Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amyloid beta deregulates astroglial mGluR5‐mediated calcium signaling via calcineurin and Nf‐kB

The amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that soluble amyloid β (Aβ) is an initiator of a cascade of events eventually leading to neurodegeneration. Recently, we reported that Aβ deranged Ca2+ homeostasis specifically in hippocampal astrocytes by targeting key elements of Ca2+ signaling, such as mGluR5 and IP3R1. In the present study, we dissect a cascade of signaling events by which Aβ deregulates glial Ca2+: (i) 100 nM Aβ leads to an increase in cytosolic calcium after 4–6 h of treatment; (ii) mGluR5 is increased after 24 h of treatment; (iii) this increase is blocked by inhibitors of calcineurin (CaN) and NF‐kB. Furthermore, we show that Aβ treatment of glial cells leads to de‐phosphorylation of Bcl10 and an increased CaN‐Bcl10 interaction. Last, mGluR5 staining is augmented in hippocampal astrocytes of AD patients in proximity of Aβ plaques and co‐localizes with nuclear accumulation of the p65 NF‐kB subunit and increased staining of CaNAα. Taken together our data suggest that nanomolar [Aβ] deregulates Ca2+ homeostasis via CaN and its downstream target NF‐kB, possibly via the cross‐talk of Bcl10 in hippocampal astrocytes.
Apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis – expression of Fas, Fas‐L, p53, and Bcl‐2 in rheumatoid synovial tissues

Recent studies have suggested that apoptosis is one of the pathogenetic mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, by using single and double immunohistochemical staining assays, Fas, Fas‐L, p53, and Bcl‐2 were measured simultaneously in RA and osteoarthritic (OA) and post‐traumatic (PT) synovial tissues (ST) in order to understand the distribution of these apoptosis‐related proteins. The TdT‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) method was performed to detect apoptotic cells. There was a significant increase of Fas, Fas‐L, and p53 in RA ST, compared with OA or PT, but no significant difference of Bcl‐2 expression was detected between patient groups. In RA ST, expression of Fas and p53 was detected in sub‐lining layers and the majority of Fas‐ and p53‐expressing cells were fibroblast‐like synoviocytes. A positive correlation between Fas and p53 was demonstrated in RA ST. In RA ST, one‐third of Fas‐positive and 80% of p53‐positive cells were also TUNEL‐positive. These results indicate that apoptosis in RA is strongly associated with the expression of Fas and p53, but not Bcl‐2. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Triggerfish uses chromaticity and lightness for object segregation

Humans group components of visual patterns according to their colour, and perceive colours separately from shape. This property of human visual perception is the basis behind the Ishihara test for colour deficiency, where an observer is asked to detect a pattern made up of dots of similar colour with variable lightness against a background of dots made from different colour(s) and lightness. To find out if fish use colour for object segregation in a similar manner to humans, we used stimuli inspired by the Ishihara test. Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) were trained to detect a cross constructed from similarly coloured dots against various backgrounds. Fish detected this cross even when it was camouflaged using either achromatic or chromatic noise, but fish relied more on chromatic cues for shape segregation. It remains unknown whether fish may switch to rely primarily on achromatic cues in scenarios where target objects have higher achromatic contrast and lower chromatic contrast. Fish were also able to generalize between stimuli of different colours, suggesting that colour and shape are processed by fish independently.
mRNA stability is regulated by a coding‐region element and the unique 5′ untranslated leader sequences of the three Synechococcus psbA transcripts

The psbAI and psbAIII transcripts in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 are subject to accelerated turnover when cells are exposed to high light intensities, but psbAII message stability is unaffected. We used a psbAI‘minigene’ which has a part of the coding sequence removed as a reporter gene in order to identify the cis‐acting elements of the transcript that determine stability. While engineering the minigene to optimally mimic the native gene, we identified a stabilizer element within the open reading frame, corresponding to the coding region for the first membrane span of the D1 protein, the presence of and translation through which was essential for normal psbA mRNA stability. We propose that this stabilizer is a site for ribosome pausing, and that accumulation of ribosomes on the transcript upstream of the pause site increases stability. To identify the elements that regulate the differential responses of the psbA transcripts to high‐light growth, sequences from psbAII and psbAIII were substituted in the psbAI minigene reporter. The chimeric reporter transcripts established that the psbAI and psbAIII untranslated leaders determine the faster turnover of these messages. The untranslated leader regions of the psbA transcripts may regulate mRNA stability by modulating translation and thereby stability, or by recruiting RNA‐binding proteins that affect mRNA turnover more directly.
RELIABILITY OF AIR DISPLACEMENT PLETHYSMOGRAPHY

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of an air displacement plethysmography device (BOD POD) over trials performed on 3 different days. Subjects consisted of 24 healthy adults (8 men, 16 women), ages 18–38 years, with body weights 46.8–93.6 kg, body mass indexes of 19.1–30.1 kg·m−2, and percentage body fats (BF) of 7.9–43.1%. Two estimates of BF were performed on 3 days. Paired t-tests revealed no significant within-day differences in body volume (BV), thoracic gas volume (VTG), body density (BD), and BF. Correlations between the two VTG measures on a day were r = 0.86 for day 1, r = 0.93 for day 2, and r = 0.96 for day 3. BF estimates within a day had high correlations of r = 0.98. Significant differences were found between days for measures of BV, VTG, BD, and BF. These results indicate a high reliability for within-day estimates of BF and significant differences in between-day estimates of BF using air displacement plethysmography. Reliability of BF may be increased by requiring subjects to practice the procedure for VTG measurement.
Effects of Viewing Angle of Stereoscopic Images on Heterophoria and Accommodation

This study attempted to evaluate the impacts of viewing angle in watching stereoscopic images on heterophoria and accommodation. It divided students in one college located in Gumi City, who agreed to participate in this study, into two groups for classification by solid angle, horizontal heterophoria and accommodation before viewing, after 2D viewing and 3D viewing were measured. As a result of the study, long distance horizontal heterophoria increased to exophoria after watching 3D images in both groups that watched them at a solid angle of 0.23sr and 0.10sr (p<0.05), and short distance horizontal heterophoria increased to exophoria in the group that watched the images at 0.23sr after watching 2D images and 3D images, and exophoria significantly increased in the group that watched them at 0.10sr after watching 3D images. Changes in positive relative accommodation after watching 2D images and 3D images significantly decreased with changes in solid angle (p<0.05). Changes in negative relative accommodation were not statistically significant after watching 2D images and 3D images according to solid angle. The relevance of viewing angle of 3D images with horizontal heterophoria and accommodation had statistically significant differences (p<0.05).
Biostimulation of Wound Healing in Vivo by a Helium-Neon Laser

Clinical observations have suggested that low-energy lasers might stimulate wound healing. To understand the mechanism of the biostimulation, we previously examined the effects of low-energy lasers on collagen production by human skin fibroblasts and reported an increase of collagen synthesis in vitro. To examine the effects of low-energy lasers in vivo, hairless mice were experimentally wounded, sutured, and subjected to laser irradiation by a helium-neon laser with a power output of 1.56 mW and an energy fluence of 1.22 Joules/cm2. Experimental wounds were subjected to laser treatment every other day for 2 months; control wounds remained untreated. Specimens from the wounds were then examined for histological findings, tensile strength, and total collagen content. Results demonstrated a considerable improvement in the tensile strength of the laser-irradiated wounds at 1 and 2 weeks. Furthermore, the total collagen content was significantly increased at 2 months when compared with control wounds. These results suggest a beneficial effect of the helium-neon laser on wound healing in vivo.
Complexity and modeling power of insertion-deletion systems

SISTEMAS DE INSERCION Y BORRADO: COMPLEJIDAD Y CAPACIDAD DE MODELADO El objetivo central de la tesis es el estudio de los sistemas de insercion y borrado y su capacidad computacional. Mas concretamente, estudiamos algunos modelos de generacion de lenguaje que usan operaciones de reescritura de dos cadenas. Tambien consideramos una variante distribuida de los sistemas de insercion y borrado en el sentido de que las reglas se separan entre un numero finito de nodos de un grafo. Estos sistemas se denominan sistemas controlados mediante grafo, y aparecen en muchas areas de la Informatica, jugando un papel muy importante en los lenguajes formales, la linguistica y la bio-informatica. Estudiamos la decidibilidad/ universalidad de nuestros modelos mediante la variacion de los parametros de tamano del vector. Concretamente, damos respuesta a la cuestion mas importante concerniente a la expresividad de la capacidad computacional: si nuestro modelo es equivalente a una maquina de Turing o no. Abordamos sistematicamente las cuestiones sobre los tamanos minimos de los sistemas con y sin control de grafo.
Characterization of cardiotoxicity induced by 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and related chemicals during early chick embryo development.

Cardiotoxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was studied in White Leghorn-Babcock (WLB) and Plymouth Rock-Barred (PRB) chick embryos. TCDD, injected on day 0 (D0), induced a dose-related increase in heart weight in both strains in the absence of pericardial edema on D10. PRB embryos were four to five times more sensitive to this cardiotoxicity than WLB. To determine if another aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist produced a similar response, graded doses of TCDD; 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PeCB 126); or 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (HxCB 153) were injected into WLB eggs. TCDD and PeCB 126 induced a dose-related increase in heart weight without pericardial edema, while HxCB 153 had no effect. We then hypothesized that TCDD-induced cardiotoxicity progressed to heart failure and edema. In PRB, morphometric analysis revealed that TCDD (0.06-0.45 pmol/g) induced a dose-related increase in left and right ventricle cavity area without wall hypertrophy on D10, consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy. A time course showed that 0.24 pmol/g did not alter heart morphology on D8 but induced cardiac dilation on D10 and D12. The 0.24 pmol/g dose also induced changes associated with progression of cardiomyopathy toward heart failure, including increased cardiac atrial natriuretic factor mRNA expression and decreased cardiac responsiveness to isoproterenol-induced positive chronotropy, on D10 and D12. Finally, 0.24 pmol/g induced a significantly higher incidence of subcutaneous and peritoneal edema, indicative of overt heart failure, on D12 (75%, 15/20) compared to D10 (14%, 3/22). In conclusion, TCDD induced a phenotype of dilated cardiomyopathy and symptoms associated with the development of congestive heart failure.
Shielding effectiveness measurement conducted in a reverberation chamber and in a GTEM cell

This paper presents the assessment of the shielding effectiveness (SE) measurement conducted on a shielded box using the reverberation chamber and the GTEM cell. In GTEM test, the EUT is illuminated by a plane wave of a specific field with a specific polarization, while for reverberation chamber test, the field is randomly polarized and it can illuminate the EUT from all directions with statistically uniform and isotropic field without having to rotate the EUT. The intention of this paper is to understand the characteristic of SE measurement in the reverberation chamber and compare to GTEM cell measurement, since the test electromagnetic environment in the two measurement techniques are different.
A Comparison of Measured and Predicted XV-15 Tiltrotor Surface Acoustic Pressures

Predicted XV-15 exterior surface acoustic pressures are compared with previously published experimental data. Surface acoustic pressure transducers were concentrated near the tip-path-plane of the rotor in airplane mode. The comparison emphasized cruise conditions which are of interest for tiltrotor interior noise - level flight for speeds ranging from 72 m/s to 113 m/s. The predictions were produced by components of the NASA Langley Tiltrotor Aeroacoustic Code (TRAC) system of computer codes. Comparisons between measurements and predictions were made in both the time and frequency domains, as well as overall sound pressure levels. In general, the predictions replicated the measured data well. Discrepancies between measurements and predictions were noted. Some of the discrepancies were due to poor correlation of the measured data with the rotor tach signal. In other cases limitations of the predictive methodology have been indicated.
Explanations for social inequalities in preterm delivery in the prospective Lifeways cohort in the Republic of Ireland.

BACKGROUND Social inequalities in pregnancy outcomes have been extensively described but studies that explain these inequalities comprehensively are lacking. This analysis evaluated the contribution of material, psychosocial, behavioural, nutritional and obstetrical factors in explaining social inequalities in preterm delivery. METHODS The data were based on a prospective cohort of 1109 Irish pregnant women. Preterm delivery was obtained from clinical hospital records. Socio-economic status was measured using educational level. The contribution of the above factors in explaining the association between educational level and preterm delivery was examined using Cox models. RESULTS Educational level was found to be a significant predictive factor of preterm delivery; women with low educational level were more likely to have a preterm delivery [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.14, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.04-4.38)] after adjustment for age and parity. Rented and crowded home, smoking, alcohol consumption and intake of saturated fatty acids displayed educational differences and were predictive of preterm delivery. Material factors (rented and crowded home) reduced the HR of preterm delivery for low compared with highest educated women by 33%. The additional independent contribution of behavioural factors (smoking and alcohol consumption) was 5% and of saturated fatty acids intake was 4%. All these factors combined reduced the HR of preterm delivery for low educated women by 42% (HR = 1.66, 95% CI: 0.76-3.63). CONCLUSION This study underlines the importance of material, behavioural and nutritional factors in explaining social inequalities in preterm delivery. These findings have cross-sectoral public policy implications.
[Clinical features of respiratory infections due to influenza virus in hospitalized children].

BACKGROUND Infants and toddlers have the highest influenza hospitalization rate in pediatrics. Although the impact of this virus in children has been recognized, there is no defined statement related to vaccination in this population. AIM To describe clinical and epidemiological characteristics of complicated influenza infections in hospitalized children. MATERIAL AND METHODS All hospitalizations due to influenza virus were recorded prospectively between March and June 2004. RESULTS We registered 40 laboratory-confirmed influenza admissions. Median age was 24 months (range: 15 days-14.5 years), 52% males, 18 younger than 2 years. Most of them had an underlying medical condition. The most common conditions were recurrent wheeze in 17, a neurological disease in 7 and asthma in 6. Twenty had more than one condition and 15 were previously healthy. The average days of respiratory symptoms and fever prior to admission were 5 and 3, respectively. The most common discharge diagnoses were concomitant viral-bacterial pneumonia in 53%, viral pneumonia in 38% and laryngitis in 8%. Influenza virus A was identified in 34/40 children. Oxygen supplementation was required by 34 cases; 20% of which required an O2 inspired fraction over 40%. The average days of hospitalization and oxygen were 4 and 3, respectively. Eleven children were treated with amantadine and 21 with antimicrobials. Four children were admitted to pediatric intensive care units and two cases required non-invasive ventilatory support. No deaths were recorded. CONCLUSIONS Our data confirms the importance of influenza virus infection in children, as measured by admission rates, complications and length of hospital stay. Young children are a risk group for which immunization is recognized as protective.
Canada: Agreement Between Patient and Proxy Information About Colorectal Cancer Therapies

&NA; Proxies, such as next of kin, often provide information to healthcare professionals about a cancer patient they know, particularly when this information is not available from the patient. Understanding the extent to which proxies offer reliable information about patients is important for improving the quality of patient care and also for assessing the quality of research, evaluation, and administrative data when proxy response is utilized. This study determined levels of agreement between information reported by colorectal cancer patients and by their proxies about complementary and alternative medicine obtained by questionnaire response. Patient‐proxy agreement was also compared for conventional therapies, patient demographics, lifestyle, and symptoms.
Protective Immunity and Defects in the Neonatal and Elderly Immune Response to Sepsis

Populations encompassing extremes of age, including neonates and elderly, have greater mortality from sepsis. We propose that the increased mortality observed in the neonatal and elderly populations after sepsis is due to fundamental differences in host-protective immunity and is manifested at the level of the leukocyte transcriptome. Neonatal (5–7 d), young adult (6–12 wk), or elderly (20–24 mo) mice underwent a cecal slurry model of intra-abdominal sepsis. Both neonatal and elderly mice exhibited significantly greater mortality to sepsis (p < 0.05). Neonates in particular exhibited significant attenuation of their inflammatory response (p < 0.05), as well as reductions in cell recruitment and reactive oxygen species production (both p < 0.05), all of which could be confirmed at the level of the leukocyte transcriptome. In contrast, elderly mice were also more susceptible to abdominal peritonitis, but this was associated with no significant differences in the magnitude of the inflammatory response, reduced bacterial killing (p < 0.05), reduced early myeloid cell activation (p < 0.05), and a persistent inflammatory response that failed to resolve. Interestingly, elderly mice expressed a persistent inflammatory and immunosuppressive response at the level of the leukocyte transcriptome, with failure to return to baseline by 3 d. This study reveals that neonatal and elderly mice have profoundly different responses to sepsis that are manifested at the level of their circulating leukocyte transcriptome, although the net result of increased mortality is similar. Considering these differences are fundamental aspects of the genomic response to sepsis, interventional therapies will require individualization based on the age of the population.
Physician attitudes toward foot care education and foot examination and their correlation with patient practice.

Foot complications are one of the most serious causes of morbidity, disability, poor quality of life, and resource use among diabetic people (1). The adoption of preventive strategies to reduce the rate of foot problems thus represents an important priority. In fact, a strategy that includes prevention, patient and staff education, multidisciplinary treatment of foot complications, and close monitoring has been demonstrated to be very effective in reducing amputation rate (2). In the context of a nationwide outcomes research program (the QuED project), we investigated several aspects related to foot care in 3,564 patients with type 2 diabetes enrolled by 125 diabetes outpatient clinics and …
ARTHROPOD MANAGMENT Association of Verde Plant Bug, Creontiades signatus (Hemiptera: Miridae), with Cotton Boll Rot

Cotton yields have suffered losses from cotton boll rot during the last 10 to 15 years in areas of South Texas. Piercing-sucking insects feeding on cotton bolls, particularly stink bugs, have been implicated in introducing the bacterial disease. Along the Gulf Coast of South Texas, boll-feeding plant bugs occur, and may be associated with the disease. A replicated field survey was conducted in 2010 and 2011 to assess relative abundance of these boll-feeding species and subsequent boll injury caused by cotton boll rot. This survey was paired with a field cage experiment that isolated feeding by the verde plant bug, Creontiades signatus Distant (Hemiptera: Miridae). This species represented about 99% of insects collected, during peak bloom (about wk 3 to 4 of flowering) in cotton fields near the coast. It was not detected in fields located further inland. Cotton boll rot was found on up to 25% of open bolls and was concentrated in coastal fields. The proportion of green bolls with cotton boll rot estimated two weeks after insect sampling was not linearly related to verde plant bugs per plant, but the subsequent proportion of open bolls with cotton boll rot near harvest was linearly related to verde plant bugs per plant (adjusted r 2 = 0.53, P = 0.007). In field cages, verde plant bug-infested plants had significantly higher incidence of insect-punctured bolls (15 to 35%) and disease incidence (5 to 27%), than uninfested plants, when plants were infested for 72 h about wk 4 of bloom. Diseased bolls tested positive for bacterial contamination. From a pest management perspective, insect monitoring for verde plant bugs provided in-season indication of subsequent boll damage from cotton boll rot, and was especially relevant for cotton fields near coastal waters.