Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeted Intestinal Overexpression of the Immediate Early Gene tis7 in Transgenic Mice Increases Triglyceride Absorption and Adiposity*

Following loss of functional small bowel surface area due to surgical resection, the remnant gut undergoes an adaptive response characterized by increased crypt cell proliferation and enhanced villus height and crypt depth, resulting in augmented intestinal nutrient absorptive capacity. Previous studies showed that expression of the immediate early gene tis7 is markedly up-regulated in intestinal enterocytes during the adaptive response. To study its role in the enterocyte, transgenic mice were generated that specifically overexpress TIS7 in the gut. Nucleotides -596 to +21 of the rat liver fatty acid-binding protein promoter were used to direct abundant overexpression of TIS7 into small intestinal upper crypt and villus enterocytes. TIS7 transgenic mice had increased total body adiposity and decreased lean muscle mass compared with normal littermates. Oxygen consumption levels, body weight, surface area, and small bowel weight were decreased. On a high fat diet, transgenic mice exhibited a more rapid and proportionately greater gain in body weight with persistently elevated total body adiposity and increased hepatic fat accumulation. Bolus fat feeding resulted in a greater increase in serum triglyceride levels and an accelerated appearance of enterocytic, lamina propria, and hepatic fat. Changes in fat homeostasis were linked to increased expression of genes involved in enterocytic triglyceride metabolism and changes in growth with decreased insulin-like growth factor-1 expression. Thus, TIS7 overexpression in the intestine altered growth, metabolic rate, adiposity, and intestinal triglyceride absorption. These results suggest that TIS7 is a unique mediator of nutrient absorptive and metabolic adaptation following gut resection.
Analyzing the effect of landmark vectors in homing navigation

The development of an autonomous navigating robot is a challenging task. Motivated by the performance of insects successfully returning to the nest, researchers have studied bio-inspired navigation algorithms for their potential use in mobile robots. In this paper, we analyze landmark-based approaches, especially Distance Estimated Landmark Vector (DELV), Average Correctional Vector and Average Landmark Vector methods, that use landmark vectors for visible environmental landmarks. We evaluated the homing performance of various landmark vector methods with surrounding landmarks under occlusion and found that the occluded or missing landmarks have a significant influence on the performance. We also developed a landmark vector algorithm with a visual compass that uses only retinal images without a reference compass. From our experimental results, we conclude that the DELV shows robust homing navigation performance with missing or occluded landmarks among landmark vector methods.
In vitro Activities of Nisin Alone or in Combination with Vancomycin and Ciprofloxacin against Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Strains

Background: We investigated the in vitro activities of nisin alone or in combination with vancomycin and ciprofloxacin against methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains. Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by microbroth dilution technique. Antibiotic combinations were assessed using the checkerboard technique. The time-kill curve method was used for determining the bactericidal activity of nisin alone and in combination. Results: For both MSSA and MRSA strains, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of nisin ranged between 4 and 16 mg/l. With a fractional inhibitory concentration of ≧0.5 as borderline, synergistic interactions were seen in three of five isolates with nisin-ciprofloxacin compared to two of five isolates with nisin-vancomycin combinations against both MSSA and MRSA. No antagonism was observed. The results of time-kill curve analysis demonstrated concentration-dependent rapid bactericidal activity of nisin and synergism almost in all strains when nisin was used in combination with ciprofloxacin, and early synergistic interactions in some of the strains when it was used in combination with vancomycin. Conclusion: Nisin seems to be a good candidate for further investigations in the treatment of Gram-positive bacteria, alone or in combination with antibiotics.
Consequences of Prior Use of Full-dose Ritonavir as Single Protease Inhibitor as Part of Combination Antiretroviral Regimens on the Future Therapy Choices in HIV-1–Infected Children

Background: South African HIV-infected infants below age 6 months and children younger than 3 years on concomitant antimycobacterial treatment received full-dose ritonavir single protease inhibitor (RTV-sPI), together with 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, from 2004 until 2008. Use of RTV-sPI has been described as a risk factor for PI drug resistance, but the extent of this resistance is unknown. Aim: This research assesses clinical and virological outcome of a pediatric RTV-sPI cohort at a large South African antiretroviral therapy (ART) site in a high-burden tuberculosis setting, including resistance mutations in those failing ART. Methods: All children initiated at Kalafong hospital before December 2008, who ever received RTV-sPI–based regimens, were assessed for patient outcome, virological failure and drug resistance. HIV viral loads were done 6-monthly and HIV genotyping since 2009. Results: There were 178 children who ever received RTV-sPI, with a mean age at ART initiation of 1.4 years. Of the 135 children (76%) with >6 months follow-up, 17 children (13%) never had viral suppression, whereas another 25 (18%) developed virological failure later. Nineteen of 26 children (73%) with genotypic resistance results had major PI mutations. Conclusions: Treatment failure is not a universal feature in children with prior exposure to RTV-sPI regimens, but the significant proportion (31%) with virological failure is of concern due to high prevalence of major PI- and multiclass mutations. These children currently have no treatment options in the South African public sector, highlighting the urgent need for access to alternative ART regimens to ensure improved outcomes.
Standards for Assay of von Willebrand Factor Concentrates: A Collaborative Study

Summary A multilaboratory collaborative study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of using a plasma standard for expressing the results of assays for the von Willebrand factor content of von Willebrand factor concentrates and of factor VIII concentrates. Thirteen laboratories tested six concentrates for von Willebrand factor antigen, ristocetin cofactor activity, and multimer content using the World Health Organization plasma standard for factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, 87/718, as a standard. Only a few assays were invalid because of nonparallelism or nonlinearity. Significant interlaboratory and interassay differences were found for both von Willebrand factor antigen and ristocetin cofactor activity. There was generally good agreement between the laboratories with respect to the multimer content in the preparations. With respect to assay validity, a plasma standard could be suitable for assaying concentrated preparations of von Willebrand factor.
Title Generation of Knockout Rats with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (X-SCID) Using Zinc-Finger Nucleases

Background: Although the rat is extensively used as a laboratory model, the inability to utilize germ line-competent rat embryonic stem (ES) cells has been a major drawback for studies that aim to elucidate gene functions. Recently, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) were successfully used to create genome-specific double-stranded breaks and thereby induce targeted gene mutations in a wide variety of organisms including plants, drosophila, zebrafish, etc. Methodology/Principal Findings: We report here on ZFN-induced gene targeting of the rat interleukin 2 receptor gamma (Il2rg) locus, where orthologous human and mouse mutations cause X-linked severe combined immune deficiency (X-SCID). Co-injection of mRNAs encoding custom-designed ZFNs into the pronucleus of fertilized oocytes yielded genetically modified offspring at rates greater than 20%, which possessed a wide variety of deletion/insertion mutations. ZFN-modified founders faithfully transmitted their genetic changes to the next generation along with the severe combined immune deficiency phenotype. Conclusions and Significance: The efficient and rapid generation of gene knockout rats shows that using ZFN technology is a new strategy for creating gene-targeted rat models of human diseases. In addition, the X-SCID rats that were established in this study will be valuable in vivo tools for evaluating drug treatment or gene therapy as well as model systems for examining the treatment of xenotransplanted malignancies. Citation: Mashimo T, Takizawa A, Voigt B, Yoshimi K, Hiai H, et al. (2010) Generation of Knockout Rats with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (XSCID) Using Zinc-Finger Nucleases. PLoS ONE 5(1): e8870. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0008870 Editor: Ellen A. A. Nollen, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands Received November 12, 2009; Accepted January 4, 2010; Published January 25, 2010 Copyright: 2010 Mashimo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for cancer research from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: tmashimo@anim.med.kyoto-u.ac. jp
Comparative Studies on the Phytochemistry , Antimicrobial and Anti-Oxidant Activities of Jatropha Species ( J . curcas L . and J . gossypifolia L . ) of Odisha

In the recent years Jatropha plant has gained a lot of importance due to its property to produce biodiesel. Another reason is the medicinal properties of some species of Jatropha genus. Both the J. curcas and J. gossypifolia species having antimicrobial and anti-oxidant activities. The latex, leaf, bark and fruits contain several saponins, alkaloids, tannins, phytosterols, flavonoids and steroids that exhibit wide range of medicinal properties. Commercial exploration for biopharmaceuticals, antimicrobial activity and bioenergy production are some of the prospective future potential of these plants. But the question arises, out of two species of Jatropha which one has more efficiency against some skin diseases producing microorganism and anti-oxidant activity. The aim of this study was extraction from leaf of two plant species such as methanolic and petroleum ether extracts and comparative investigation of phytochemical compounds, antimicrobial and anti-oxidant activities. The phytochemical constituent of the dried powdered in organic (methanolic) solvent was carried out. First we studied the phytochemical screening by which we got number of secondary metabolites like flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, tannins. After that the antimicrobial activity of the extracts was evaluated and its inhibition was studied by disc diffusion method. The result indicated that out of four extracts of both species petroleum ether extract of J. gossypifolia showed more potential against micro-organisms and free radicals than J. curcas.
Histological classification and survival in hodgkin's disease. A study of 251 cases with special reference to nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease

HE FIRST MAJOR SUBDIVISION OF HODGKIN’S T disease was made by Jackson and Parker,6 when they subdivided Hodgkin’s disease into 3 groups on the basis of histology. Furthermore, they supported their classification by showing that the 3 groups had significantly different patient survival times.7 Jelliffe and Thornson,* Smetana and Cohen,15 Lumb and Newton,12 and Wright17 confirmed Jackson and Parker’s findings. The present study was undertaken, firstly, to further evaluate survival of patients with the various types of Hodgkin’s disease, in particular the granuloma group, for which LukeslO recently proposed an entity that he called “nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s disease,” and, secondly, to outline the distinctive clinical features of the latter group and their relationship to the clinical features of the other variants of Hodgkin’s disease.
A Study of the Effect of Nitrogen and Air Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation Treatments on the Properties of Carbon Fiber

In this paper, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) treatments of carbon fibers (CFs) are performed in order to induce modifications of chemical and physical properties of the CF surface aimed to improve the thermoplastic composite performance. The samples to be treated were immersed in nitrogen or air glow discharge plasma and pulsed at -3.0 kV for 2.0, 5.0, 10.0, and 15.0 min. After PIII processing, the specimens were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface morphology of as-received CFs exhibited some scratches aligned along the fibers due to the fiber manufacturing process. After both treatments, these features became deeper, and also, a number of small particles nonuniformly distributed on the fiber surface can be observed. These particles are product of CF surface sputtering during the PIII treatment, which removes the epoxy layer that covers as-received samples. AFM analyses of CF samples treated with nitrogen depicted a large increase of the surface roughness (Rrms value approximately six times higher than that of the untreated sample). The increase of the roughness was also observed for samples treated by air PIII. Raman spectra of all samples presented the characteristic D- and G-bands at approximately 1355 and 1582 cm-1, respectively. Analysis of the surface chemical composition provided by the XPS showed that nitrogen and oxygen are incorporated onto the surface. The polar radicals formed on the surface lead to increasing of the CF surface energy. Both the modification of surface roughness and the surface oxidation are expected to contribute for the enhancement of CF adhesion to the polymeric matrix used for composite manufacturing.
Does retinal vascular geometry vary with cardiac cycle?

PURPOSE Changes in retinal vascular parameters have been shown to be associated with systemic vascular diseases. In this study, we assessed the physiologic variations in retinal vascular measurements during the cardiac cycle. METHODS Fundus images were taken using electrocardiogram-synchronized retinal camera at nine distinct cardiac points from 15 healthy volunteers (135 images). Analyses of retinal vessel geometric measures, including retinal vessel caliber (individual and summary), tortuosity, branching angle, length-diameter ratio (LDR), and optimality deviation, were performed using semiautomated computer software. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to obtain the means and to estimate the variation of each cardiac point compared with cardiac point 1. RESULTS There was a significant variation of the caliber of the individual arteriolar and venular vessels. However, there was no significant variation found for vessel caliber summary, represented by the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and the central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE). There was also no significant variation found for tortuosity and branching angle, and LDR showed none or very little variations at different cardiac points: variations in caliber ranges between 0 and 4.1%, tortuosity 0 and 1.5%, branching angle 0 and 3.5%, and LDR 0 and 2%; all values for variations, P > 0.1; linear trend, P > 0.5; and nonlinear trend, P > 0.8. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that there were minimal variations in the CRAE, CRVE, tortuosity, and branching angle that are clinically used for two-dimensional measures of retinal vascular geometry during cardiac cycles. However, there was significant variation in the caliber of the individual vessels over the cardiac cycle.
Differential Survival of Transferred CD8 T Cells and Host Reconstitution Depending on TCR Avidity for Host-Expressed Alloantigen1

We transferred naive alloreactive CD8 T cells from TCR transgenic mice to irradiated recipients expressing a partial (H-2Kbm8) or a full (H-2Kb) agonist alloantigen (alloAg). The consequences were strikingly distinct, resulting in acceleration of host lymphopoiesis in the former group, but in strong graft-vs-host reaction, preventing host lymphocyte reconstitution in the latter group. This was correlated, respectively, with long-term persistence and with rapid disappearance of the transferred CD8 T cells. Analysis of transferred T cells showed that initial T cell expansion and modulation of expression of activation markers CD44 and CD62L, as well as induction of cytotoxic function, were similar in both groups. However, IL-2 production and subsequent up-regulation of CD25, early perforin-independent cytolysis, and early down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression were detected only in T cells transferred in hosts expressing full agonist alloAg. Expansion of transferred CD8 T cells was not dependent on either IL-2 or CD25 expression. This expansion could lead to either accelerated host reconstitution or to strong graft-vs-host, depending on the nature of the alloAg. Thus, the extent of Ag stimulation may be a crucial parameter in protocols of alloreactive T cell immunotherapy.
Defect-state-absorption photocurrent in PN-diode-integrated silicon microring resonators

We report defect-state-absorption photocurrent in PN-diode-integrated silicon microrings at 1550 nm. We demonstrate a cavity-enhanced responsivity of 3.1 mA/W upon 0 V, and 173 mA/W upon -10 V with a 3dB bandwidth of 10 GHz.
Time-dependent 3D simulations of the hemodynamics in a stented coronary artery

Stenting is becoming the major interventional cardiology procedure worldwide. However restenosis remains a major limitation to the effectiveness of stents. Alterations to the local hemodynamics in the stented segment of the artery could be a potential factor in the development of in-stent restenosis. The characterization of wall shear stress and of blood flow patterns in a stented artery is therefore necessary for a good understanding of the role of hemodynamics in the development of in-stent restenosis. We have used a time-dependent 3D numerical model of a stented coronary artery to study the characteristics of the blood flow and the shear stress distribution. Our results show that the presence of the stent produces significant secondary flow that is limited to an annulus in the near wall region. Low shear stress zones were localized in the vicinity of the struts while the tips of the struts exhibited high values of shear stress. These results support the hypothesis that local hemodynamics may affect the development of in-stent restenosis and could influence the choice of stent geometries for future stent designs.
OR Practice - Playing the Turn-of-the-Year Effect with Index Futures

The “turn-of-the-year” effect is a well-documented stock market phenomenon in which low capitalization “small stocks” receive relatively higher returns than high capitalization “big stocks” on the last trading day of December and the first 8 trading days of January. The difference in returns during this period is of the order of 10%. Strategies for buying and selling these small stocks may be profitable, but may also incur large transaction costs that eliminate most or all of the projected gains. In this paper, we show a preferable way to invest in order to exploit this anomaly: use a futures spread that is long in the small stocks and short in the big stocks. The optimal investment, which uses a modification of the capital growth criterion, is large and has a substantial expected gain with minimal risk. We have used this analysis successfully in managing investment accounts.
Defining writer's invariants to adapt the recognition task

Investigates the automatic reading of unconstrained omni-writer handwritten texts. This paper shows how to endow the reading system with adaptation faculties for each writer's handwriting. The adaptation principles are of major importance for making robust decisions when neither simple lexical nor syntactic rules can be used, e.g. for a free lexicon or for full text recognition. The first part of this paper defines the concept of writer's invariants. In the second part, we explain how the recognition system can be adapted to a particular handwriting by exploiting the graphical context defined by the writer's invariants. This adaptation is guaranteed, thanks to the writer's invariants, by activating interaction links over the whole text between the recognition procedures for word entities and those for letter entities.
Technical accuracy of a neuronavigation system measured with a high-precision mechanical micromanipulator.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to determine and evaluate the different system-inherent sources of erroneous target localization of a light-emitting diode (LED)-based neuronavigation system (StealthStation, Stealth Technologies, Boulder, CO). METHODS The localization accuracy was estimated by applying a high-precision mechanical micromanipulator to move and exactly locate (+/- 0.1 micron) the pointer at multiple positions in the physical three-dimensional space. The localization error was evaluated by calculating the spatial distance between the (known) LED positions and the LED coordinates measured by the neuronavigator. The results are based on a study of approximately 280,000 independent coordinate measurements. RESULTS The maximum localization error detected was 0.55 +/- 0.29 mm, with the z direction (distance to the camera array) being the most erroneous coordinate. Minimum localization error was found at a distance of 1400 mm from the central camera (optimal measurement position). Additional error due to 1) mechanical vibrations of the camera tripod (+/- 0.15 mm) and the reference frame (+/- 0.08 mm) and 2) extrapolation of the pointer tip position from the LED coordinates of at least +/- 0.12 mm were detected, leading to a total technical error of 0.55 +/- 0.64 mm. CONCLUSIONS Based on this technical accuracy analysis, a set of handling recommendations is proposed, leading to an improved localization accuracy. The localization error could be reduced by 0.3 +/- 0.15 mm by correct camera positioning (1400 mm distance) plus 0.15 mm by vibration-eliminating fixation of the camera. Correct handling of the probe during the operation may improve the accuracy by up to 0.1 mm.
Feedback boundary control of linear hyperbolic equations with stiff source term

ABSTRACT We consider feedback boundary control of hyperbolic systems with stiff source terms. By combining weighted Lyapunov functions, the structure is used to derive stabilisation results. In our analysis, we give stabilising feedback laws that allow a robust uniform exponential stabilisation for a whole range of values of an uncertain parameter with a decay rate that is independent of the parameter. In particular, we are interested in the limit case when the relaxation parameter approaches zero. The result is illustrated with the numerical analysis on the decay rate of the Lyapunov function in terms of the stiff parameter and an application to boundary stabilisation of gas dynamics in pipes.