Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total Coumarins from Hydrangea paniculata Show Renal Protective Effects in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Kidney Injury via Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities

Background: Septic acute kidney injury (AKI) causes high mortality in critical care units, and no effective therapy exists in clinical treatment. In the current study, water and ethanol extracts of Hydrangea paniculata (HP), a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, were used to test its renoprotective effects in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine model of septic AKI. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were orally pretreated with HP three times, and then intraperitoneal LPS injection was used to induce septic AKI. Blood from animals was collected for biochemical analysis and kidneys were obtained for pathological analysis. Kidney tissue homogenates were used to investigate the effect of HP on inflammation and oxidative stress. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate tubular cell apoptosis. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze leukocyte infiltration into the kidneys. Blood cell counts were used to analyze changes in peripheral leukocytes. In vitro studies with Ana1 and HK-2 cells stimulated by LPS were used to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects and inhibition of signaling pathways by HP. Results: HP significantly decreased blood urea nitrogen and plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations, as well as tubulointerstitium injuries in septic AKI mice. Moreover, HP administration improved animal survival following lethal LPS injections. HP ameliorated apoptosis of tubular cells by inhibiting the cleavage of caspase 3 and caspase 7. HP also showed pronounced antioxidant activity in AKI kidneys. HP showed anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into kidney tissues induced by LPS, as well as inhibiting the production of cytokines and chemokines. Possible molecular mechanisms included HP inhibition of NF-κB nuclear translocation in LPS-induced macrophages and tubular cells, and reduction of STAT3, STAT1, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation stimulated by LPS in vitro. Single acute toxicity tests confirmed that HP, even at 5 g/kg dosage, does not cause animal death. Pharmacokinetics also showed that coumarins from HP could be metabolized into two bioactive compounds, umbelliferone, and esculetin. Conclusions: HP extract may protect renal function in LPS-induced AKI by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and has potential in the critical care of AKI.
Myeloencephalopathy with Rosenthal Fiber Formation in a Miniature Poodle

Rosenthal fibers fail to consistently react to antibodies again st glial fibrillary acid protein. ' Recentl y a 22 kD protein , a major component of Rosenthal fibers, has been isolat ed and found to be a B-crystallinY Th e role of a ll-crystallin in extralenticular tissues is not established , but in path ologic conditions astrocytes accumulate mas sive amo unts of th is protein into refractile inclusions. Whether a ll-crystallin accum ulates because of excessive production or inadequate degradation is not established. T he origin of myelin loss, which may be quite variable in both human and an imal cases , is unclear. If the pathologic findin gs of this disease are ind eed relat ed to a primary astrocytic abnorma lity, then in light of the role played by astrocytic foot processes in maintaining the integrity of the cere bra l capillary endo thelium 10 and thu s the blood-brain Vet Path ol 28:536-538 (1991)
Ferrous iron oxidation by denitrifying bacteria in profundal sediments of a deep lake (Lake Constance)

Profundal sediments of Lake Constance were sampled at 60–130 m water depth and studied with respect to the population sizes and depth distribution of mixotrophic and lithotrophic iron-oxidizing, denitrifying bacteria. The sediment cores showed a distinct stratification with oxygen and nitrate being consumed within the first centimeter of the sediment. The sediment contained large amounts of acid-extractable iron (0.8–1.4% of the dry mass). The proportion of ferrous iron in the solid phase increased dramatically from 16–35% in the oxidized surface layer to 79–97% below 4-cm depth, whereas the total iron content increased only slightly with depth. The concentration of dissolved ferrous iron in the pore water ranged between 10 and 80 μM, which was about three orders of magnitude lower than the total iron content of the solid phase. The redox profile of the pore water iron followed that of the solid phase. Most probable numbers (MPNs) of acetate-oxidizing, denitrifying bacteria in the different cores ranged from 1.0×106 to 2.1×108 cells (ml sediment)−1; highest numbers were found in the upper sediment layer. In most cores, bacteria capable of iron oxidation made up a significant part (1–58%) of the total cultivable denitrifying population. Between 1.0×104 and 5.8×105 cells ml−1 oxidized iron mixotrophically; the numbers of lithotrophic iron-oxidizing denitrifiers were about one order of magnitude lower. MPNs of mixotrophic iron oxidizers and aerobic iron oxidizers among the denitrifying populations in the upper sediment layers were in the same range. Generally, the MPNs of the different iron-oxidizing populations did not change significantly with depth.
Simultaneous Localisation and Map-Building Using Active Vision

An active approach to sensing can provide the focused measurement capability over a wide field of view which allows correctly formulated Simultaneous Localisation and Map-Building (SLAM) to be implemented with vision, permitting repeatable long-term localisation using only naturally occurring, automatically-detected features. In this paper we present the first example of a general system for autonomous localisation using active vision, enabled here by a high-performance stereo head, addressing such issues as uncertainty-based measurement selection, automatic map-maintenance and goal-directed steering. We present varied real-time experiments in a complex environment. Keywords— Active Vision, Simultaneous Localisation and Map-Building, Mobile Robots.
Representative Communication: Web Site Interactivity and Distributional Path Dependence in the U.S. Congress

We examine the speed and extent to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives adopt emerging Web-based communication technologies. Given the growing centrality of communication for governance and the Web's growing role in effective public outreach, a rational actor approach would suggest that members of Congress should aggressively exploit online communication technology. And this should especially be true for freshman members. We test these expectations using two waves of data coded from the official Web sites of the U.S. House of Representatives, for the years 2006 and 2007. We observe that incumbents show considerable path dependence in their Web site technology adoptions, while the sites of the freshmen who won election in 2006 are largely independent of the Web designs of their corresponding predecessors. This independence does not mean, however, that freshmen are fully exploiting communication technology. Instead, the Web design practices of freshmen appear to be governed by the distribution of existing practices among incumbents, a process we label “distributional path dependence. ” This surprising null finding suggests that members have Web-based communication practices that are governed by informal norms socially constructed among congressional offices and that the institution is slow to adapt to emerging communication technologies.
Behavioral and Brain Functions

Background: The mitogen-activated protein kinases, MAPKs for short, constitute cascades of signalling pathways involved in the regulation of several cellular processes that include cell proliferation, differentiation and motility. They also intervene in neurological processes like fear conditioning and memory. Since little remains known about the MAPK-Activated Protein Kinase, MAPKAPK5, we constructed the first MAPKAPK knockin mouse model, using a constitutive active variant of MAPKAPK5 and analyzed the resulting mice for changes in anxiety-related behaviour. Methods: We performed primary SHIRPA observations during background breeding into the C57BL/6 background and assessed the behaviour of the background-bred animals on the elevated plus maze and in the light-dark test. Our results were analyzed using Chi-square tests and homoand heteroscedatic T-tests. Results: Female transgenic mice displayed increased amounts of head dips and open arm time on the maze, compared to littermate controls. In addition, they also explored further into the open arm on the elevated plus maze and were less active in the closed arm compared to littermate controls. Male transgenic mice displayed no differences in anxiety, but their locomotor activity increased compared to non-transgenic littermates. Conclusion: Our results revealed anxiety-related traits and locomotor differences between transgenic mice expressing constitutive active MAPKAPK5 and control littermates. Background The mitogen-activated protein kinases, MAPKs for short, constitute cascades of signalling pathways involved in the regulation of several cellular processes that include cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, motility and embryogenesis. MAPKs also influence the development of cancer, inflammatory processes and most important in this article, neurological processes [1-4]. The MAPK pathway exists of a four component module where a MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K) activates a MAPK kinase (MAP2K) by phosphorylation. The latter subsequently phosphorylates and activates a MAPK. This occurs on two residues within the TXY activation motif. MAPKs can in turn phosphorylate downstream targets like transcription factors but also other kinases, referred to as MAPK-activated protein kinases, MAPKAPKs or MKs. This branch of the MAPKs consists of 5 subfamilies: the ribosPublished: 12 November 2007 Behavioral and Brain Functions 2007, 3:58 doi:10.1186/1744-9081-3-58 Received: 28 September 2007 Accepted: 12 November 2007 This article is available from: http://www.behavioralandbrainfunctions. com/content/3/1/58 © 2007 Gerits et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Insights from the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection

The International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) was established in 1996 for the purpose of enrolling patients at large referral centres to assess the presentation, management and outcomes of acute aortic dissection (AAD). Data on presentation, diagnostic, management and outcomes were initially collected by 12 centres and then extended to 28 referral centres . All data of more than 5,000 cases were reviewed and analysed by the IRAD Coordinating Center at the University of Michigan . Since the first publication in 2000, IRAD investigators have reported a number of clinical observations, in more than 70 publications. This article will cover most of these points highlighting the findings of IRAD in patients with type A (with ascending aorta involvement) and type B (without ascending aorta involvement) AAD.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES OPTIMAL FISCAL POLICY WITH ENDOGENOUS PRODUCT VARIETY

We study Ramsey-optimal fiscal policy in an economy in which product varieties are the result of forward-looking investment decisions by firms. There are two main results. First, depending on the particular form of variety aggregation in preferences, firms' dividend payments may be either subsidized or taxed in the long run. This policy balances monopoly incentives for product creation with consumers' welfare benefit of product variety. In the most empirically relevant form of variety aggregation, socially efficient outcomes entail a substantial tax on dividend income, removing the incentive for over-accumulation of capital, which takes the form of variety. Second, optimal policy induces dramatically smaller, but efficient, fluctuations of both capital and labor markets than in a calibrated exogenous policy. Decentralization requires zero intertemporal distortions and constant static distortions over the cycle. The results relate to Ramsey theory, which we show by developing welfare-relevant concepts of efficiency that take into account product creation. Sanjay K. Chugh University of Maryland Department of Economics College Park, MD 20742 and Kiel Institute in Germany chughs@econ.umd. edu Fabio Ghironi Boston College Department of Economics 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3859 and NBER fabio.ghironi@bc.edu
Some thoughts on dietary requirements of macro-elements for ruminants

There is no consensus on the needs of ruminants for macro-elements; up to twofold differences in comparable recommendations between authorities can exist (Field, 1981). The major sources of uncertainty lie in the estimates of maintenance requirements and the values ascribed to the efficiency of absorption of macroelements from the diet. Although the extreme example of the former is phosphorus and of the latter calcium, the accuracy of the adopted values for the rest, despite general agreement, is open to doubt. There has been a tendency in the past to consider maintenance requirements and efficiency of absorption as independent entities, but as the former consist essentially of the endogenous secretion which escapes absorption any variation in the latter could alter maintenance requirements. This paper represents an attempt, much of it speculative, to integrate the processes of absorption and secretion within the digestive tract, to express the processes in simple mathematical terms, to consider the nutritional significance and state of knowledge of the terms and to suggest ways of improving our knowledge.
Sequencing of Seven Haloarchaeal Genomes Reveals Patterns of Genomic Flux

We report the sequencing of seven genomes from two haloarchaeal genera, Haloferax and Haloarcula. Ease of cultivation and the existence of well-developed genetic and biochemical tools for several diverse haloarchaeal species make haloarchaea a model group for the study of archaeal biology. The unique physiological properties of these organisms also make them good candidates for novel enzyme discovery for biotechnological applications. Seven genomes were sequenced to ∼20×coverage and assembled to an average of 50 contigs (range 5 scaffolds - 168 contigs). Comparisons of protein-coding gene compliments revealed large-scale differences in COG functional group enrichment between these genera. Analysis of genes encoding machinery for DNA metabolism reveals genera-specific expansions of the general transcription factor TATA binding protein as well as a history of extensive duplication and horizontal transfer of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Insights gained from this study emphasize the importance of haloarchaea for investigation of archaeal biology.
Projectile preservation during oblique hypervelocity impacts

Impact angle plays a significant role in determining the fate of the projectile. In this study, we use a suite of hypervelocity impact experiments to reveal how impact angle affects the preservation, distribution, and physical state of projectile residues in impact craters. Diverse types of projectiles, including amorphous silicates, crystalline silicates, and aluminum, in two sizes (6.35 and 12.7 mm), were launched into blocks of copper or 6061 aluminum at speeds between 1.9 and 5.7 km s−1. Crater interiors preserve projectile residues in all cases, including conditions relevant to the asteroid belt. These residues consist of projectile fragments or projectile‐rich glasses, depending on impact conditions. During oblique impacts at 30° and 45°, the uprange crater wall preserves crystalline fragments of the projectile. The fragments of water‐rich projectiles such as antigorite remain hydrated. Several factors contribute to enhanced preservation on the uprange wall, including a weaker shock uprange, uprange acceleration as the shock reflects off the back of the projectile, and rapid quenching of melts along the projectile–target interface. These findings have two broader implications. First, the results suggest a new collection strategy for flyby sample return missions. Second, these results predict that the M‐type asteroid Psyche should bear exogenic, impactor‐derived debris.
MosaicHunter: accurate detection of postzygotic single-nucleotide mosaicism through next-generation sequencing of unpaired, trio, and paired samples

Abstract Genomic mosaicism arising from postzygotic mutations has long been associated with cancer and more recently with non-cancer diseases. It has also been detected in healthy individuals including healthy parents of children affected with genetic disorders, highlighting its critical role in the origin of genetic mutations. However, most existing software for the genome-wide identification of single-nucleotide mosaicisms (SNMs) requires a paired control tissue obtained from the same individual which is often unavailable for non-cancer individuals and sometimes missing in cancer studies. Here, we present MosaicHunter (http://mosaichunter.cbi.pku.edu.cn), a bioinformatics tool that can identify SNMs in whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data of unpaired samples without matched controls using Bayesian genotypers. We evaluate the accuracy of MosaicHunter on both simulated and real data and demonstrate that it has improved performance compared with other somatic mutation callers. We further demonstrate that incorporating sequencing data of the parents can be an effective approach to significantly improve the accuracy of detecting SNMs in an individual when a matched control sample is unavailable. Finally, MosaicHunter also has a paired mode that can take advantage of matched control samples when available, making it a useful tool for detecting SNMs in both non-cancer and cancer studies.
Analysis and design criteria for trellis-coded modulation with differential space-time transmit diversity

In this letter, concatenation of trellis-coded modulation (TCM) with differential space-time block codes (DSTBC) is considered under frequency-flat Rayleigh-fading channels with and without perfect interleaver. It is shown that the design criteria of TCM concatenated with DSTBC are exactly the same as that of TCM concatenated with space-time block codes (STBC) in perfectly known channels. They are effective code length over span two symbol intervals and minimum product-sum distance over span two symbol intervals. Based on the design criteria, several new rate-2/3 systematic Ungerboeck's TCM schemes have been found by computer search. They outperform existing optimal TCM schemes designed for additive white Gaussian noise or flat fading channels.
Inhibition of vitreoretinal VEGF elevation and blood-retinal barrier breakdown in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by brimonidine.

PURPOSE To determine whether long-term brimonidine (BRI) treatment prevents the hyperglycemia-induced increase in vitreoretinal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS Brown Norway/Long-Evans rats were divided into three groups with similar distributions of blood glucose and body weight. Two groups received a single intravenous injection of STZ (65 mg/kg) and the remaining control group received vehicle. Drug treatment administered via miniosmotic pumps was initiated 1 or 6 weeks later. The STZ-induced diabetic rats were treated with BRI (1 mg/kg/d) or vehicle (VEH) and control nondiabetic rats were treated with VEH for 4 weeks. Vitreoretinal VEGF protein, vitreal glutamate, and BRB breakdown were then measured. RESULTS At 5 weeks after STZ treatment, STZ-treated diabetic rats demonstrated significantly elevated vitreoretinal VEGF expression, vitreal glutamate concentrations, and BRB leakage compared with nondiabetic control rats. Chronic BRI treatment had no effect on vitreal glutamate concentrations in diabetic animals but significantly decreased vitreoretinal VEGF expression and BRB breakdown to levels similar to those observed in control rats. BRI also significantly reduced BRB breakdown in aged diabetic rats at 10 weeks after STZ treatment. CONCLUSIONS BRI produced marked decreases in vitreoretinal VEGF and inhibition of BRB breakdown in diabetic rats. The mechanism for these effects may involve attenuation of retinal NMDA receptor activity by BRI. The results suggest that BRI would be useful for treatment of ocular diseases associated with BRB leakage, such as diabetic macular edema and retinopathy.
Information Bounds for Decentralized Sequential Detection

The main purpose of this paper is to develop an asymptotic theory for the decentralized sequential hypothesis testing problems under the frequentist framework. Sharp asymptotic bounds on the average sample numbers or sample sizes of sequential or fixed-sample tests are provided in the decentralized decision systems in different scenarios subject to error probabilities constraints. Asymptotically optimal tests are offered in the system with full local memory. Optimal binary quantizers are also studied in the case of additive Gaussian sensor noises
Overview of (1→3)-β-D-glucan immunobiology

Glucans are (1→3)-β-D-glucose polymers that are found in the cell wall of fungi, bacteria and plants. Glucans are known to stim ulate humoral and cell-mediated immunity in humans and animals. In addition to the potent immune stimulatory effects of (1→3)-β-D-glucans, there are a number of toxicological effects associated with exposure to the water-insoluble, microparticulate form of the polymer. Recent investigations have suggested a potential role for (1→3)-β-D-glucans in inhalational toxicity. Specifically, (1→3)-β-D-glucans have been implicated in the symptomatology associated with ‘sick building’ syndrome. The mechanisms by which (1→3)-β-D-glucans mediate immune stimulation and, perhaps, toxicity are currently under investigation. It is now established that (1→3)-β-D-glucans are recognized by macrophages and, perhaps, neutrophils and natural killer cells via a (1→3)-β-glucan specific receptor. Following receptor binding, glucan modulates macrophage cytokine expression. Here we review the chemistry, immunobiology and toxicity of (1→3)-β-D-glucans and how it may relate to effects caused by inhalation.
Cave Diplopoda of southern China with reference to millipede diversity in Southeast Asia

Abstract The diversity of Diplopoda in caves of southern China is remarkably high, often 5–6 species per cave, consisting mostly of local endemics and presumed troglobionts. These are evidently biased to just a few lineages, mainly members of the orders Chordeumatida and Callipodida, the families Cambalopsidae (Spirostreptida) and Haplodesmidae (Polydesmida) or the genera Pacidesmus, Epanerchodus and Glenniea (all Polydesmida, Polydesmidae), Trichopeltis (Polydesmida, Cryptodesmidae), Dexmoxytes (Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae) and Hyleoglomeris (Glomerida, Glomeridae). All these taxa, especially the Paradoxosomatidae and Cambalopsidae (usually amounting to about 60% and 10% of the total species diversity in the Oriental fauna, respectively), are moderately to highly speciose across Southeast Asia, being largely epigean. However, the epigean Diplopoda of southern China are yet badly understudied, since much of the collecting and taxonomic exploration efforts still focus on cavernicoles. The Oriental Region is the only biogeographic realm globally that harbours all 16 orders of Diplopoda, of which 14 have already been encountered in China and/or the immediately adjacent parts of Indochina. Thus, China may actually prove to support no less than 1,000 millipede species of various origins, mainly Oriental and Palaearctic.