Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ontogeny of Adenylate Cyclase Activity in the Rat Lung: Guanine Nucleotides and Cytosolic Factors

Summary: Catecholamines mediate surfactant release, smooth muscle tone, and lung fluid secretion presumably by their interactions with β-adrenergic receptors and adenylate cyclase, which results in the synthesis of 3′,5′ cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Ontogenic changes in factors which regulate cAMP metabolism in the lung have been demonstrated previously and associated with developmental changes in lung structure and function in the perinatal period. In this study, developmental changes in characteristics of β-adrenergic receptors and the enzyme adenylate cyclase were characterized in rat lung from day 18 of gestation to adulthood. Although concentrations of pulmonary β-adrenergic receptors increased approximately 5-fold during the perinatal and suckling period, “basal” adenylate cyclase activity of lung homogenates decreased from 130 ± 8 pmole · mg−1 · min−1 at 20 days gestation to 25 ± 3 pmole · mg−1 · min−1 in the adult, P < 0.01. GTP and lung cytosol activated adenylate cyclase from fetal membranes to a significantly greater extent than they activated the enzyme from adult membrane. GTP enhanced adenylate cyclase activity 5–6-fold in fetal membranes, GTP being nearly as active as its non-hydrolyzable analogue Gpp(NH)p or NaF. Addition of GTP in the presence of PGE1 or catecholamine resulted in nearly maximal activation of the enzyme from fetal but not from adult lung membranes. Cholera toxin enhanced GTP-dependent activity in adult samples but did not further increase GTP-dependent activity in fetal preparations.Lung cytosolic factor(s), which activated adenylate cyclase, were separated into two components by gel filtration. One activating component was likely to be GTP, which was present in lung tissue in concentrations near the EC50 for activation of adenylate cyclase. A second (large molecular weight) cytosolic factor(s), which activated adenylate cyclase, was sensitive to heat or trypsin and was excluded by Sephadex G-50. An ATP-regenerating system was required for full activation of adenylate cyclase by lung cytosol. Effects of EGTA, Mg2+, guanine nucleotides, cell cytosol and Ca2+-calmodulin were partially characterized.
Global soil-biogenic NOx emissions and the role of canopy processes

[1] Soils are an important though uncertain source of oxidized nitrogen (NOx) to the atmosphere. One of the main uncertainties in the source estimates is the role of the canopy interactions between NOx emissions, dry deposition, turbulence, and chemistry. Previous studies, in which only dry deposition has been considered, indicate a reduction of about 50% of the globally emitted NOx by soils. We have implemented a multilayer trace gas exchange model in a chemistry general circulation model to explicitly calculate the role of canopy interactions in regulating the effective NOx emissions to the atmosphere. Our new NOx emission algorithm interactively calculates a global soil emission flux of about 12 Tg N yr−1. For a sensitivity analysis we have also included a fixed global soil NOx emissions inventory of about 21 Tg N yr−1. It appears that the enhancement of NOx and O3 concentrations in response to the soil emission flux is suppressed by the compensating effect of dry deposition. For sites that are exposed to relatively large emission fluxes, our multilayer and the previously used big leaf approach, which does not consider canopy interactions, calculate similar surface NOx fluxes. This confirms the validity of the big leaf approach for most polluted regions at midlatitudes. However, for relatively pristine sites in the subtropics and tropics, where NOx is a limiting factor in ozone and hydroxyl chemistry, there are distinct differences between the multilayer and big leaf NOx surface fluxes. This justifies the use of more comprehensive atmosphere-biosphere exchange descriptions in global models.
Genotypic Features of Lentivirus Transgenic Mice

ABSTRACT Lentivector-mediated transgenesis is increasingly used, whether for basic studies as an alternative to pronuclear injection of naked DNA or to test candidate gene therapy vectors. In an effort to characterize the genetic features of this approach, we first measured the frequency of germ line transmission of individual proviruses established by infection of fertilized mouse oocytes. Seventy integrants from 11 founder (G0) mice were passed to 111 first generation (G1) pups, for a total of 255 events corresponding to an average rate of transmission of 44%. This implies that integration had most often occurred at the one- or two-cell stage and that the degree of genotypic mosaicism in G0 mice obtained through this approach is generally minimal. Transmission analysis of eight individual proviruses in 13 G2 mice obtained by a G0-G1 cross revealed only 8% of proviral homozygosity, significantly below the 25% expected from purely Mendelian transmission, suggesting counter-selection due to interference with the functions of targeted loci. Mapping of 239 proviral integration sites in 49 founder animals revealed that about 60% resided within annotated genes, with a marked tendency for clustering in the middle of the transcribed region, and that integration was not influenced by the transcriptional orientation. Transcript levels of a set of arbitrarily chosen target genes were significantly higher in two-cell embryos than in embryonic stem cells or adult somatic cells, suggesting that, as previously noted in other settings, lentiviral vectors integrate preferentially into regions of the genome that are transcriptionally active or poised for activation.
Development of a Clinical Pathway and Technical Aspects of Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease with high morbidity and related mortality. Narrowing and collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep characterize the disease, resulting in a decrease (hypopnea) or a complete cessation (apnea) of oronasal airflow. Upper airway stimulation (UAS), using electrical neurostimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (n. XII) synchronized with ventilation, is a novel, evolving treatment option. UAS was found to be an effective treatment in CPAP-intolerant patients. The treatment success is partly due to the strict selection of the patients, based on previous findings. Furthermore, post-operative follow-up is needed in order to maintain or improve treatment outcome. Therefore, a clinical pathway, which provides structure and standardization, is crucial. In this paper, the aim is to discuss the technical aspects of UAS therapy and to describe a clinical pathway to organize the care process of UAS for OSA in a structured and standardized way.
Primal-Dual Interior-Point Methods for Semidefinite Programming in Finite Precision

Recently, a number of primal-dual interior-point methods for semidefinite programming have been developed. To reduce the number of floating point operations, each iteration of these methods typically performs block Gaussian elimination with block pivots that are close to singular near the optimal solution. As a result, these methods often exhibit complex numerical properties in practice. We consider numerical issues related to some of these methods. Our error analysis indicates that these methods could be numerically stable if certain coefficient matrices associated with the iterations are well-conditioned, but are unstable otherwise. With this result, we explain why one particular method, the one introduced by Alizadeh, Haeberly, and Overton is in general more stable than others. We also explain why the so-called least squares variation, introduced for some of these methods, does not yield more numerical accuracy in general. Finally, we present results from our numerical experiments to support our analysis.
Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation and Mobility From Rice Plants to Nilaparvata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae) in China

ABSTRACT Samples of soils, rice plants, and the adult, long-winged, brown planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), were collected from 18 sites of 9 regions in southern China. the concentrations of seven elements (Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Ag, Cd, and Pb) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Heavy metal mobility and bioaccumulation were analyzed in the rice plant—N. lugens system. the concentrations of Zn, As, Cd, and Pb in rice plants were positively correlated with their relevant concentrations in soil samples the bioconcentration factors of the seven elements in the rice plant—N. lugens system showed that the order of metal accumulation was Mo>Zn>Ag>Cd>Cu>Pb>As. In particular, Mo and Zn showed signitcantly high accumulation in N. lugens A cluster analysis and factor analysis showed that the bioaccumulation of these seven elements in the rice plant—N. lugens system could be classited into two groups, closely related to their molar mass. the first group consisted of tve elements with relatively light molar masses: Cu, Zn, As, Mo, and Ag. Cu and Zn, which have nearly equal molar masses, showed similar accumulation levels in N. lugens. the second group included two elements with relatively heavy molar masses: Cd and Pb. this study demonstrated that bioaccumulation of seven heavy metals was regular in the rice plant—N. lugens system. N. lugens could be used as bioindicators of the contaminated degree for Zn in rice paddy fields. this information may provide a basis for future ecological research on the bioaccumulation mechanism in N. lugens.
A 32-bit carry lookahead adder using dual-path all-N logic

We have developed dual path all-N logic (DPANL) and applied it to 32-bit adder design for higher performance. The speed is significantly enhanced due to reduced capacitance at each evaluation node of dynamic circuits. The power saving is achieved due to reduced adder cell size and minimal race problem. Post-layout simulation results show that this adder can operate at frequencies up to 1.85 GHz for 0.35-/spl mu/m 1P4M CMOS technology and is 32.4% faster than the adder using all-N transistor (ANT). It also consumes 29.2% less power than the ANT adder. A 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS chip has been fabricated and tested to verify the functionality and performance of the DPANL adder on silicon.
Renal scintigraphy predicts global cardiovascular risk in hypertensive subjects with normal serum creatinine levels

Abstract Background. This cross-sectional study investigates the role of renal scintigraphy on cardiovascular (CV) risk stratification in normoalbuminuric, non-diabetic hypertensive subjects (HTs) free from CV disease and renal dysfunction. Methods. In 200 HTs aged 55–75 years, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured by technetium-99m-diethylene triamine pentacetic acid clearance during renal scintigraphy. Stage III chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. For comparing the impact of different methods for CKD diagnosis on CV risk stratification, CKD was also considered as GFR estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation and Cockcroft–Gault's formula. Target organ damage (TOD) was assessed by echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography. Gender-specific odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals for CKD were derived from a multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis. Global CV risk was stratified according to routine examinations, TOD and CKD. Results. In 38% of cases, an unknown stage III CKD was found. Independent of age, CKD was predicted by history of hypertension (OR = 1.69, p = 0.0001), albuminuria (OR = 1.25, p = 0.0001), smoking (OR = 1.85, p = 0.028) and pulse pressure (OR = 1.21, p = 0.019) in men only. Men had an increased risk of CKD (OR = 2.62, p = 0.002) in comparison with women. Prevalence of TOD was significantly higher only in HTs having CKD diagnosed by renal scintigraphy; TOD and CKD assessment added to classic risk factors modified the CV risk stratification from low-moderate to high and very high. Conclusions. Renal scintigraphy is an important aid in risk stratification and should be performed in HTs aged ≥ 55 years. Pulse pressure was the main blood pressure component that predicted the risk of stage III CKD.
Origins and evolution of Antarctic marine mammals

Abstract Austral marine mammals evolved in a Southern Ocean influenced by changing post-Gondwana geography and consequent new water-masses, progressive cooling, increased thermal gradients and physical and biological seasonality. The biology of extant species and temperate-to high-latitude fossils suggests, but does not confirm, that such factors have governed evolution, and that details of marine mammal evolution therefore differed from those of the north. Cladistic analyses may eventually allow better interpretation of the record. Cetacea were present in high southern latitudes by the late Eocene. Mysticetes appeared in the south, where they may have originated, about the early Oligocene. They were diverse by the late Oligocene. Early records of Odontoceti are more ambiguous, but they were diverse by the latest Oligocene, when some taxa had circum-Antarctic distributions. The Neogene records of Austral Odontoceti and Mysticeti broadly complement the taxonomic and ecological diversification seen in the north. Amongst largely southern seals, lobodontine Phocidae radiated in the south about the late Miocene, and perhaps ecologically excluded the later arctocephaline Otariidae from high-latitude pagophilic lifestyles. There are no reports of the important northern groups Odobenidae, Sirenia or Desmostylia. Overall, southern marine mammal faunas were ecologically and/or taxonomically similar to extant faunas by the later Miocene to Pliocene.
Energy dissipation of wind‐generated waves and whitecap coverage

[1] The energy dissipation per unit area of the ocean surface attributed to fetch- or duration-limited wind-generated waves can be expressed in terms of wind speed, significant wave height and peak wave frequency. Such a parameterization equation can be exploited for obtaining a first order estimation of the rate of energy input through the air-sea interface in the world's oceans using satellite output of wind speed, wave height and wave period. For general wind wave events in the ocean with event duration longer than one hour, the energy dissipation (in W/m 2 ) is equal to the product of the density of air, wind speed cubed and a proportionality coefficient between 0.00037 and 0.00057. Using the equation to calculate the wave energy dissipation, the whitecap coverage is proportional linearly to the energy dissipation. The threshold energy dissipation for whitecap inception is between 0.013 and 0.038 W/m 2 , which corresponds to a threshold wind speed of between 2.5 and 3.6 m/s. The proportionality coefficient is relatively constant for a wide range of wave growth conditions in comparison to the data scatter in the whitecap measurements. This may explain why it is so difficult to establish an unequivocal dependence on the explicit surface wave parameters in the whitecap data. The weak explicit wave signal can be detected after the cubic wind speed dependence is removed.
Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour Features in 16 patients

Dysembryoplastic neuropithelial tumour (DNT) is a newly recognized brain mass lesion with distinctive pathological features and a favourable prognosis. We reviewed the clinical, electroencephalographic, neuroimaging and pathological features of 16 patients with DNT who underwent surgery; only one patient did not have epilepsy. Mean age at seizure onset was 9.5 years (range: 1 week to 30 years) and surgery 17 years (range: 7 months to 37 years). The mean verbal IQ was 94.6 (range: 79–110) and performance IQ 105 (range: 79–130) (n = 10), The EEG was abnormal in all cases reviewed (n = 13): localized slow activity was seen in 12 and interictal spiking in 10 patients, being less extensive than or concordant with the lesion in three and more extensive than or distant to the lesion in seven. X-ray CT was normal in three out of 11 patients. Magnetic resonance imaging provided detailed anatomical information: the lesion was predominantly intracortical, although in six patients, there was also white matter involvement. The lesion involved the temporal lobe in all but one patient where it was in the cingulate gyrus. Of the temporal lobe cases, MRI showed that the lesion involved, or was in close proximity to, mesial temporal structures in 11 out of 14 patients. Other magnetic resonance features included: circumscribed hyperintensity on long TE/TR images (10 patients), hypointensity on short TR images (12 patients), and cyst formation (five patients). Calcification was seen on CT in four patients. Post surgical follow-up ranged from 8 to 30 months (mean 16.2 months): 12 patients are seizure free and two have a >80% reduction in seizure frequency (n = 14). Histopathological characteristics included a heterogeneous composition in all cases, Calcification (13 cases), dysplastic features (12 cases) and isolated foci of subpial spread (five cases). The presence of occasional mitoses in 12 cases and immunoreactivity to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen in six cases indicate that these lesions have cellular proliferative activity and that there may be a need to follow these patients postoperatively.
Is the Long-Run Performance of Cross-Listed Firms Anomalous?

We re-examine previous evidence of long-run underperformance of newly cross-listed firms. These results cannot be reconciled with the numerous advantages provided by cross-listing or with the large number of new overseas listings recently observed. We analyze the whole population of Canadian firms that listed in the U.S. from 1990 to 2005, using several methodologies and indexes. Cross-delisting companies receive particular attention. Using robust methodologies, we do not observe any abnormal performance following cross-listing of Canadian firms. Our results indicate that the previous assumption of long-run underperformance can be traced to a combination of methodological choices, sample selection and survival biases. JEL Classification: F30, G14, G15
Anisotropic local approximations for pointwise adaptive signal-dependent noise removal

We present new methods for pointwise spatially-adaptive filtering of anisotropic multivariable signals. It is assumed that the observations are given by a broad class of models with a signal-dependent variance. The proposed methods are based on the local quasi-likelihood, incorporating the directional-windowed local polynomial approximations (LPA) of the signal. The intersection of confidence intervals (ICI) rule is used in order to determine the adaptive size of the directional windows. In this way we obtain multi-directional estimates which are spatially adaptive to unknown smoothness and anisotropy of the signal. Simulation experiments confirm the advanced performance of these new algorithms.
Path planning of the Nonholonomic Pole Climbing Robot UT-PCR

This paper deals with the path planning of the nonholonomic pole climbing robot, UT-PCR. The state equations in the velocity space are first derived in which the nonholonomic constraint is easily shown. Subsequently, according to the derived equations and considering the nonholonomic constraint, canonical paths are defined and a suitable control method is obtained. Finally, the practicality of the proposed method is tested via simulation on the model of the UT-PCR.
Paleohydrographic changes in the Somali Basin (5°N upwelling and equatorial areas) during the last 160 Kyr, based on correspondence analysis of foraminiferal and radiolarian assemblages

This study documents the biological signatures impressed upon the sedimentary record underlying both the 5°N upwelling system of the Somali Current and the equatorial area of the Somali Basin out of the upwelling influence. The evolution of these two distinct hydrographic systems is compared for the last 160 kyr. Correspondence and cluster analyses are performed on combined radiolarian and planktonic foraminiferal quantitative data in order to study the changes of the planktonic assemblages through time and space. The Upwelling Radiolarian Index (URI) is used as a productivity proxy. The water temperature and hydrographic structure of the upper water masses appear to be the major factors controlling the distribution patterns of the fauna. The relative abundances of three groups of foraminifera, cold water form (dextral N. pachyderma), mixed layer dwellers (G. trilobus, G. ruber, G. sacculifer, G. conglobatus, and G. glutinata), and thermocline dwellers (G. menardii, G. tumida, N. dutertrei, G. crassaformis, and P. obliquiloculata), follow distinct evolutionary patterns at the two sites during the last 160 kyr. At the equatorial site (core MD 85668), downcore fluctuations in the relative abundances of the three groups are closely related to the glacial/interglacial cyclicity and provide some insights into the interpretation of hydrographic changes. The dominance of the mixed layer foraminifera at the transition intervals between isotope stages 6/5 and 2/1, combined with weak URI values, is thought to reflect the reorganization of the oceanographic circulation. These short-term events (with a duration of < 5000 year) could be related to the rapid inflow of oxygen-depleted water through the Indonesian straits as a result of sea level rise during deglaciation. Underneath the 5°N gyre (core MD 85674), the response to global climatic changes is overprinted by the regional effect of the Somalian upwelling, which has been persistent over the last 160 kyr.
Response of Soil CO2 Efflux to Simulated Precipitation Pulses in a Canary Island Pine Forest at Treeline

Pulse-like rapidly increasing CO2 effluxes occur in soils under seasonally dry climates in response to summer rain events, and these CO2 outbursts can have a marked influence on the ecosystem carbon balance. Two irrigation experiments were conducted at the end of the dry season in a Mediterranean Pinus canariensis forest at its upper distribution limit in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Soil CO2 efflux was discontinuously monitored along with soil temperature and soil water content during and after irrigation. Correlation analysis suggested that soil moisture is the leading environmental factor regulating soil CO2 efflux during summer rain events. Cumulative CO2 efflux following a precipitation pulse was estimated to be 50% higher than the value calculated for the dry soil, which is approximately 3% of the year round soil CO2 efflux. It is concluded that such CO2 effluxes may have implications for the prediction of forest response to increasing dryness combined with an increase in the irregularity of summer rain events in Mediterranean regions.
Developing Artifact with Concept Relationship Oriented Methodology, a Progress Report

In this paper we report partial progress of our research about system comprehension. We used levels of abstraction and decomposition strategy to reduce system complexity. Concept Relationship Oriented methodology is one of its result, the methodology can be used, to develop new artifact for reverse engineering. There are two significant reported activities: searching Concept Representation, and searching Structure of Concept. Searching Concept Representation was a process, to find a representation, proper or might exist less depend on artifact types (for example: unique concepts). In this stage dependency on level of abstraction still tight, but at the second stage we found the representation, Structure of Concept.