Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of recent fire history on the abundance and viability of large seeds in the soil of sclerophyll forest in Tasmania, Australia

There are few data on the effects of recent fire history on the composition of soil seed banks in sclerophyll forest communities. We predicted that the abundance and viability of soil-stored seeds would vary with fire history. Soils were sampled from areas with six different fire histories on Mt Nelson, Tasmania, Australia. Large seeds were extracted by hand separation and tested for viability. Responses to at least one of the two strongly-correlated components of fire history were detected in several taxa and for native and exotic seed. Native seeds, exotic seeds, Astroloma humifusum seed and Exocarpos cupressiformis seed were all more abundant in the soil of areas with one or less fires in the last 60 years than in the soils of areas burnt five times over the last 60 years. The viability of A. humifusum seeds decreased with fire frequency. These results support the hypothesis that frequent and recent fire can deplete the soil seed bank, and reduce soil seed viability, at least for some large-seeded species and species groups.
Preparation and antioxidant properties of selenium nanoparticles-loaded chitosan microspheres

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), as a special form of selenium (Se) supplement, have attracted worldwide attention due to their favorable properties and unique bioactivities. Herein, an eco-friendly and economic way to prepare stable SeNPs is introduced. SeNPs were synthesized in aqueous chitosan (CTS) and then embedded into CTS microspheres by spray-drying, forming selenium nanoparticles-loaded chitosan microspheres (SeNPs-M). The physicochemical properties including morphology, elemental state, size distribution and surface potential were investigated. Institute of Cancer Research mice were used as model animal to evaluate the bioactivities of SeNPs-M. Trigonal-phase SeNPs of ~35 nm were synthesized, and SeNPs-M physically embedding those SeNPs were successfully prepared. Amazingly, acute toxicity test indicated that SeNPs-M were much safer than selenite in terms of Se dose, with a LD50 of around 18-fold of that of selenite. In addition, SeNPs-M possessed powerful antioxidant activities, as evidenced by a dramatic increase of both Se retention and the levels of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. The design of SeNPs-M can offer a new way for further development of SeNPs with a higher efficacy and better biosafety. Thus, SeNPs-M may be a potential candidate for further evaluation as an Se supplement with antioxidant properties and be used against Se deficiency in animals and human beings.
"Alkaline Activation" as a procedure for the transformation of fly ashes into cementitious materials. Part II. Immobilisation of toxic and hazardous elements

In this study, the potential of alkali activated fly ash cements to immobilise metals that are generally not well immobilised in Portland cements was examined. A class F fly ash was activated with a solution of 8M NaOH to form a hardened cementitious paste. Prior to activation, fly ashes were doped with either: i) 5000 mg/kg (0.5%) Hg 2+ as HgCl2, ii) 10000 mg/kg (1.0%) Cs + as CsOH.H2O or iii) 10000 mg/kg (1.0%) As 3+ as NaAsO2. Mechanical strengths of the pastes were measured and the degree of metal immobilisation in pastes was determined by TCLP leaching tests. Finally, a study of the crystalline phases and paste microstructure was carried out to determine the fate of immobilised metals in the AAFA matrix. Microstructural analysis of Hg doped pastes showed a strong correlation between Hg and S, implying that formation of highly insoluble HgS or Hg2S precipitates is an important immobilisation mechanism. However, the coexistence of HgO could not be entirely ruled out. In Cs doped pastes, it is proposed that Cs + ions are associated with the N-A-S-H gel and zeolites formed in AAFA cements, suggesting that Cs is mainly chemically bound rather than physically encapsulated. With As doped pastes, generally poor performance was observed, both with and without the addition of Fe2O3 in an attempt to improve immobilisation.
Enhancing the estimation of blood pressure using pulse arrival time and two confounding factors

A new method of blood pressure (BP) estimation using multiple regression with pulse arrival time (PAT) and two confounding factors was evaluated in clinical and unconstrained monitoring situations. For the first analysis with clinical data, electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram (PPG) and invasive BP signals were obtained by a conventional patient monitoring device during surgery. In the second analysis, ECG, PPG and non-invasive BP were measured using systems developed to obtain data under conditions in which the subject was not constrained. To enhance the performance of BP estimation methods, heart rate (HR) and arterial stiffness were considered as confounding factors in regression analysis. The PAT and HR were easily extracted from ECG and PPG signals. For arterial stiffness, the duration from the maximum derivative point to the maximum of the dicrotic notch in the PPG signal, a parameter called TDB, was employed. In two experiments that normally cause BP variation, the correlation between measured BP and the estimated BP was investigated. Multiple-regression analysis with the two confounding factors improved correlation coefficients for diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure to acceptable confidence levels, compared to existing methods that consider PAT only. In addition, reproducibility for the proposed method was determined using constructed test sets. Our results demonstrate that non-invasive, non-intrusive BP estimation can be obtained using methods that can be applied in both clinical and daily healthcare situations.
Randomized controlled trial of cannabis‐based medicine in spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis

Symptoms relating to spasticity are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be difficult to treat. We have investigated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a standardized oromucosal whole plant cannabis‐based medicine (CBM) containing Δ‐9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), upon spasticity in MS. A total of 189 subjects with definite MS and spasticity were randomized to receive daily doses of active preparation (n = 124) or placebo (n = 65) in a double blind study over 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in a daily subject‐recorded Numerical Rating Scale of spasticity. Secondary endpoints included a measure of spasticity (Ashworth Score) and a subjective measure of spasm. The primary efficacy analysis on the intention to treat (ITT) population (n = 184) showed the active preparation to be significantly superior (P = 0.048). Secondary efficacy measures were all in favour of active preparation but did not achieve statistical significance. The responder analysis favoured active preparation, 40% of subjects achieved >30% benefit (P = 0.014). Eight withdrawals were attributed to adverse events (AEs); six were on active preparation and two on placebo. We conclude that this CBM may represent a useful new agent for treatment of the symptomatic relief of spasticity in MS.
Tumor necrosis factor‐α initiated signal transduction in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes

Examination of the ability of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF) to activate both the p44/42 and p38 MAP kinase cascades in fully differentiated 3T3‐L1 adipocytes indicated a rapid MEK1/2‐dependent activation of p44/42 MAP kinase. Use of the MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 indicated that this pathway at least in part was responsible for nuclear localization of the transcription factor NF‐κB. The stress/cytokine‐activated p38 MAP kinase was observed to be constitutively active, and its phosphorylation (activation) status was not altered with TNF treatment. However, TNF treatment did result in activation of the transcription factor, ATF‐2, a primary downstream target of p38 MAP kinase. Use of the p38 MAP kinase inhibitors SB202190 and SB202580 did not interfere with the ability of TNF to activate ATF‐2, suggesting that either the γ isoform of p38 MAP kinase or a p38‐independent pathway was utilized by TNF to increase the phosphorylated fraction of ATF‐2. In previous studies we had demonstrated the ability of TNF to suppress the transcription of the GLUT4 gene. Prevention of activation of either the p44/42 MAP kinase pathway (PD98059) or the p38 MAP kinase pathway (SB202190 and SB202580) indicated that these pathways did not control GLUT4 transcription. J. Cell. Physiol. 179:58–66, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stage specific gene expression of serpins and their cognate proteases during myeloid differentiation

Proteases and their serpin inhibitors are abundantly expressed in haemopoietic and peripheral blood cells. There is, however, relatively little information about the role played by serpins in the control of protease activity within these cells and in the pericellular region. The observation that mutations in the neutrophil elastase gene, which cause cyclic and severe congenital neutropenia, are associated with protease maldistribution gives some clue as to the potential importance of inhibitor proteins. To begin to address the role of protease/inhibitor balance in blood cells we used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to examine protease and serpin gene expression in mature peripheral blood cells, differentiating haemopoietic progenitors, leukaemic blasts and haemopoietic cell lines. The results demonstrate stage‐specific expression of proteases together with widespread expression of intra‐ and extra‐cellular serpins. The elastase inhibitors monocyte neutrophil elastase inhibitor (MNEI) and antitrypsin (AT) showed overlapping expression. MNEI is predominantly expressed in early haemopoietic progenitors while antitrypsin is mainly expressed in more mature myeloid precursors, peripheral blood granulocytes and mononuclear cells. Our results give an overall picture of serpin and protease gene expression and draws attention to the potential importance of elastase regulators at all stages of myelopoiesis.
Value of PAX 8 Immunostaining in Tumor Diagnosis: A Review and Update

PAX 8 is a transcription factor involved in the regulation of organogenesis of the thyroid gland, kidney, and Müllerian system. Recent studies have shown that, among tumors, PAX 8 is commonly expressed in epithelial tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands, kidney, thymus, and female genital tract. Although PAX 8 expression has also been reported in certain neuroendocrine tumors, including well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and duodenal and rectal carcinoids, as well as in B-cell lymphomas, it has recently been shown that the PAX 8 positivity reported in these tumors was due to a cross-reactivity of the antibody used with the N-terminal region of PAX 6 and PAX 5, respectively. Owing to its restricted expression, PAX 8 has proved to be a useful immunohistochemical marker with a wide range of diagnostic applications in surgical pathology, some of which are briefly reviewed.
Modeling Sustained Treatment Effects in Tumor Xenograft Experiments

In cancer drug development, demonstrated efficacy in tumor xenograft models is an important step toward bringing a promising compound to human use. A key outcome variable is tumor volume measured over a period of time, while mice are treated with certain treatment regimens. A constrained parametric model has been proposed to account for special features, such as intrinsic tumor growth, or tumor volume truncations due to tumor size being either too large or too small to detect. However, since the drug concentration in the blood of a mouse or its tissues may be stabilized at a certain level and maintained during a period of time, the treatment may have sustained effects. This article extends the constrained parametric model to account for the sustained drug effects. The ECM algorithm for incomplete data is applied to estimating the dose-response relationship in the proposed model. The model selection based on likelihood functions is given and a simulation study is conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed estimator. A real xenograft study on the antitumor agent temozolomide combined with irinotecan against the rhabdomyosarcoma is analyzed using the proposed methods.
Consistency of performance ranking of comorbidity adjustment scores in canadian and U.S. utilization data

AbstractOBJECTIVE: The performance of standard comorbidity scores to control confounding is poorly defined in health care utilization data across elderly populations. We sought to evaluate and rank the performance of comorbidity scores across selected U.S. and Canadian elderly populations using health care utilization databases. DESIGN: Cross-population validation study. PARTICIPANTS: Study participants were residents age 65 years or older who had prescription drug coverage through state-funded programs selected from several large health care utilization databases available to the investigators: British Columbia, BC (N=141,161), New Jersey, NJ (N=235,881), and Pennsylvania, PA (N=230,913). MEASUREMENTS: We calculated 6 commonly used comorbidity scores for all subjects during the baseline year (1994 for NJ and PA, and 1995 for BC). These included scores based on diagnoses (Romano, Deyo, D’Hoore, Ghali) and prescription drugs (CDS-1, CDS-2). The study outcome was 1-year mortality. The performance of scores was measured by c-statistics derived from multivariate logistic regression that included age and gender. MAIN RESULTS: Across these 4 large elderly populations, we found the same rank order of performance in predicting 1-year mortality after including age and gender in each model: Romano (c-statistic 0.754 to 0.771), Deyo (c-statistic 0.753 to 0.768), D’Hoore (c-statistic 0.745 to 0.760), Ghali (c-statistic 0.733 to 0.745), CDS-1 (c-statistic 0.689 to 0.738), CDS-2 (c-statistic 0.677 to 0.718), and age and gender alone (c-statistic 0.664 to 0.681). Performance was improved by an average of 6% by adding the number of different prescription drugs received during the past year. CONCLUSIONS: Performance ranking of 6 frequently used comorbidity scores was consistent across selected elderly populations. We recommend that investigators use these performance data as one important factor when selecting a comorbidity score for epidemiologic analyses of health care utilization data.
Gender differences in isometric contractile properties and fatigability in elderly human muscle.

This study had two purposes: to compare the isometric contractile characteristics and fatigability in the elbow flexors (EF) and ankle dorsiflexors (DF) in older males and females (60-80 years), and to determine the effects of almost 2 years of twice weekly dynamic weight-lifting training on these properties One hundred nine male and female subjects completed the 22-month intervention, 54 in the exercise group and 55 in the control group. Isometric contractile properties and fatigue characteristics were assessed at baseline, 10 months, and 22 months. At baseline, males were significantly stronger (p < .05) than females in evoked twitch torque (Pt) and maximal voluntary strength (MVC) in both EF and DF. Females exhibited significantly less fatigue (expressed either absolutely or relatively) than males in both Pt and MVC during a 3-min protocol of intermittent MVCs (5 s contraction; 2 s rest). There were no significant effects of the 22 months of dynamic training on either the isometric contractile properties or the fatigue characteristics, suggesting a very strong and persistent specificity of training effect.
Nanocommunication via FRET With DyLight Dyes Using Multiple Donors and Acceptors

The phenomenon of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer, commonly used to measure the distances between fluorophore molecules and to study interactions between fluorescent-tagged proteins in life sciences, can also be applied in nanocommunication networks to transfer information bits. The mechanism offers a relatively large throughput and very small delays, but at the same time the channel bit error rate is too high and the transmission ranges are too limited for communication purposes. In this paper, multiple donors at the transmitter side and multiple acceptors at the receiver side are considered to decrease the bit error rate. As nanoantennas, the DyLight fluorescent dyes, which are very well suited to long range nanocommunication due to their large Förster distances and high degrees of labeling, are proposed. The reported results of the recent laboratory experiments confirm efficient communication on distances over 10 nm.
The occurrence and dynamics of polychlorinated hydrocarbons in brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in south-western Slovakia

This study aimed at obtaining the data on the occurrence, levels and correlations of organic pollutants present in game animals (n = 75, Brown hare, Lepus europaeus Pall.) in the region of south-western Slovakia. The analyses performed included dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorobenzen (HCB), alpha- and beta hexachlorocyclohexane (α+β-HCH), gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB-delor, commercial mixture of PCB congeners). A gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector was used for the analysis. PCB-delor and DDT were accumulated significantly in the highest level (0.105±0.059 mg/kg; 0.070 mg/kg) in depot fat in brown hares; however maximum permissible limits for the observed pollutants were not exceeded. Significantly higher concentrations of DDT, HCB, γ-HCH, and PCB-delor were found in adult animals when compared with juvenile hares. Gender and season had no effect on the accumulation of observed pollutants. Moderately positive correlation was found between PCB-delor and DDT (r = 0.59). Monitoring of environmental pollution with polychlorinated hydrocarbons is important with regard to public health, as game animals constitute an important part of food chain also for humans.
Tumor‐suppressive functions of long‐chain acyl‐CoA synthetase 4 in gastric cancer

Long chain acyl CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) is a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism with marked preference for arachidonic acid (AA). Recent reports have implicated its crucial roles in tumorigenesis. However in gastric cancer (GC), the expression and function of ACSL4 remain unclear. In the present study, we identified ACSL4 as a potential tumor suppressor in GC. The ACSL4 expression in GC samples was evaluated by real‐time PCR and immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that the mRNA and protein levels of ACSL4 were frequently downregulated in cancer tissues compared with the adjacent non‐cancerous mucosa control tissues. Cell‐based functional assays exhibited that ectopic expression of ACSL4 inhibits cell growth, colony formation and cell migration, whereas ACSL4 knockdown enhanced these effects. In a nude mice model, ACSL4 knockdown also promoted subcutaneous xenografts' growth in vivo. Moreover, western blot analysis revealed that ACSL4 expression had a significant effect on FAK and P21 protein level. These findings suggest that ACSL4 plays a tumor‐suppressive role and could be a potential therapeutic target in GC. © 2016 IUBMB Life, 68(4):320–327, 2016
Vernakalant: A New Drug to Treat Patients With Acute Onset Atrial Fibrillation

Vernakalant is a new antiarrhythmic drug that acts selectively in the atrium, targeting atrial specific channels: the Kv1.5 channel which carries IK(ur), and the Kir3.1/3.4 channel which carries IK(Ach). Vernakalant can also work to block Ito, late Ina, with minor blockade of IKr currents. Vernakalant is available in both intravenous and oral forms. In phase II and III trials, intravenous vernakalant has been shown to be effective in terminating acute onset atrial fibrillation whose duration is >3 hours and <7 days (∼50% efficiency vs. 10% for placebo). It does not appear to be effective for atrial fibrillation whose duration is >7 days, nor does it appear to be effective for atrial flutter. Studies with oral vernakalant have been designed to evaluate its efficacy and safety in the prevention of atrial fibrillation recurrence. Studies to date have shown that 51% of patients were able to maintain sinus rhythm after 90 days of using oral vernakalant 50 mg/kg twice daily compared with 37% of patients receiving placebo. Vernakalant appears to be a safe drug to use, with the most common side-effects being dysgeusia, sneezing, paresthesias, nausea, and hypotension. In the clinical trials, there were minimal drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias observed.
Receiver function images of the base of the lithosphere in the Alboran Sea region

SUMMARY We analyse data from seismic stations surrounding the Alboran Sea between Spain and North Africa to constrain variations of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the region. The technique used isthereceiver function technique, which usesS-to-Pconverted teleseismic waves at the LAB below the seismic stations. We confirm previous data suggesting a shallow (60-90km) LAB beneath the Iberian Peninsula and we observe a similarly shallow LAB beneath the Alboran Sea where the lithosphere becomes progressively thinner towards the east. A deeper LAB (90-100km) is observed beneath the Betics, the south of Portugal and Morocco. The structure of the LAB in the entire region does not seem to show any indication of subduction related features. We also observe good P receiver function signals from the seismic discontinuities at 410 and 660km depth which do not indicate any upper-mantle anomaly beneath the entire region. This is in agreement with the sparse seismic activity in the mantle transition zone suggesting the presence of only weak and regionally confined anomalies.
Overexpression of the putative thiol conjugate transporter TbMRPA causes melarsoprol resistance in Trypanosoma brucei

Melaminophenyl arsenical drugs are a mainstay of chemotherapy against late‐stage African sleeping sickness, but drug resistance is increasingly prevalent. We describe here the characterization of two genes encoding putative metal–thiol conjugate transporters from Trypanosoma brucei. The two proteins, TbMRPA and TbMRPE, were each overexpressed in trypanosomes, with or without co‐expression of two key enzymes in trypanothione biosynthesis, ornithine decarboxylase and gamma‐glutamyl‐cysteine synthetase. Overexpression of gamma‐glutamyl‐cysteine synthetase resulted in a twofold increase in cellular trypanothione, whereas overexpression of ornithine decarboxylase had no effect on the trypanothione level. The overexpression of TbMRPA resulted in a 10‐fold increase in the IC50 of melarsoprol. The overexpression of the trypanothione biosynthetic enzymes alone gave two‐ to fourfold melarsoprol resistance, but did not enhance resistance caused by MRPA. Overexpression of TbMRPE had little effect on susceptibility to melarsoprol but did give two‐ to threefold resistance to suramin.
Instabilities near the onset of spin density wave order in metals

We discuss the low-energy theory of two-dimensional metals near the onset of spin density wave order. It is well known that such a metal has a superconducting instability induced by the formation of spin-singlet pairs of electrons, with the pairing amplitude changing sign between regions of the Fermi surface connected by the spin density wave ordering wavevector. Here, we review recent arguments that there is an additional instability that is nearly as strong: towards the onset of a modulated bond order that is locally an Ising-nematic order. This new instability is a consequence of an emergent ‘pseudospin’ symmetry of the low-energy theory—the symmetry maps the sign-changing pairing amplitude to the bond order parameter.