Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Cardiac Remodeling by Pravastatin Is Associated with Amelioration of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

The aim of this study is to investigate whether pravastatin can inhibit cardiac remodeling and ameliorate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by pressure overload or tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Either pravastatin (5 mg/kg/d) or vehicle alone was orally administered to male C57BL/6J mice from day 2 after a transverse aortic constriction (TAC) was performed. The ER stress signaling pathway was also studied in pressure-overloaded hearts and in cultured cardiomyocytes treated with TNFα . Four weeks after TAC, pravastatin treatment significantly reduced heart/body weight and lung/body weight ratios and increased left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening compared with the TAC alone. Markers of ER stress, such as increases in ER chaperone and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) expression and enhanced phosphorylation of antiphospho-eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), were observed in the hearts of TAC mice, while pravastatin treatment significantly blunted these changes. Pravastatin-treated TAC mice also showed less cardiac apoptosis. Cardiac expression of TNFα was increased in TAC mice, and TNFα induced ER stress in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, either of which was significantly inhibited by pravastatin. These findings indicate that pravastatin inhibits cardiac remodeling in mice subjected to pressure overload, and that this action is associated with inhibition of the ER stress signaling pathway.
Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in human and rabbit gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells.

The aim of this study was to identify the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoform expressed in freshly dispersed rabbit gastric smooth muscle cells and in cultured rabbit gastric, human intestinal, and guinea pig taenia coli smooth muscle cells. RT-PCR products of the predicted size (354 bp) were obtained with endothelial NOS (eNOS)-specific primers, but not neuronal NOS (nNOS)- or inducible NOS (iNOS)-specific primers, in all smooth muscle preparations except guinea pig taenia coli. Control RT-PCR studies showed absence of the endothelial markers, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and the interstitial cell marker, c- kit, from cultures of smooth muscle cells. Cloning and sequence analysis showed that the predicted amino acid sequence (117 residues) in rabbit and human smooth muscle cells differed by only one residue from that of human eNOS. Northern blot analysis, using the PCR-generated and cloned eNOS cDNA from rabbits and humans as probes, demonstrated the expression of eNOS mRNA (4.4 kb) in both species. eNOS, but not nNOS or iNOS, transcripts were localized by in situ RT-PCR in single, freshly dispersed rabbit gastric smooth muscle cells; expression was evident in the majority of cells in each preparation. We conclude that eNOS is selectively expressed in rabbit gastric and human intestinal smooth muscle cells. The results confirm functional evidence for the existence of a constitutive NOS in smooth muscle cells of the gut in different species, except for guinea pig taenia coli.
Identification of the Lower Baseplate Protein as the Antireceptor of the Temperate Lactococcal Bacteriophages TP901-1 and Tuc2009

ABSTRACT The first step in the infection process of tailed phages is recognition and binding to the host receptor. This interaction is mediated by the phage antireceptor located in the distal tail structure. The temperate Lactococcus lactis phage TP901-1 belongs to the P335 species of the Siphoviridae family, which also includes the related phage Tuc2009. The distal tail structure of TP901-1 is well characterized and contains a double-disk baseplate and a central tail fiber. The structural tail proteins of TP901-1 and Tuc2009 are highly similar, but the phages have different host ranges and must therefore encode different antireceptors. In order to identify the antireceptors of TP901-1 and Tuc2009, a chimeric phage was generated in which the gene encoding the TP901-1 lower baseplate protein (bppLTP901-1) was exchanged with the analogous gene (orf532009) of phage Tuc2009. The chimeric phage (TP901-1C) infected the Tuc2009 host strain efficiently and thus displayed an altered host range compared to TP901-1. Genomic analysis and sequencing verified that TP901-1C is a TP901-1 derivative containing the orf532009 gene in exchange for bppLTP901-1; however, a new sequence in the late promoter region was also discovered. Protein analysis confirmed that TP901-1C contains ORF532009 and not the lower baseplate protein BppLTP901-1, and it was concluded that BppLTP901-1 and ORF532009 constitute antireceptor proteins of TP901-1 and Tuc2009, respectively. Electron micrographs revealed altered baseplate morphology of TP901-1C compared to that of the parental phage.
Representation of Extratropical Cyclones, Blocking Anticyclones, and Alpine Circulation Types in Multiple Reanalyses and Model Simulations

AbstractAtmospheric circulation types, blockings, and cyclones are central features of the extratropical flow and key to understanding the climate system. This study intercompares the representation of these features in 10 reanalyses and in an ensemble of 30 climate model simulations between 1980 and 2005. Both modern, full-input reanalyses and century-long, surface-input reanalyses are examined. Modern full-input reanalyses agree well on key statistics of blockings, cyclones, and circulation types. However, the intensity and depth of cyclones vary among them. Reanalyses with higher horizontal resolution show higher cyclone center densities and more intense cyclones. For blockings, no strict relationship is found between frequency or intensity and horizontal resolution. Full-input reanalyses contain more intense blocking, compared to surface-input reanalyses. Circulation-type classifications over central Europe show that both versions of the Twentieth Century Reanalysis dataset contain more easterlies and.
Transformation rules for designing CNOT-based quantum circuits

This paper gives a simple but nontrivial set of local transformation rules for control-NOT (CNOT)-based combinatorial circuits. It is shown that this rule set is complete, namely, for any two equivalent circuits, S/sub 1/ and S/sub 2/, there is a sequence of transformations, each of them in the rule set, which changes S/sub 1/ to S/sub 2/. Our motivation is to use this rule set for developing a design theory for quantum circuits whose Boolean logic parts should be implemented by CNOT-based circuits. As a preliminary example, we give a design procedure based on the transformation rules which reduces the cost of CNOT-based circuits.
Effects of influenza A virus infection on migrating mallard ducks

The natural reservoir of influenza A virus is waterfowl, particularly dabbling ducks (genus Anas). Although it has long been assumed that waterfowl are asymptomatic carriers of the virus, a recent study found that low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) infection in Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) negatively affected stopover time, body mass and feeding behaviour. In the present study, we investigated whether LPAI infection incurred ecological or physiological costs to migratory mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in terms of body mass loss and staging time, and whether such costs could influence the likelihood for long-distance dispersal of the avian influenza virus by individual ducks. During the autumn migrations of 2002–2007, we collected faecal samples (n=10 918) and biometric data from mallards captured and banded at Ottenby, a major staging site in a flyway connecting breeding and wintering areas of European waterfowl. Body mass was significantly lower in infected ducks than in uninfected ducks (mean difference almost 20 g over all groups), and the amount of virus shed by infected juveniles was negatively correlated with body mass. There was no general effect of infection on staging time, except for juveniles in September, in which birds that shed fewer viruses stayed shorter than birds that shed more viruses. LPAI infection did not affect speed or distance of subsequent migration. The data from recaptured individuals showed that the maximum duration of infection was on average 8.3 days (s.e. 0.5), with a mean minimum duration of virus shedding of only 3.1 days (s.e. 0.1). Shedding time decreased during the season, suggesting that mallards acquire transient immunity for LPAI infection. In conclusion, deteriorated body mass following infection was detected, but it remains to be seen whether this has more long-term fitness effects. The short virus shedding time suggests that individual mallards are less likely to spread the virus at continental or intercontinental scales.
Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheter placement: Is omentectomy necessary?

Context: There are different methods of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) catheter placement. Open surgical technique is a widely followed method. The complication rate following catheter placement varies and catheter blockage due to omental plugging is one of the main reasons. Aim: To analyze the need for routine omentectomy during CAPD catheter placement. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 58 CAPD catheter placements performed between July 2002 and June 2007. Tenckhoff double cuffed catheter was used in all. The postoperative complications were analyzed. Results: There were 44 males and 14 females. The mean age was 51 years ranging from 15 to 76 years. Of these, 40 (69%) patients underwent omentectomy (group A) and 18 (31%) did not (group B). Laparoscopic and open techniques were performed in 5 and 53 patients, respectively. Omentectomy was not performed in 13 patients with open technique and all the five in the laparoscopic group. One patient in group A developed hemoperitoneum which was treated conservatively. None from group A developed catheter blockage, whereas five (27.8%) from group B developed catheter blockage postoperatively. The median time interval between the primary procedure and development of catheter blockage was 45 days (ranged from 14 to 150 days). Conclusions: Omentectomy during CAPD catheter placement prevents catheter blockage and secondary interventions.
In vivo monitoring of chemically evoked activity patterns in the rat trigeminal ganglion

Albeit lacking a sense of smell, anosmic patients maintain a reduced ability to distinguish different volatile chemicals by relying exclusively on their trigeminal system (TS). To elucidate differences in the neuronal representation of these volatile substances in the TS, we performed voltage-sensitive dye imaging (VSDI) in the rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) in vivo. We demonstrated that stimulus-specific patterns of bioelectrical activity occur within the TG upon nasal administration of ten different volatile chemicals. With regard to spatial differences between the evoked trigeminal response patterns, these substances could be sorted into three groups. Signal intensity and onset latencies were also dependent on the administered stimulus and its concentration. We conclude that particular compounds detected by the TS are represented by (1) a specific spatial response pattern, (2) the signal intensity, and (3) onset latencies within the pattern. Jointly, these trigeminal representations may contribute to the surprisingly high discriminative skills of anosmic patients.
Strategies of Active Middle Ear Implants for Hearing Rehabilitation in Congenital Aural Atresia

Objective: To describe our surgical and audiometric experience using different active middle ear implant strategies facing various anatomic situations in aural atresia. Study Design: Retrospective case review. Setting: Tertiary academic referral center. Patients: Five patients with congenital aural atresia, (3 unilateral and 2 bilateral), with mean age of 22.4 years (range, 12-44 yr), referred for hearing rehabilitation. Intervention: Active middle ear implant on stapes capitulum. Main Outcome Measures: Description of surgical implantation with different active middle ear implants. Preoperative and postoperative air conduction, bone conduction, and aided and unaided thresholds and speech scores were measured, at mid to long term. Subjective benefit analysis was determined through the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire. Results: After activation and fitting of the devices, a mean functional gain of 32.5 dB hearing level was measured. Speech tests in quiet showed a mean functional gain of 20.2 dB. Patients had a mean follow-up period of 12 months. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted. Furthermore, we reflected on new coupling possibilities, especially in a difficult case with stapes-footplate fixation where no approach of the round window was feasible because of aberrant facial nerve course. Conclusion: Facing anatomic variations in congenital aural atresia, active middle ear implants can provide substantial hearing improvement in safe conditions and open new strategies for hearing rehabilitation.
Non-negative matrix factorization for visual coding

This paper combines linear spun coding and nonnegative matrix factorization into sparse non-negative matrix factorization. In contrast to non-negative matrix factorization, the new model can learn much sparser representation via imposing sparseness constraints explicitly; in contrast to a close model -non-negative sparse coding, the new model can learn parts-based representation via fully multiplicative updates because of adapting a generalized Kullback-Leibler divergence instead of the conventional mean error for approximation error. Experiments on MIT-CBCL training facts data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A lower bound theorem for indexing schemes and its application to multidimensional range queries

Indexing schemes were proposed by Hellerstein, Koutsoupias and Fapadlmitriou [7] to model data indexing on external memory, Using indexing schemes, the complexity of indexing is qunntified by two parameters: storage redundancy and access overhead, There is a tradeoff between these two parameters, in the sense that for some problems it is not poseiblc for both of these to be low. In this paper we derive a lower-bounds theorem for arbitrary indexing schemes. We apply our theorem to the particular problem of d-dimensional range queries. We first resolve the open problem of [7] for a tight lower bound for 2-dimensional range queries and extend our lower bound to &dimensional range queries. We then show, how, the construction in our lower-bounds proof may be exploited to derive indexing schemes for d-dimensional range queries, whose asymptotic complexity matches our lower bounds.
Online distributed statistical-delay MBAC with QoS guarantees for VPLS connections

Real time traffic in Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections can tolerate minor violations to their end to end delay bounds. This allowed Service Providers (SP) to increase the number of admitted requests by taking advantage of the statistical multiplexing behavior of such traffic. Usually, each VPN connection has different QoS requirements such as delay and violation probability bounds. Also, each set of requirements are to be fulfilled in isolation, independently from requirements of other connections. Several Measurement Based Admission Control (MBAC) algorithms were designed to meet the soft real time services quality of service (QoS) requirements. However, intensive studies of the existing MBAC algorithms revealed that almost none of these algorithms can meet the distinct violation probability requirements of the connections. This motivated designing a novel algorithm that is capable of reserving resources to distinctly satisfy the desired violation probability and delay bounds of a connection's QoS requirements. The proposed algorithm is an online distributed algorithm. It is based on measuring the delay of the link traffic. The empirical histogram of the measured delay is fitted to a gamma distribution, which is used to calculate the required bandwidth to be reserved in order to meet the connections' QoS requirements. The simulation results for evaluating the algorithm performance show that the algorithm is capable of meeting the distinct QoS requirements of the connections while admitting two to three times the number of connections a deterministic admission control algorithm can admit.
Effects of Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implants on Retinal Oxygen Saturation, Vessel Diameter, and Retrobulbar Blood Flow Velocity in ME Secondary to RVO.

Purpose To investigate the effects of intravitreal 0.7 mg dexamethasone implants (Ozurdex) on arterial and venous oxygen saturation, retinal vessel diameter, and retrobulbar blood flow velocity in patients with macular edema (ME) due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods This prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial included 40 eyes of 40 patients with ME due to RVO. Measurements of arterial and venous oxygen saturation and retinal vessel diameters were performed using the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer. The main outcome measure was the retinal arteriovenous oxygen difference, calculated as the difference between arterial and venous oxygenation. Color Doppler imaging was performed for measuring peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index (RI) in ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), and posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs). Follow-up was monthly for 6 months following an initial dexamethasone implant injection. As statistical analysis, a mixed model was performed to investigate the effect treatment. Results The arteriovenous oxygen difference showed a significant increase (P < 0.01). Arterial oxygenation and vessel diameter did not respond to the treatment (P > 0.05), while the venous oxygen saturation and diameter decreased significantly (P < 0.01) compared to baseline. The retrobulbar blood flow velocities PSV, EDV, and RI showed no change in the OA, CRA, and PCA (P > 0.05). Conclusions In patients with RVO, intravitreal dexamethasone treatment leads to an increase in arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference indicating improved retinal oxygenation. Arterial oxygenation and vessel diameter showed no response, whereas venous oxygenation and vessel diameter decreased after treatment.
Evolution in the Clustering of Galaxies for z < 1.0

Measuring the evolution in the clustering of galaxies over a large redshift range is a challenging problem. We have developed a new technique that uses photometric redshifts to measure the angular correlation function in redshift shells. This novel approach minimizes the galaxy projection effect inherent in standard angular-correlation measurements, and allows for a measurement of the evolution in the galaxy correlation strength with redshift. In this paper, we present new results that utilize more accurate photometric redshifts, derived from a multiband data set (U, B, R, and I) covering almost 200 arcmin2 to BAB ~ 26.5 mag, to quantify the evolution in the clustering of galaxies for z < 1. We also extend our technique to incorporate absolute magnitudes, which provides a simultaneous measurement of the evolution of clustering with both redshift and intrinsic luminosity. Specifically, we find a gradual decline in the strength of clustering with redshift out to z ~ 1, as predicted by semianalytic models of structure formation. Furthermore, we find that r0(z = 0) ≈ 4.0 h-1 Mpc for the predictions of linear theory in an Ω0 = 0.1 universe.
Phosphorus and mowing improve native alfalfa establishment, facilitating restoration of grassland productivity and diversity

Seeding legumes into degraded grasslands may effectively replace nitrogen fertilization and restore ecosystem stability by retaining or increasing native plant species diversity while increasing forage production. However, previous research indicated limited legume persistence and potential plant community diversity loss following seeding of legumes into grasslands, constraining successful restoration of degraded grasslands. Our research defined optimal management thresholds for successful legume establishment, reconciling both environmental conservation and production priorities. Large areas of degraded steppe in Inner Mongolia, northeast China, were seeded to either native alfalfa (yellow‐flowered alfalfa: Medicago falcata L.), cultivated alfalfa (purple‐flowered alfalfa: Medicago sativa L.), or left nonseeded (control). Within each seeded area, management treatments (P fertilization or mowing) were assigned to plots in the second year of alfalfa establishment. Our results indicated P amendments and mowing improve native alfalfa establishment, increasing plant productivity while maintaining diverse plant communities, thereby successfully rehabilitating degraded meadow steppe grasslands. However, cultivated alfalfa was not persistent under any management treatment. Alfalfa shoot N and P concentration was linearly related to plant‐available P, indicating P fertilization differentially benefits alfalfa compared with the dominate C3 grass, Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. Mowing successfully increased plant species diversity and plant species asynchrony; however, mowing did not alter the temporal stability of plant community productivity, potentially maintaining or enhancing ecosystem stability. Our research showed promise that native alfalfa seeding combined with P fertilization and mowing can restore degraded grasslands to support both forage production and diverse plant communities.
Cigarette Smoke Exposure and Hypercholesterolemia Increase Mitochondrial Damage in Cardiovascular Tissues

Background—A shared feature among cardiovascular disease risk factors is increased oxidative stress. Because mitochondria are susceptible to damage mediated by oxidative stress, we hypothesized that risk factors (secondhand smoke and hypercholesterolemia) are associated with increased mitochondrial damage in cardiovascular tissues. Methods and Results—Atherosclerotic lesion formation, mitochondrial DNA damage, protein nitration, and specific activities of mitochondrial proteins in cardiovascular tissues from age-matched C57 and apoE−/− mice exposed to filtered air or secondhand smoke were quantified. Both secondhand smoke and hypercholesterolemia were associated with significantly increased mitochondrial DNA damage and protein nitration. Tobacco smoke exposure also resulted in significantly decreased specific activities of mitochondrial enzymes. The combination of secondhand smoke and hypercholesterolemia resulted in increased atherosclerotic lesion formation and even greater levels of mitochondrial damage. Conclusions—These data are consistent with the hypothesis that cardiovascular disease risk factors cause mitochondrial damage and dysfunction.