque BST-2 In Vitro and In Vivo: Vpu-Negative Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Are Attenuated In Vivo

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu enhances the release of viral particles from infected cells by targeting BST-2/tetherin, a cellular protein inhibiting virus release. The widely used HIV-1NL4-3 Vpu functionally inactivates human BST-2 but not murine or monkey BST-2, leading to the notion that Vpu antagonism is species specific. Here we investigated the properties of the CXCR4-tropic simian-human immunodeficiency virus DH12 (SHIVDH12) and the CCR5-tropic SHIVAD8, each of which carries vpu genes derived from different primary HIV-1 isolates. We found that virion release from infected rhesus peripheral blood mononuclear cells was enhanced to various degrees by the Vpu present in both SHIVs. Transfer of the SHIVDH12 Vpu transmembrane domain to the HIV-1NL4-3 Vpu conferred antagonizing activity against macaque BST-2. Inactivation of the SHIVDH12 and SHIVAD8 vpu genes impaired virus replication in 6 of 8 inoculated rhesus macaques, resulting in lower plasma viral RNA loads, slower losses of CD4+ T cells, and delayed disease progression. The expanded host range of the SHIVDH12 Vpu was not due to adaptation during passage in macaques but was an intrinsic property of the parental HIV-1DH12 Vpu protein. These results demonstrate that the species-specific inhibition of BST-2 by HIV-1NL4-3 Vpu is not characteristic of all HIV-1 Vpu proteins; some HIV-1 isolates encode a Vpu with a broader host range.
School Leadership in Europe : issues , challenges and opportunities 3 ETUCE School Leadership Survey Report

2 Egalement disponible en français sous le titre Enquête du CSEE sur la direction des établissements scolaires Direction des établissements scolaires en Europe: questions, défis et opportunités Reproduction of all or part of this publication is permitted without authorisation. However, accreditation to ETUCE must be made and copies must be sent to the ETUCE secretariat.
Priming with Cold-Adapted Influenza A Does Not Prevent Infection but Elicits Long-Lived Protection against Supralethal Challenge with Heterosubtypic Virus1

We show in this study several novel features of T cell-based heterosubtypic immunity against the influenza A virus in mice. First, T cell-mediated heterosubtypic protection against lethal challenge can be generated by a very low priming dose. Second, it becomes effective within 5–6 days. Third, it provides protection against a very high dose challenge for >70 days. Also novel is the finding that strong, long-lasting, heterosubtypic protection can be elicited by priming with attenuated cold-adapted strains. We demonstrate that priming does not prevent infection of the lungs following challenge, but leads to earlier clearance of the virus and 100% survival after otherwise lethal challenge. Protection is dependent on CD8 T cells, and we show that CD4 and CD8 T cells reactive to conserved epitopes of the core proteins of the challenge virus are present after priming. Our results suggest that intranasal vaccination with cold-adapted, attenuated live virus has the potential to provide effective emergency protection against emerging influenza strains for several months.
Knowledge valley theory

The service sector is characterised by being over-proportionally based on SMEs where these SMEs rarely possess formal intellectual property (IPR) in the sense of patents, etc. Organisations compete intensively and reap relatively short-term Schumpeterian profits by means of incremental innovation. In this high-churn environment, managing internal knowledge networks for 'mutual inspiration' can give rise to significant competitive advantages; however estimates as to how to lever and encourage knowledge assets, and how large benefits are, are very vague. A 3D quantitative fold is presented called Knowledge Valley that allows for a novel knowledge-based theory of the evolution of SMEs and the growth of their knowledge assets. By using concrete values of employee number and annual turnover the model allows largely quantitative estimations of potential knowledge value in organisations and is furthermore amenable to Monte Carlo modelling, which explains from a knowledge assets viewpoint why the management crises in growing SMEs occur.
Human RNA Integrity After Postmortem Retinal Tissue Recovery

Purpose: To assess the parameters for postmortem retinal tissue recovery and processing that affect the quality of RNA extracted from the retina/retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) complex. Methods: RNA was extracted from retina/RPE samples. The RNA quality was determined based on qualitative/quantitative measurements made with a Bioanalyzer (Agilent) and on the expression of a long retinal gene (RPE65). After a pilot analysis on rats, ocular RNA was extracted from human donor eyeballs (group A) explanted according to conventional procedures for cornea transplantation. In a second experiment, another group of human donor eyeballs (group B) were processed in a much shorter time. The postmortem interval (T) comprised two periods: T1, the time between a donor’s death and enucleation, and T2, the time between eyeball explantation and immersion of the excised retina/RPE sample in preservative solution (T = T1 + T2). Results: A short T2 was correlated with good quality of RNA extracted from the retina/RPE complex (p = 0.043) and successful expression of a tissue-specific gene (p = 0.007). No other parameter appeared to influence RNA quality. Conclusions: The time between eyeball explantation and immersion of the retina/RPE sample in preservative solution was the chief parameter affecting the quality of RNA extracted from the retina/RPE complex.
Quasirandom rumor spreading: An experimental analysis

We empirically analyze two versions of the well-known “randomized rumor spreading” protocol to disseminate a piece of information in networks. In the classical model, in each round, each informed node informs a random neighbor. In the recently proposed quasirandom variant, each node has a (cyclic) list of its neighbors. Once informed, it starts at a random position of the list, but from then on informs its neighbors in the order of the list. While for sparse random graphs a better performance of the quasirandom model could be proven, all other results show that, independent of the structure of the lists, the same asymptotic performance guarantees hold as for the classical model. In this work, we compare the two models experimentally. Not only does this show that the quasirandom model generally is faster, but it also shows that the runtime is more concentrated around the mean. This is surprising given that much fewer random bits are used in the quasirandom process. These advantages are also observed in a lossy communication model, where each transmission does not reach its target with a certain probability, and in an asynchronous model, where nodes send at random times drawn from an exponential distribution. We also show that typically the particular structure of the lists has little influence on the efficiency.
Cortisol awakening response and subsequent depression: prospective longitudinal study

Background Some studies have found an association between elevated cortisol and subsequent depression, but findings are inconsistent. The cortisol awakening response may be a more stable measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and potentially of stress reactivity. Aims To investigate whether salivary cortisol, particularly the cortisol awakening response, is associated with subsequent depression in a large population cohort. Method Young people (aged 15 years, n = 841) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) collected salivary cortisol at four time points for 3 school days. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for developing depression meeting ICD-10 criteria at 18 years. Results We found no evidence for an association between salivary cortisol and subsequent depression. Odds ratios for the cortisol awakening response were 1.24 per standard deviation (95% CI 0.93-1.66, P = 0.14) before and 1.12 (95% CI 0.73-1.72, P = 0.61) after adjustment for confounding factors. There was no evidence that the other cortisol measures, including cortisol at each time point, diurnal drop and area under the curve, were associated with subsequent depression. Conclusions Our findings do not support the hypothesis that elevated salivary cortisol increases the short-term risk of subsequent depressive illness. The results suggest that if an association does exist, it is small and unlikely to be of clinical significance.
Expression and localization of vascular endothelial growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 in human epidermal appendages: a comparison study by immunofluorescence

Background. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and plays important roles in neovascularization and development of tissues. VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) are high‐affinity receptors for VEGF and are originally considered specific to endothelial cells. We have previously shown that keratinocytes from human normal skin express VEGFRs. This poses the question of whether these receptors are also expressed by epidermal appendages, as epidermal appendages are lined with epithelial cells.
How to Play Unique Games Using Embeddings

In this paper we present a new approximation algorithm for unique games. For a unique game with n vertices and k states (labels), if a (1 - epsiv) fraction of all constraints is satisfiable, the algorithm finds an assignment satisfying a 1 - O(epsiv radic(log n log k)) fraction of all constraints. To this end, we introduce new embedding techniques for rounding semidefinite relaxations of problems with large domain size
Patient selection and outcomes using a low-dose intrathecal opioid trialing method for chronic nonmalignant pain.

BACKGROUND Various methods exist for trialing patients for intrathecal drug delivery. Currently no standards exist regarding "best practices" for trialing techniques. OBJECTIVES The specific aim of the current study is to report results of patients trialed using a low-dose intrathecal morphine technique in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain. SETTING academic pain medicine practice STUDY DESIGN Retrospective Review METHOD Visual analog pain scores (VAS) were obtained at the initial visit, after a 6 week opioid-free interval prior to trial, at intrathecal doses of 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 μg of intrathecal morphine during the trial, at one month post-implant, and current VAS. Additionally, intrathecal opioid doses at implant and current state are reported. RESULTS VAS scores at the initial visit and after 6 weeks of opioid cessation were identical. There was a significant improvement in VAS after the trial, which was sustained over the course of therapy. Additionally, the use of the protocol described in this article suggests that the dose-response relationship following opioid cessation is in the 50-400 μg/d range for intrathecal morphine and that tolerance may be reversed during the 6 week opioid-free period. LIMITATIONS Small trialing study CONCLUSIONS Opioid taper and a 6 week opioid-free period may 1) improve long-term analgesia versus a combination of oral/ intrathecal drug delivery system therapy 2) it may be possible to maintain analgesia at microgram doses and 3) opioid tolerance may be reversible in 6 weeks. Further it appears that a dose response relationship for effective analgesia may be less than 400 μg of intrathecal morphine.
Bench-top Comparison of Physical Properties of 4 Commercially-Available Self-Expanding Intracranial Stents

Purpose To better understand the performance of four commercially available neurovascular stents in intracranial aneurysm embolization, the stents were compared in terms of their basic morphological and mechanical properties. Materials and Methods Four different types of stents that are currently being used for cerebral aneurysm embolization were prepared (two stents per type). Two were laser-cut stents (Neuroform and Enterprise) and two were braided from a single nitinol wire (LEO and LVIS stents). All were subjected to quantitative measurements of stent size, pore density, metal coverage, the force needed to load, push, and deploy the stent, radial force on deployment, surface roughness, and corrosion resistance. Results Compared to their nominal diameters, all stents had greater diameters after deployment. The length generally decreased after deployment. This was particularly marked in the braided stents. The braided stents also had higher pore densities than the laser-cut stents. Metal coverage was highest in the LEO stent (14%) and lowest in the Enterprise stent (5%). The LIVS stent had the highest microcatheter loading force (81.5 gf). The LEO stent had the highest passage force (55.0 gf) and deployment force (78.9 gf). The LVIS and LEO stents had the highest perpendicular (37.1 gf) and circumferential (178.4 gf) radial forces, respectively. The Enterprise stent had the roughest stent wire, followed by the LVIS, LEO, and Neuroform stents. Conclusion The four neurovascular stent types differed in terms of morphological and physical characteristics. An understanding of this diversity may help to decide which stent is most suitable for specific clinical situations.
The Gly16 Allele of the G16R Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the β2-Adrenergic Receptor Gene Augments the Glycemic Response to Adrenaline in Humans

Cerebral non-oxidative carbohydrate consumption may be driven by a β2-adrenergic mechanism. This study tested whether the 46G > A (G16R) single nucleotide polymorphism of the β2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) influences the metabolic and cerebrovascular responses to administration of adrenaline. Forty healthy Caucasian men were included from a group of genotyped individuals. Cardio- and cerebrovascular variables at baseline and during a 60-min adrenaline infusion (0.06 μg kg−1 min−1) were measured by Model flow, near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial Doppler sonography. Blood samples were obtained from an artery and a retrograde catheter in the right internal jugular vein. The ADRB2 G16R variation had no effect on baseline arterial glucose, but during adrenaline infusion plasma glucose was up to 1.2 mM (CI95: 0.36–2.1, P < 0.026) higher in the Gly16 homozygotes compared with Arg16 homozygotes. The extrapolated steady-state levels of plasma glucose was 1.9 mM (CI95: 1.0 –2.9, PNLME < 0.0026) higher in the Gly16 homozygotes compared with Arg16 homozygotes. There was no change in the cerebral oxygen glucose index and the oxygen carbohydrate index during adrenaline infusion and the two indexes were not affected by G16R polymorphism. No difference between genotype groups was found in cardiac output at baseline or during adrenaline infusion. The metabolic response of glucose during adrenergic stimulation with adrenaline is associated to the G16R polymorphism of ADRB2, although without effect on cerebral metabolism. The differences in adrenaline-induced blood glucose increase between genotypes suggest an elevated β2-adrenergic response in the Gly16 homozygotes with increased adrenaline-induced glycolysis compared to Arg16 homozygotes.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the hepatic vein in normal dogs

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of the hepatic vein can assess intrahepatic hemodynamic changes and has been studied as a noninvasive method to assess the severity of portal hypertension and hepatic fibrosis in humans. However, few reports have described its usefulness in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this study was to characterize CEUS findings of the hepatic vein in normal dogs and assess the repeatability of this method both in a conscious group (n=6) and a sedated group (n=6). Sonazoid® (0.01 ml/kg) was used as a contrast agent, and scanning of the hepatic vein was performed for 2 min. Time-intensity curves were generated from regions of interest in the hepatic vein. Four perfusion parameters were measured for quantitative analysis: hepatic vein arrival time (HVAT), time to peak (TTP), time to peak phase (TTPP) and wash-out ratio (WR). CEUS examinations were performed three times in each dog. The median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the conscious group were 13.5 sec (9–22 sec), 12.5 sec (6–24 sec), 8 sec (6–13 sec) and 78.0% (60.7–91.7%), respectively. Median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the sedated group were 12 sec (8–17 sec), 12.5 sec (9–17 sec), 9 sec (7–13 sec) and 84.1% (63.0–94.4%), respectively. The coefficients of variation of these parameters in the conscious and sedated groups were 7.6–29.7% and 11.8–14.8%, respectively.
TD-GC-MS Investigation of the VOCs Released from Blood Plasma of Dogs with Cancer

An analytical TD-GC-MS method was developed and used for the assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the blood plasma of dogs with/without cancer. VOCs released from 40 samples of diseased blood and 10 control samples were compared in order to examine the difference between both sample groups that were showing qualitatively similar results independent from the disease’s presence. However, mild disturbances in the spectra of dogs with cancer in comparison with the control group were observed, and six peaks (tentatively identified by comparison with mass spectral library as hexanal, octanal, toluene, 2-butanone, 1-octen-3-ol and pyrrole) revealed statistically significant differences between both sample groups, thereby suggesting that these compounds are potential biomarkers that can be used for cancer diagnosis based on the blood plasma TD-GC-MS analysis. Statistical comparison with the application of principal component analysis (PCA) provided accurate discrimination between the cancer and control groups, thus demonstrating stronger biochemical perturbations in blood plasma when cancer is present.