Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potentiation of tubuloglomerular feedback in the rat by thromboxane mimetic. Role of macula densa.

UNLABELLED Because endogenous thromboxane A2 (TXA2) potentiates the tubuloglomerular feedback response (TGF), we studied the mechanism of action of TXA2 by using a stable TXA2/prostaglandin (PG) H2 mimetic, U-46,619. Intravenous infusion of U-46,619 at 100 ng.kg-1.min-1 reduced the GFR and the single-nephron (SN)GFR measured from the distal tubule (macula densa function intact), whereas the SNGFR measured from the proximal tubule (macula densa function interrupted) was not changed consistently. 10-100-fold higher rates of infusion of U-46,619 were required to raise blood pressure or femoral vascular resistance. The regulation of glomerular capillary pressure (PGC) by TGF was assessed in anesthetized rats from changes in proximal stop flow pressure (PSF) and/or SNGFR during perfusion of the loop of Henle (LH) with artificial tubular fluid (ATF). Orthograde loop perfusion and retrograde perfusion of U-46,619 into the macula densa segment reduced PSF. Responses to luminal U-46,619 were blunted by a TXA2-PGH2 receptor antagonist. Orthograde loop perfusions with luminal U-46,619 increased net Cl absorption, whereas coperfusion with furosemide (10(-4) M) blunted the response to U-46,619 by 68%. These data indicated that the luminal U-46,619 might increase the signal for TGF activation by increasing Cl reabsorption in macula densa cells. However, since 80 +/- 4% of [3H]U-46,619 perfused via the LH was reabsorbed peritubular capillaries (PTC) were perfused with U-46,619 to test additional extra-luminal actions. PTC perfusion with U-46,619 again increased TGF by reducing PSF selectively only while macula densa function was intact during perfusion of the LH with ATF. CONCLUSIONS (a) TGF is potentiated by U-46,619 given systematically, via the lumen of the LH by orthograde or retrograde perfusions or via the PTC; (b) at the lower doses tested, reduction of PGC and SNGFR by U-46,619 depends on tubular fluid delivery and reabsorption by the macula densa; (c) potentiation of TGF by U-46,619 entails preglomerular vasoconstriction which may be elicited in part by an increased signal due to increased net chloride reabsorption in the LH and presumably macula densa cells and by an increased sensitivity of the arteriole to macula densa-derived signals; (d) activation of TGF may contribute to the selective vasoconstriction of the renal vascular bed by low doses of U-46,619.
Ubiquitous Piezoelectric Sensor Network (UPSN)-Based Concrete Curing Monitoring for u-Construction

Recently, there has been increasing demand for high-rise buildings or wide-span bridges. These structures are constructed with a mount of mass concrete. However, the concrete might be susceptible to brittle fracture if the curing process is inadequate. Therefore, to prevent this drawback, it is essential to predict the strength development of concrete during the curing process. In addition, real-time monitoring of the curing strength is important for reducing the construction time and cost because it can determine the appropriate curing time to achieve sufficient strength to progress to the next phase safely. The in-situ strength of concrete structures can be determined with a high precision by performing the strength testing and/or material analysis on core samples removed from the structure (Irie et al., 2008). However, this method might destroy the concrete structure. Therefore, a range of methods based on the thermal, acoustical, electrical, magnetic, optical, radiographic, and mechanical properties of the test materials have been developed to monitor the strength development without damaging the host structures (ACI Committee 228, 2003; Lamind and Pielert, 2006; Metha and Monterio, 2005). These methods typically measure certain properties of concrete from which the strength and/or elastic constants can be estimated. Among these techniques, several methods using a Schmidt hammer or an integrated temperature have been normally used. However, these are unsuitable for use at construction sites because they do not allow real-time monitoring of the curing process of concrete structures at inaccessible places. The recent advent of smart materials, particularly piezoelectric materials, can provide a solution for the real-time monitoring for strength development. Electromechanical impedance techniques that employ piezoelectric materials have emerged as a potential tool for the implementation of a built-in monitoring system for civil infrastructures (Park G. et al., 2000, 2003; Park S. et al. 2005, 2006, 2011). This technique utilizes high-frequency structural excitation, which is typically > 20 kHz from surface-bonded PZT (Lead-ZirconateTitanate) patches, to sensitively monitor the changes in the mechanical impedance of the test structures. Furthermore, the recent advances in online monitoring, including actuation and sensing, on-board computing, and radio-frequency (RF) telemetry, have improved the
Deficits in a Simple Visual Go/No-go Discrimination Task in Two Mouse Models of Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease (HD), a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion on the HTT gene located on chromosome 4, is associated with a characteristic pattern of progressive cognitive dysfunction known to involve early deficits in executive function. A modified Go/No-go successive discrimination task was designed to assess the type of online response control/executive function known to be disrupted in patients with HD. The present studies show that this simple discrimination assay revealed early and robust deficits in two mouse models of HD, the zQ175 KI mouse (deficits from 28 weeks of age) and the R6/2 mouse, carrying ~240 CAG repeats (deficits from 9 weeks of age). These deficits are not due to gross motor dysfunction in the test animals, but instead appear to measure some inability to inhibit responding in the HD mouse models, suggesting this assay may measure deficits in underlying attentional and/or behavioral inhibition processes. Accordingly, this assay may be well suited to evaluation of simple deficits in cognitive function in mouse HD models, providing a potential platform for preclinical screening.
Semi-Blind Spatially-Variant Deconvolution in Optical Microscopy with Local Point Spread Function Estimation by Use of Convolutional Neural Networks

We present a semi-blind, spatially-variant deconvolution technique aimed at optical microscopy that combines a local estimation step of the point spread function (PSF) and deconvolution using a spatially variant, regularized Richardson-Lucy algorithm [1]. To find the local PSF map in a computationally tractable way, we train a convolutional neural network to perform regression of an optical parametric model on synthetically blurred image patches. We deconvolved both synthetic and experimentally-acquired data, and achieved an improvement of image SNR of 1.00 dB on average, compared to other deconvolution algorithms.
Piecewise Linear Morse Theory

Classical Morse Theory [8] considers the topological changes of the level sets M h = { x ∈ M | f (x) = h } of a smooth function f defined on a manifold M as the height h varies. At critical points, where the gradient of f vanishes, the topology changes. These changes can be classified locally, and they can be related to global topological properties of M. Between critical values, the level sets vary smoothly. This talk concerns Morse Theory of piecewise linear functions, and in particular, the " uninteresting " part of Morse theory, the level sets between the critical values, where " nothing happens ". Spatial data coming from data acquisition processes (like medical imaging) or numerical simulations (like fluid dynamics) need to be represented for the purpose of storage on a computer, visualization, or further processing. Commonly they are represented as piecewise linear functions. My interest in Morse theory arose out of a fast and simple algorithm [4] for constructing the contour tree (or Reeb graph) of a piecewise linear function, a tree that represents how the connected components of the level sets, the contours, split and merge, are created and destroyed. While writing up this algorithm, I felt that I should say something about the obvious absence of topological changes when passing over " non-critical " vertices, but I could not find any results in the literature that I could readily apply. The results below are a contribution towards the foundations of Morse theory for piecewise linear functions of up to three variables. 1. Results and Open Questions We assume that the domain M is a triangulation of a convex region in R 3. The function f is given at the vertices and extended to M by linear interpolation. For simplicity, we restrict our attention to vertices in the interior of M. For our purposes, the link of a vertex v is the graph consisting of the neighbors of v, with an edge between two neighbors u and w if the triangle uvw is in the triangulation. The upper (lower) link is generated by the vertices whose value is bigger (smaller) than f (v). We assume that no two vertices have the same value. Theorem 1. Let v be a vertex in the interior of M. The topology of the level sets M h is the same for all values h in a sufficiently …
Altered Default Network Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Adolescents with Internet Gaming Addiction

Purpose Excessive use of the Internet has been linked to a variety of negative psychosocial consequences. This study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether functional connectivity is altered in adolescents with Internet gaming addiction (IGA). Methods Seventeen adolescents with IGA and 24 normal control adolescents underwent a 7.3 minute resting-state fMRI scan. Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) connectivity was determined in all subjects by investigating synchronized low-frequency fMRI signal fluctuations using a temporal correlation method. To assess the relationship between IGA symptom severity and PCC connectivity, contrast images representing areas correlated with PCC connectivity were correlated with the scores of the 17 subjects with IGA on the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) and their hours of Internet use per week. Results There were no significant differences in the distributions of the age, gender, and years of education between the two groups. The subjects with IGA showed longer Internet use per week (hours) (p<0.0001) and higher CIAS (p<0.0001) and BIS-11 (p = 0.01) scores than the controls. Compared with the control group, subjects with IGA exhibited increased functional connectivity in the bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe and middle temporal gyrus. The bilateral inferior parietal lobule and right inferior temporal gyrus exhibited decreased connectivity. Connectivity with the PCC was positively correlated with CIAS scores in the right precuneus, posterior cingulate gyrus, thalamus, caudate, nucleus accumbens, supplementary motor area, and lingual gyrus. It was negatively correlated with the right cerebellum anterior lobe and left superior parietal lobule. Conclusion Our results suggest that adolescents with IGA exhibit different resting-state patterns of brain activity. As these alterations are partially consistent with those in patients with substance addiction, they support the hypothesis that IGA as a behavioral addiction that may share similar neurobiological abnormalities with other addictive disorders.
Severe plastic deformation of R-Fe-B (R = Pr or Nd) hard magnetic alloys

The results of investigations of the effect of severe plastic deformation on the structure and magnetic hysteresis properties of R-Fe-B (R = Pr or Nd) alloys are reviewed. Apart from grain refinement, the R 2 Fe 14 B phase decomposes to form an R-rich amorphous phase and nanocrystalline α-Fe. Annealing of heavily deformed alloys at temperatures T a > 500°C recovers the R 2 Fe 14 B phase in its nanocrystalline state, which significantly increases the coercive force of such alloys. Annealing at 300 < T a < 500°C of alloys with intermediate degrees of deformation, which mainly consist of elastically stressed grains of the R 2 Fe 14 B phase, induces additional decomposition of this phase and a corresponding decrease in H c . To fabricate large bulk magnets, equal-channel angular pressing is used.
The induction of the p 53 tumor suppressor protein bridges the apoptotic and autophagic signaling pathways to regulate cell death in prostate cancer cells

The p53 tumor suppressor protein plays a crucial role in influencing cell fate decisions in response to cellular stress. As p53 elicits cell cycle arrest, senescence or apoptosis, the integrity of the p53 pathway is considered a key determinant of anti-tumor responses. p53 can also promote autophagy, however the role of p53dependent autophagy in chemosensitivity is poorly understood. VMY-1-103 (VMY), a dansylated analog of purvalanol B, displays rapid and potent anti-tumor activities, however the pathways by which VMY works are not fully defined. Using established prostate cancer cell lines and novel conditionally reprogrammed cells (CRCs) derived from prostate cancer patients; we have defined the mechanisms of VMY-induced prostate cancer cell death. Herein, we show that the cytotoxic effects of VMY required a p53-dependent induction of autophagy, and that inhibition of autophagy abrogated VMY-induced cell death. Cancer cell lines harboring p53 missense mutations evaded VMY toxicity and treatment with a small molecule compound that restores p53 activity re-established VMY-induced cell death. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms governing VMY-dependent cell death in cell lines, and importantly in CRCs, provides the rationale for clinical studies of VMY, alone or in combination with p53 reactivating compounds, in human prostate cancer.
The Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov state for ultracold fermions in lattice and harmonic potentials: a review

We review the concepts and the present state of theoretical studies of spin-imbalanced superfluidity, in particular the elusive Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state, in the context of ultracold quantum gases. The comprehensive presentation of the theoretical basis for the FFLO state that we provide is useful also for research on the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in other physical systems. We focus on settings that have been predicted to be favourable for the FFLO state, such as optical lattices in various dimensions and spin–orbit coupled systems. These are also the most likely systems for near-future experimental observation of the FFLO state. Theoretical bounds, such as Bloch’s and Luttinger’s theorems, and experimentally important limitations, such as finite-size effects and trapping potentials, are considered. In addition, we provide a comprehensive review of the various ideas presented for the observation of the FFLO state. We conclude our review with an analysis of the open questions related to the FFLO state, such as its stability, superfluid density, collective modes and extending the FFLO superfluid concept to new types of lattice systems.
Reprogramming T-cells for adoptive immunotherapy of ovarian cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common cause of death among gynecological malignancies. Despite surgical and pharmacological efforts to improve patients’ outcome, persistent and recurrent EOC remains an un-eradicable disease. Chimeric associated antigens (CAR) T cells are T lymphocytes expressing an engineered T cell receptor that activate the immune response after an MHC unrestricted recognition of specific antigens, including tumor associated antigens (TAAs). CART cells have been shown to be effective in the treatment of hematologic tumors even if frequently associated with potentially severe toxicity and high production costs. Areas covered: In this review, we will focus on preclinical and clinical studies evaluating CART activity in EOC in order to identify possible difficulties and advantages of their use in this particular setting. Expert Opinion: The pattern of diffusion within the peritoneal cavity, the tumor microenvironment and the high rate of TAAs make EOC a particularly interesting model for CART cells use. Data from preclinical studies indicate a potential activity of CARTs in EOC, but robust clinical data are still awaited. Further studies are needed to determine the best methods of administration and the most effective CAR type to treat EOC patients.
Sequencing analysis of HPV-other type on an HPV DNA chip

Objectives To identify the specific human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes from HPV-other type on an HPV DNA chip test by sequencing. Methods Among 13,600 women undergoing a routine gynecology examination including Pap smear and/or HPV test by DNA chip test in the healthcare system at Gangnam Center from July 2012 to February 2013, we prospectively collected and performed sequencing for a total of 351 consecutive cervicovaginal samples consisting of 180 samples that tested positive for HPV-other type and 171 samples that tested positive for either high-risk HPV or low-risk HPV. Results Of a total of 351 samples, individual HPV genotypes were successfully sequenced in 215 cases: 119 HPV-other type, 82 HPV-high-risk, and 14 HPV-low-risk. Based on the sequencing for 119 HPV-other type samples, 91.6% were detected as HPV types that were not included on the DNA chip; however, 7.6% (9/119) were proven to be high-risk HPV types: HPV 18 (n=4), HPV 33 (n=3), HPV 35 (n=1), and HPV 59 (n=1). For correlation analysis of all high-risk and HPV 16/18, the correlation rate was 76.2% and 86.6% with kappa-value of 0.38 and 0.69, respectively. Conclusion HPV-other type on DNA chip test may still have possibility of high-risk HPV, i.e., HPV 18 and thus the significance of HPV-other type in detecting cervical disease remains to be investigated.
The Effect of Pollen Source vs. Flower Type on Progeny Performance and Seed Predation under Contrasting Light Environments in a Cleistogamous Herb

Dimorphic cleistogamy is a specialized form of mixed mating system where a single plant produces both open, potentially outcrossed chasmogamous (CH) and closed, obligately self-pollinated cleistogamous (CL) flowers. Typically, CH flowers and seeds are bigger and energetically more costly than those of CL. Although the effects of inbreeding and floral dimorphism are critical to understanding the evolution and maintenance of cleistogamy, these effects have been repeatedly confounded. In an attempt to separate these effects, we compared the performance of progeny derived from the two floral morphs while controlling for the source of pollen. That is, flower type and pollen source effects were assessed by comparing the performance of progeny derived from selfed CH vs. CL and outcrossed CH vs. selfed CH flowers, respectively. The experiment was carried out with the herb Ruellia nudiflora under two contrasting light environments. Outcrossed progeny generally performed better than selfed progeny. However, inbreeding depression ranges from low (1%) to moderate (36%), with the greatest value detected under shaded conditions when cumulative fitness was used. Although flower type generally had less of an effect on progeny performance than pollen source did, the progeny derived from selfed CH flowers largely outperformed the progeny from CL flowers, but only under shaded conditions and when cumulative fitness was taken into account. On the other hand, the source of pollen and flower type influenced seed predation, with selfed CH progeny the most heavily attacked by predators. Therefore, the effects of pollen source and flower type are environment-dependant and seed predators may increase the genetic differences between progeny derived from CH and CL flowers. Inbreeding depression alone cannot account for the maintenance of a mixed mating system in R. nudiflora and other unidentified mechanisms must thus be involved.
Cortisol response and psychological distress predict susceptibility to false memories for a trauma film

ABSTRACT For eyewitness testimony to be considered reliable, it is important to ensure memory remains accurate following the event. As many testimonies involve traumatic, as opposed to neutral, events, it is important to consider the role of distress in susceptibility to false memories. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cortisol response following a stressor would be associated with susceptibility to false memories. Psychological distress responses were also investigated, specifically, dissociation, intrusions, and avoidance. Participants were allocated to one of three conditions: those who viewed a neutral film (N = 35), those who viewed a real trauma film (N = 35), and a trauma “reappraisal” group where participants were told the film was not real (N = 35). All received misinformation about the film in the form of a narrative. Participants provided saliva samples (to assess cortisol) and completed distress and memory questionnaires. Cortisol response was a significant predictor of the misinformation effect. Dissociation and avoidance were related to confabulations. In conclusion, following a stressor an individual may differ with regard to their psychological response to the event, and also whether they experience a cortisol increase. This may affect whether they are more distressed later on, and also whether they remember the event accurately.
Within-Population Genetic Structure in Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Stands Characterized by Different Disturbance Histories: Does Forest Management Simplify Population Substructure?

The fine-scale assessment of both spatially and non-spatially distributed genetic variation is crucial to preserve forest genetic resources through appropriate forest management. Cryptic within-population genetic structure may be more common than previously thought in forest tree populations, which has strong implications for the potential of forests to adapt to environmental change. The present study was aimed at comparing within-population genetic structure in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) plots experiencing different disturbance levels. Five plot pairs made up by disturbed and undisturbed plots having the same biogeographic history were sampled throughout Europe. Overall, 1298 individuals were analyzed using four highly polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers (SSRs). Bayesian clustering within plots identified 3 to 11 genetic clusters (within-plot θ ST ranged from 0.025 to 0.124). The proportion of within-population genetic variation due to genetic substructuring (F CluPlot = 0.067) was higher than the differentiation among the 10 plots (F PlotTot = 0.045). Focusing on the comparison between managed and unmanaged plots, disturbance mostly explains differences in the complexity of within-population genetic structure, determining a reduction of the number of genetic clusters present in a standardized area. Our results show that: i) genetic substructuring needs to be investigated when studying the within-population genetic structure in forest tree populations, and ii) indices describing subtle characteristics of the within-population genetic structure are good candidates for providing early signals of the consequences of forest management, and of disturbance events in general.