Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PI3K inhibitors block skeletogenesis but not patterning in sea urchin embryos

Skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo is a simple model of biomineralization, pattern formation, and cell–cell communication during embryonic development. The calcium carbonate skeletal spicules are secreted by primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs), but the skeletal pattern is dictated by the embryonic ectoderm. Although the process of skeletogenesis is well characterized, there is little molecular understanding of the basis of patterning within this system. In this study, we examined the contribution of phosphatidylinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)‐mediated signaling to the skeletogenic process in sea urchin embryos by using the well‐established PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin. Our results show that PI3K inhibitors specifically and reversibly block skeletogenesis, and that this blockade occurs within the PMCs rather than in the ectoderm, because the inhibitors block spiculogenesis in cultured micromeres. Our results are consistent with a model in which PI3K signaling is required, not for pattern sensing or interpretation but rather for the biomineralization process itself in the sea urchin embryo. Developmental Dynamics 229:713–721, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Superficial acral fibromyxoma: clinicopathological study of 14 cases with emphasis on a cellular variant

As noted, our results differ somewhat from those of the Lopez and Etxezarraga study. Of greatest concern is that in our study by , there were at least 30 cases with extraprostatic disease that were not detected by any of the above criteria. Thus, for our study population the criteria suggested by Lopez are not sensitive enough. However, we advocate, similarly to Lopez, recording the millimetric length of cancer on needle biopsy as a variable that could potentially add prognostic information, acknowledging the fact that this needs to be confirmed by large-scale studies and after the evaluation of this variable in presurgical nomograms. Furthermore, we cannot corroborate the observation of Lopez et al. that the several measures of tumour volume relate equally to extraprostatic disease. In our study the fraction of cores with tumour was far more important to the outcome of pT3 stage than any of the other measures of tumour volume (P = 0.00004). The number of cores involved by tumour has also been reported in previous studies as being significantly related to pathological stage, as it could reflect tumour multifocality rather than tumour extent in a limited area of the prostate. We agree that this variable might be misleading if fragmentation of cores occurs during processing. In our practice, each core is submitted separately and is site-labelled by the urologist, and an effort is made to specify whether more than one core has been submitted from the same site. This makes evaluation of the number of cores involved by cancer more straightforward. Finally, we note that Lopez et al. did not use serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a predictive variable in his analyses of extraprostatic tumour; we found that serum PSA was significantly associated with pT3 stage (P = 0.035). Fadi Brimo Robin T Vollmer Tarek A Bismar Department of Pathology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada, Department of Pathology, VA and Duke University Medical Centers, Durham, NC, USA, and Department of Pathology, Department of Oncology, McGill University and Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
Vascular and cardiac reactivity in pulmonary hypertension due to chronic obstructive lung disease: assessment with various oxygen concentrations.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate vasoreactivity in patients with pulmonary hypertension related to chronic obstructive lung disease. This was done by comparing haemodynamic data recorded while patients were breathing room air, and hypoxic and hyperoxic mixtures. We estimated the role of vasoconstriction in determining the level of pulmonary hypertension. This study included 26 patients with moderate pulmonary hypertension mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) = 27.3 +/- 1.2 mmHg) secondary to chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) = 0.95 +/- 0.13 l; arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) = 8.7 +/- 0.25 kPa). After insertion of a thermodilution catheter in the pulmonary artery and a cannula in the femoral artery, mixtures containing 15, 21, 30 and 100% oxygen were randomly administered for 20 min each. As fractional inspiratory oxygen (FIO2) increased, MPAP decreased relatively less than cardiac index. Cardiac output was at its highest during room air breathing and the hypoxic mixture did not lead to a further increase. Unlike normal subjects, in whom adjustment of cardiac output is achieved by heart rate alone, haemodynamic regulation in these patients also involved stroke volume. Variations in MPAP and cardiac index were strongly correlated with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2). The greatest variations were noted in the patients with the highest pulmonary hypertension. Under normoxic and hyperoxic condition the relationship between pulmonary artery driving pressure and cardiac index was linear and its slope steeper in patients having the highest pulmonary hypertension at steady-state. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
New Cross-Segmented Power Supply Rails for Roadway-Powered Electric Vehicles

New cross-segmented power supply rails for roadway-powered electric vehicles are proposed in this paper for reducing construction cost and EMF. The proposed rail consists of two pairs of power cables, core, bidirectional power switches, a transformer, capacitors, and harness. Each rail is connected through a switch box, which can change the current direction of a pair of power cables. Hence, adding the current of the two pairs of power cables results in the activation mode while nullifying it does the silence mode. A coupling transformer with two capacitors is introduced to compensate the variable line inductance of the rail due to the change of current direction. Therefore, multiple rails can be concurrently activated by selective turning-on and turning-off the power switches using an inverter. In addition, the EMF for the silence mode is drastically reduced if a twisted pair of power cables and copper nets is used, so that the ICNIRP guideline 6.25 μT at 20-kHz operating frequency can be met. The proposed cross-segmented power supply rail was implemented for experiments and verified for practical applications.
Mdt1 Facilitates Efficient Repair of Blocked DNA Double-Strand Breaks and Recombinational Maintenance of Telomeres

ABSTRACT DNA recombination plays critical roles in DNA repair and alternative telomere maintenance. Here we show that absence of the SQ/TQ cluster domain-containing protein Mdt1 (Ybl051c) renders Saccharomyces cerevisiae particularly hypersensitive to bleomycin, a drug that causes 3′-phospho-glycolate-blocked DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). mdt1Δ also hypersensitizes partially recombination-defective cells to camptothecin-induced 3′-phospho-tyrosyl protein-blocked DSBs. Remarkably, whereas mdt1Δ cells are unable to restore broken chromosomes after bleomycin treatment, they efficiently repair “clean” endonuclease-generated DSBs. Epistasis analyses indicate that MDT1 acts in the repair of bleomycin-induced DSBs by regulating the efficiency of the homologous recombination pathway as well as telomere-related functions of the KU complex. Moreover, mdt1Δ leads to severe synthetic growth defects with a deletion of the recombination facilitator and telomere-positioning factor gene CTF18 already in the absence of exogenous DNA damage. Importantly, mdt1Δ causes a dramatic shift from the usually prevalent type II to the less-efficient type I pathway of recombinational telomere maintenance in the absence of telomerase in liquid senescence assays. As telomeres resemble protein-blocked DSBs, the results indicate that Mdt1 acts in a novel blocked-end-specific recombination pathway that is required for the efficiency of both drug-induced DSB repair and telomerase-independent telomere maintenance.
Nitric oxide in cerebrospinal fluid and local inducible nitric oxide synthase after cauda equina compression in rats

We investigated the time course of changes in nitric oxide metabolite (NO2− plus NO3−: NOx) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and the expression of local inducible nitric oxide synthase following cauda equina compression in rats. Cerebrospinal fluid NOx levels were significantly increased from 12 h to 3 days after compression, and decreased thereafter. Histologically, inducible nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity was observed in macrophages that infiltrated the dura mater on days 1 and 3 after compression, but not in foamy macrophages in the parenchyma of the cauda equina observed afterwards. The pattern of NOx levels coincided with the appearance of inducible nitric oxide synthase labeled macrophages, indicating a critical role of these cells as the main synthesizers of NOx in the acute stage of cauda equina compression.
A SySTEMic Solution: Elementary Teacher Preparation in STEM Expertise and Engineering Awareness

Research shows that most K-5 teachers are typically required to complete only minimal coursework in science and mathematics, which constrains their knowledge, efficacy, and confidence for teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) content. Additionally, elementary teachers, like much of the general public, have limited comprehension about the relationship between STEM concepts and engineering fields and the kind of work and societal contributions made by engineers. Yet, elementary school is a critical time in which students develop foundational understanding of STEM concepts, career options, and inquiry learning. To address students’ STEM needs and limited teacher preparation, the Idaho SySTEMic Solution research project was implemented by the College of Education and College of Engineering at Boise State University, in partnership with the Meridian Joint School District and educational products and services company PCS Edventures! Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Idaho SySTEMic Solution is a STEM education initiative designed to advance achievement and confidence among elementary-age learners and their teachers. Phase I of the Idaho SySTEMic Solution, which is the subject of this report, focuses on teachers, with the goal of increasing their STEM content knowledge, instructional practices, awareness of engineering, and overall confidence for teaching STEM concepts. Phase I began with a three-day summer institute for 39 elementary teachers at seven schools representing socioeconomic diversity in the largest school district in Idaho. To measure the results of the workshop, several data collection methods were utilized, for preand post-intervention assessment. Repeated measures analyses revealed significant teacher increase in confidence to teach STEM curriculum (p < .01), positive increase in engineering attitudes (p < .01) and increase in STEM teaching efficacy (p < .01) over the course of the threeday workshop. We attribute these changes to the content and context of the workshop instruction.
Momentum, Reversals, and Fund Manager Overconfidence

This paper examines the role of investor overconfidence and self-attribution bias in explaining the momentum effect. We develop a novel measure of overconfidence based on characteristics and trading patterns of US equity mutual fund managers. Stocks held by more overconfident managers experience greater momentum profits and stronger return reversals than stocks held by less overconfident managers. The difference in momentum profits is not compensation for risk nor is it attributable to stock characteristics that influence momentum. Our results are consistent with Daniel, Hirshleifer, and Subrahmanyam (1998) who argue that momentum results from delayed overreaction caused by overconfidence and biased self-attribution.
Loving-Kindness Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain

Purpose: Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients. Method: Patients (N = 43) were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care. Standardized measures assessed patients’ pain, anger, and psychological distress. Findings: Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group, but no changes in the usual care group. Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day. Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain. Implications: Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain.
Advances in molecular diagnosis of toxigenic Fusarium species: A review

The development of advanced molecular diagnosis for the critical toxigenic Fusarium species is considered in this review. The specific topics discussed are (1) isolation of mating type genes of Gibberella complex, (2) molecular detection of Fusarium–producing fumonisins, (3) molecular detection of Fusarium–producing trichothecenes and enniatins. Particular attention is given to the development of PCR assays for genes involved in the toxin biosynthesis that would permit the early detection of Fusarium species–producing toxins and potentially even reveal which particular toxin may be present within a food or feed product. Most of these data have been obtained within the ‘De–Tox Fungi’ project supported by the European Commission (QLK1–CT–1998–01380).
1 year, 1000 km: The Oxford RobotCar dataset

We present a challenging new dataset for autonomous driving: the Oxford RobotCar Dataset. Over the period of May 2014 to December 2015 we traversed a route through central Oxford twice a week on average using the Oxford RobotCar platform, an autonomous Nissan LEAF. This resulted in over 1000 km of recorded driving with almost 20 million images collected from 6 cameras mounted to the vehicle, along with LIDAR, GPS and INS ground truth. Data was collected in all weather conditions, including heavy rain, night, direct sunlight and snow. Road and building works over the period of a year significantly changed sections of the route from the beginning to the end of data collection. By frequently traversing the same route over the period of a year we enable research investigating long-term localization and mapping for autonomous vehicles in real-world, dynamic urban environments. The full dataset is available for download at: http://robotcar-dataset.robots. ox.ac. uk
Capacities for Long-Distance Free-Space Optical Links Under Beam Wander Effects

The performance of the long-distance horizontal free-space optical (FSO) communication link under beam wander effects is studied from the perspective of information theory. Based on the newly proposed beam wander model and strong fluctuation theory, the influence of beam wander is directly included in the scintillation and then the statistical model for intensity fading is presented. The impact of beam wander on the average and outage capacities of the FSO link is investigated, showing that an optimum transmitter beam radius can be selected to make the system achieve maximum average capacity and minimum probability of capacity outage.
Reduced retinal function in amyloid precursor protein‐over‐expressing transgenic mice via attenuating glutamate‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor signaling

Here, we examined whether amyloid‐β (Aβ) protein participates in cell death and retinal function using three types of transgenic (Tg) mice in vivo [human mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) Tg (Tg 2576) mice, mutant presenilin‐1 (PS‐1) knock‐in mice, and APP/PS‐1 double Tg mice]. ELISA revealed that the insoluble form of Aβ1‐40 was markedly accumulated in the retinas of APP and APP/PS‐1, but not PS‐1 Tg, mice (vs. wild‐type mice). In APP Tg and APP/PS‐1 Tg mice, immunostaining revealed accumulations of intracellular Aβ1–42 in retinal ganglion cells and in the inner and outer nuclear layers. APP Tg and APP/PS‐1 Tg, but not PS‐1 Tg, mice had less NMDA‐induced retinal damage than wild‐type mice, and the reduced damage in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice was diminished by the pre‐treatment of N‐[N‐(3,5‐difluorophenacetyl)‐l‐alanyl]‐S‐phenylglycine t‐butyl ester, a γ‐secretase inhibitor. Furthermore, the number of TUNEL‐positive cells was significantly less in ganglion cell layer of APP/PS‐1 Tg mice than PS‐1 Tg mice 24 h after NMDA injection. The phosphorylated form of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα), but not total CaMKIIα or total NMDA receptor 1 (NR1) subunit, in total retinal extracts was decreased in non‐treated retinas of APP/PS‐1 Tg mice (vs. wild‐type mice). CaMKIIα and NR2B proteins, but not NR1, in retinal membrane fraction were significantly decreased in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice as compared with wild‐type mice. The NMDA‐induced increase in p‐CaMKIIα in the retina was also lower in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice than in wild‐type mice. In electroretinogram and visual‐evoked potential recordings, the implicit time to each peak from a light stimulus was prolonged in APP/PS‐1 mice versus wild‐type mice. Hence, Aβ may impair retinal function by reducing activation of NMDA‐receptor signaling pathways.
Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities

Charter schools are public schools that operate under a specific “charter” or contract. They operate under a premise of flexibility and autonomy. That said, most states require charter schools to meet more rigorous school content standards “in exchange” for a waiver from particular state requirements. Despite the increased independence, charter schools do not escape oversight. State laws define the relationship between the charter school and the local education agency (LEA) or local school district and the extent to which the charter school is free from particular state statutes, regulations, and policies imposed on traditional public schools. [2]
Opsin expression varies with reproductive state in the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni.

Animals use visual communication to convey crucial information about their identity, reproductive status, and sex. Plasticity in the auditory and olfactory systems has been well-documented, however, fewer studies have tested for plasticity in the visual system, a surprising detail since courtship and mate choice are largely dependent on visual signals across taxa. We previously found reproductive state-dependent plasticity in the eye of the highly social cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni. Male A. burtoni increase their courtship, including multicomponent visual displays, when around ovulated females, and ovulated females are more responsive to male visual courtship displays than non-ovulated females. Based on this, we hypothesized that ovulation status impacts visual capabilities in A. burtoni females. Using electroretinograms, we found that ovulated females had greater visual sensitivity at wavelengths corresponding to male courtship coloration compared to non-reproductively-receptive females. In addition, ovulated females had higher neural activation in the retina and higher mRNA expression levels of neuromodulatory receptors (e.g sex-steroids; gonadotropins) in the eye than non-ovulated females. Here, we add to this body of work by testing the hypothesis that cone opsin expression changes with female reproductive state. Ovulated females had higher expression of short wavelength sensitive opsins (sws1, sws2a, sws2b) compared to mouthbrooding females. Further, expression of sws2a, the most abundant opsin in the A. burtoni eye, positively correlated with levels of circulating 11-ketotestosterone and estradiol and estrogen, androgen, and gonadotropin system receptor expression in the eye in females. These data indicate that reproductive state-dependent plasticity also occurs at the level of photoreceptors, not just through modulation of visual signals at downstream retinal layers. Collectively, these data provide crucial evidence linking endocrine modulation of visual plasticity to mate choice behaviors in females.
Taxol plus radiation for head and neck cancer.

Taxol (paclitaxel) is the prototype of a new class of cancer drugs, the taxanes. This group of anticancer agents have a novel mechanism of action, broad clinical activity, and potential as clinical radiosensitizers. Paclitaxel may be the most efficacious single chemotherapy agent for head and neck cancer with a 40% response rate for patients with recurrent disease. As it is possible to achieve durable control with radiotherapy of locally advanced head and neck cancer in only a minority of cases, chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel are being used with radiotherapy in an attempt to improve tumor control. Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules and leads to accumulation of cells at the G2/mitosis phase of the cell cycle, which is a necessary condition for its antitumor effect, and also the phase with the greatest relative radiosensitivity. Paclitaxel has been shown to be a radiosensitizer in vitro for some but not all cell lines studied. In vitro dose-response data for paclitaxel paradoxically suggest that prolonged exposure to relatively low concentrations--those easily achievable clinically--may be more effective than higher doses both for direct cytotoxicity and radiosensitization. These data suggest that paclitaxel has potential as a clinical radiosensitizer for head and neck cancer, and phase I trials are in progress. We review the laboratory and clinical studies supplying the rationale, risks, and potential benefits for the concurrent use of paclitaxel and radiotherapy, the current investigational clinical trials, including our NCI-sponsored phase I trials with continuous infusion paclitaxel as a potential radiosensitizer for head and neck cancer. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cortical Circuitry Associated With Reflex Cardiovascular Control in Humans: Does the Cortical Autonomic Network “Speak” or “Listen” During Cardiovascular Arousal

Beginning with clinical evidence of fatal cardiac arrhythmias in response to severe stress, in epileptic patients, and following stroke, the role of the cerebral cortex in autonomic control of the cardiovascular system has gained both academic and clinical interest. Studies in anesthetized rodents have exposed the role of several forebrain regions involved in cardiovascular control. The introduction of functional neuroimaging techniques has enabled investigations into the conscious human brain to illuminate the temporal and spatial activation patterns of cortical regions that are involved with cardiovascular control through the autonomic nervous system. This symposia report emphasizes the research performed by the authors to understand the functional organization of the human forebrain in cardiovascular control during physical stressors of baroreceptor unloading and handgrip exercise. The studies have exposed important associations between activation patterns of the insula cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate, and the medial prefrontal cortex and cardiovascular adjustments to physical stressors. Furthermore, these studies provide functional anatomic evidence that sensory signals arising from baroreceptors and skeletal muscle are represented within the insula cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex, in addition to the sensory cortex. Thus, the cortical pathways subserving reflex cardiovascular control integrate viscerosensory inputs with outgoing traffic that modulates the autonomic nervous system. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.