Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytochrome P450 2E1 null mice provide novel protection against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and apoptosis.

BACKGROUND Reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) are important mediators of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and apoptosis. The site and source of generation of these metabolites are not well defined. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) are heme-containing enzymes that can generate ROM during the oxidative metabolism of exogenous and endogenous compounds. CYP2E1 was identified and localized to the kidney proximal tubule. There is evidence to suggest that CYP2E1 is involved in the generation of ROM. METHODS The current study was performed utilizing CYP2e1 null mice (CYP2e1-/-). Cisplatin nephrotoxicity was induced in mice by single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin and animals were sacrificed 72 hours later. Renal function was assessed and various biochemical tests were performed, including histologic studies. RESULTS CYP2e1-/- demonstrated marked functional and histologic protection against cisplatin-induced renal injury. Incubation of CYP2e1-/- kidney slices with cisplatin resulted in significant decrease in the generation of ROM and attenuation of cytotoxicity as compared to that of wild-type mice (CYP2e1+/+). Cisplatin-induced apoptosis was also markedly reduced in the CYP2e1-/- mice. Direct incubation of cisplatin with the microsomes isolated from CYP2e1-/- kidney cortex produced significant decrease in the generation of hydrogen peroxide, catalytic iron content, and hydroxyl radical formation compared to CYP2e1+/+ microsomes. CONCLUSION Our results thus demonstrate a pivotal role of CYP2E1 in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and apoptosis. We postulate that the interaction of cisplatin with CYP2E1 results in the generation of ROM that causes renal injury and initiates apoptosis.
Seasonal Variation in Population Density and Heterotrophic Activity of Attached and Free-Living Bacteria in Coastal Waters

The abundance and heterotrophic activity of attached and free-living bacteria were examined seasonally in coastal water. Heterotrophic activity was determined by the uptake of [14C]glucose. The density of attached bacteria was always minor, not showing a seasonal variation, whereas the free-living bacteria were more numerous and showed a marked seasonal variation, their density being higher under warmer conditions. The contribution of the attached bacteria to the total assimilation of [14C]glucose (from 10 to 38%) was lower than that of the free-living bacteria, neither of them showing a seasonal variation. On a cellular basis, attached bacteria were more active, since they assimilated more [14C]glucose and showed, under warmer conditions, a higher cellular volume (0.102 versus 0.047 μm3). We consider that the factors responsible for these observations were the amount and quality of the particulate material, the different availability of organic matter for the two types of bacteria, and in a fundamental way, the variation in water temperature.
Mice Lacking Paternally Expressed Pref-1/Dlk1 Display Growth Retardation and Accelerated Adiposity

ABSTRACT Preadipocyte factor 1 (Pref-1/Dlk1) inhibits in vitro adipocyte differentiation and has been recently reported to be a paternally expressed imprinted gene at human chromosome 14q32. Studies on human chromosome 14 deletions and maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) 14 suggest that misexpression of a yet-to-be-identified imprinted gene or genes present on chromosome 14 causes congenital disorders. We generated Pref-1 knockout mice to assess the role of Pref-1 in growth and in vivo adipogenesis and to determine the contribution of Pref-1 in mUPD. Pref-1-null mice display growth retardation, obesity, blepharophimosis, skeletal malformation, and increased serum lipid metabolites. Furthermore, the phenotypes observed in Pref-1-null mice are present in heterozygotes that harbor a paternally inherited, but not in those with a maternally inherited pref-1-null allele. Our results demonstrate that Pref-1 is indeed paternally expressed and is important for normal development and for homeostasis of adipose tissue mass. We also suggest that Pref-1 is responsible for most of the symptoms observed in mouse mUPD12 and human mUPD14. Pref-1-null mice may be a model for obesity and other pathologies of human mUPD14.
Hierarchical motor adaptations negotiate failures during force field learning

Humans have the amazing ability to learn the dynamics of the body and environment to develop motor skills. Traditional motor studies using arm reaching paradigms have viewed this ability as the process of ‘internal model adaptation’. However, the behaviors have not been fully explored in the case when reaches fail to attain the intended target. Here we examined human reaching under two force fields types; one that induces failures (i.e., target errors), and the other that does not. Our results show the presence of a distinct failure-driven adaptation process that enables quick task success after failures, and before completion of internal model adaptation, but that can result in persistent changes to the undisturbed trajectory. These behaviors can be explained by considering a hierarchical interaction between internal model adaptation and the failure-driven adaptation of reach direction. Our findings suggest that movement failure is negotiated using hierarchical motor adaptations by humans.
Bindine affinities of allergens from pollen, mites, and house dust for specific IgG subclass antibodies

The distribution and affinity of IgG subclasses against various aeroallergens were assessed by inhibition of specific antibody binding. Two parameters from the dose‐response curves were taken as indicative of antibody affinity: the point of 50% inhibition and the value of the slopes on double‐log plots. It was found that IgG4 antibody specific for aeroallergens (i.e., from pollens of several species of Gramineae, Olea europaea, and Parietaria judaica and from house dust) usually exhibits high affinity, except for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. High binding affinity was also displayed by IgGl subclass antibodies against the allergens of O. europaea and P. judaica. Distinct IgG subclass affinity profiles were observed for the allergens of grass pollen (i.e., Holcus lanatus) and dust mites (i.e., D. pteronyssinus). These results demonstrate that IgG subclass distribution, as well as antibody affinity, depends on the nature of the sensitizing allergen.
Color Image Sensor Depth Using Render GT Using Raw GT Using Observed Using Unobserved Using Depth Using Color + DepthGround Truth

For every scene in the Matterport3D dataset, meshes were reconstructed and rendered to provide “completed depth images” using the following process. First, each house was manually partitioned into regions roughly corresponding to rooms using an interactive floorplan drawing interface. Second, a dense point cloud was extracted containing RGB-D points (pixels) within each region, excluding pixels whose depth is beyond 4 meters from the camera (to avoid noise in the reconstructed mesh). Third, a mesh was reconstructed from the points of each region using Screened Poisson Surface Reconstruction [7] with octree depth 11. The meshes for all regions were then merged to form the final reconstructed mesh M for each scene. “Completed depth images” were then created for each of the original RGB-D camera views by rendering M from that view using OpenGL and reading back the depth buffer. Figure 1 shows images of a mesh produced with this process. The top row shows exterior views covering the entire house (vertex colors on the left, flat shading on the right). The bottom row shows a close-up image of the mesh from an interior view. Though the mesh is not perfect, it has 12.2M triangles reproducing most surface details. Please note that the mesh is complete where holes typically occur in RGB-D images (windows, shiny table tops, thin structures of chairs, glossy surfaces of cabinet, etc.). Please also note the high level of detail for surfaces distant to the camera (e.g., furniture in the next room visible through the doorway). Figure 1. Reconstructed mesh for one scene. The mesh used to render completed depth images is shown from an outside view (top) and inside view (bottom), rendered with vertex colors (left) and flat shading (right).
Culex Flavivirus Isolates from Mosquitoes in Guatemala

Abstract A new strain of Culex flavivirus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, CxFV), an insect virus first described in Japan, was isolated from adult Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in 2006 from Izabal Department on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. Mosquito pools were assayed for flavivirus RNA by using flavivirus group-specific primers that amplified a 720-bp region of the nonstructural (NS) 5 gene by standard reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. From 210 pools (1,699 mosquitoes), eight tested positive, and six of these mosquito pools produced virus isolates in Aedes albopictus Skuse C6/36 cells. Nucleotide sequence comparison of the eight flavivirus RNA-positive pools showed that there was 100% identity among them, and phylogenetic analysis of the NS5 and envelope gene regions indicated that they represent a strain of the recently described CxFV from Japan. This is the first report of an insect flavivirus from Central America.
Liquidity Constraints, Loss Aversion, and Myopia: Evidence from Central and Eastern European Countries

This paper adopts the asymmetric error correction technique to investigate the dynamics of household consumption in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The asymmetric co-integration testing shows that households in all CEE countries but Bulgaria respond asymmetrically to negative and positive shocks. Further, the estimates of the asymmetric error correction equations show that despite underdeveloped banking sectors, households in all CEE countries asymmetrically responding to deviations but Slovakia exhibit loss aversion. As an explanation for this finding, we suggest that to smooth consumption, households in these countries deplete their savings.
Acute and temporary inhibition of thymidine kinase in mouse bone marrow cells after low-dose exposure.

Low-dose whole-body exposure of mice to less than 0.01 Gy gamma-rays causes inhibition of incorporation of thymidine or 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine into DNA of bone-marrow cells in vitro; the effect is maximal in cells at 4 hours after exposure and then subsides within about 10 hours. This is due to the inhibition of cellular thymidine kinase, which gradually develops to a maximum at 4 hours after exposure and again subsides within the next 10 hours. This inhibition involves only 35 per cent of the entire cellular enzyme activity and, analogous to the depression of thymidine incorporation into the cells, is only seen when the cells are collected into medium that is buffered to 7.2-7.4 and contains about 1350 mg NaHCO3 per litre. Addition of NaHCO3 to the cell homogenate or to the high speed supernatant containing the enzyme, but not to intact cells, failed to produce enzyme inhibition. There is also no depression of 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine uptake into the intact cells in vitro when the mice are irradiated either shortly before or after i.v. injection of 0.02 mg of procain chloride. The reversibility of the effect in vivo and in vitro suggests a particular enzyme control mechanism that may be non-specifically triggered by intracellular charges, such as peroxides, and may enhance repair.
A Comparison of Resorbable and Metallic Fixation in Healing of Calvarial Bone Grafts

The effects of a resorbable fixation plate composed of a polylactic acid-polyglycolic acid copolymer were compared with those of a metallic fixation plate of similar dimensions in an animal calvarial bone-graft healing model. Bilateral parietal bone grafts in 20 mature rabbits were fixed into position with a titanium mesh plate on one side and a polymer mesh plate on the other side. After 2, 6, 9, and 12 months, cross-sectional histology was used to compare osteotomy line healing, tissue response to the fixation material, and the amount of resorbable plate degradation. After 2 months, no changes in the dimensions of the resorbable plate were observed. The bone grafts fixed by both metal and polymer plates exhibited incomplete healing along the osteotomy lines. After 6 months, there was a 66 percent reduction in the dimensions of the resorbable plate and vertical shortening of screw length. Complete healing was seen along all osteotomy lines of both bone grafts. After 9 months, less than 1 percent of the resorbable mesh plate remained as a small film underneath a collagenous capsule. No polymer was seen within the confines of the screw holes. After 1 year, no evidence of polymer was seen either on the external cranial surface or within any of the screw holes. Bony union was observed across all osteotomy sites. The screw hole outlines persisted. The resorbable plate demonstrated fixation stability similar to that of metal with comparable osteotomy line healing. No adverse local inflammatory reactions were seen as the polymer composite progressed to complete degradation by 1 year.
Investigating the Relationship between Environmental Factors and Tick Abundance in a Small, Highly Heterogeneous Region

ABSTRACT: The tick Ixodes ricinus (L.) is the most important vector of tick-borne zoonoses in Europe. Apart from factors related to human behavior, tick abundance is a major driver of the incidence of tick-borne diseases in a given area and related data represent critical information for promoting effective public health policies. The present study analyzed the relationship between different environmental factors and tick abundance in order to improve the understanding of I. ricinus autecology and develop spatial predictive models that can be implemented in tick-borne disease prevention strategies. Ticks were sampled in 27 sites over a four-year period and different environmental variables were studied. Five simple models were developed that explain a large part of variation in tick abundance. Precipitation seems to play the most important role, followed by temperature, woodland coverage, and solar radiation. Model equations obtained in this study may enable the spatial interpolation and extension of tick abundance predicted values to sites of the same area, in order to build regional predictive maps. They could also be useful for the validation of large-scale spatial predictive maps.
The Labor Market Effects of Credit Market Information

Credit information affects the allocation of consumer credit, but its effects on other markets that are relevant for academic and policy analysis are unknown. This paper measures the effect of negative credit information on the employment and earnings of Swedish individuals at the margins of the formal credit and labor markets. We exploit a policy change that generates quasi-exogenous variation in the retention time of past delinquencies on credit reports and estimate that one additional year of negative credit information causes a reduction in wage earnings of $1,000. In comparison, the decrease in credit is only one-fourth as large. Negative credit information also causes an increase in self-employment and a decrease in mobility. We exploit differences in the information available to employers and banks to show suggestive evidence that this cost of default is borne inefficiently by the relatively more creditworthy individuals among previous defaulters.
Reactive oxygen species and protein modifications in spermatozoa†

Abstract Cellular response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) includes both reversible redox signaling and irreversible nonenzymatic reactions which depend on the nature and concentration of the ROS involved. Changes in thiol/disulfide pairs affect protein conformation, enzymatic activity, ligand binding, and protein–protein interactions. During spermatogenesis and epididymal maturation, there are ROS-dependent modifications of the sperm chromatin and flagellar proteins. The spermatozoon is regulated by redox mechanisms to acquire fertilizing ability. For this purpose, controlled amounts of ROS are necessary to assure sperm activation (motility and capacitation). Modifications of the thiol groups redox status of sperm proteins are needed for spermatozoon to achieve fertilizing ability. However, when ROS are produced at high concentrations, the established oxidative stress promotes pathological changes affecting sperm function and leading to infertility. Sperm proteins are sensitive to high levels of ROS and suffermodifications that impact onmotility, capacitation, and the ability of the spermatozoon to recognize and bind to the zona pellucida and damage of sperm DNA. Thiol oxidation, tyrosine nitration, and S-glutathionylation are highlighted in this review as significant redox-dependent protein modifications associated with impairment of sperm function and alteration of paternal genome leading to infertility. Peroxiredoxins, the primary antioxidant protection in spermatozoa, are affected by most of the protein modifications described in this review. They play a significant role in both physiological and pathological processes in mammalian spermatozoa. Summary Sentence Reactive oxygen species promote redox-dependent protein modifications that lead to impairment of sperm function.
Identification of additional genes that influence baculovirus late gene expression.

We were unable to confirm transient late gene expression using constructs of 18 genes that had been reported to support Autographa californica multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) late gene expression when transfected into Spodoptera frugiperda cells [Lu, A. , and Miller, L. K. (1995). J. Virol. 69, 975-982]. Three genes (orf66, orf68, and orf41) were included, all or in part, in the constructs used in that study, but they had not been independently tested. Therefore we investigated these and neighboring orfs for their influence on late gene expression. We found that orf41 was required for late gene expression and that sequences within orf45 appeared to be required for the expression of orf41. Although orf66 and orf68 did not appear to affect late gene expression, orf69 stimulated expression. orf69 was found to have high homology to recent entries in GenBank from a variety of organisms. In addition, it was found that orf121, which was shown to be involved in early gene expression, and the viral homolog of pcna did not influence late gene expression.
Comparison between power efficiencies of mixed-line rate over Single-Line Rate in spectral efficient WDM networks with signal quality guarantee

Mixed-Line Rate (MLR) in a cost-efficient manner scope with the heterogeneous nature of constantly increasing traffic demands in core networks. In the same time, telecom operators have to decide how to introduce into the system new 10G, 40G, and/or 100G channels regarding (i) data requests, (ii) utilization of available network resources such as fiber frequency band, and (iii) an overall network power consumption that even more increases due to extra signal regeneration required because of the even more higher spectral efficiency. Hence, this paper aims at comparing, in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) systems level, the power efficiency between numbers of MLR solutions over Single-Line Rate (SLR) with the highest acceptable spectral efficiency while guaranteeing the certain signal quality at the receiving node of an end-to-end connection.
A functional role for hippocampal non-local activity and a method to interfere with functional circuits

The hippocampus has been implicated in spatial cognition. Pyramidal cells in the rodent hippocampus show a spatial correlate in their activity, such that they increase their activity when an animal enters their principal firing field (‘place field’). However, behavioural state and task demands have been found to influence place cell activity when cells are outside their place field. This thesis will report findings implying a functional role for ‘out-of-field’ activity. The first experimental chapter will show ensemble place cell activity is highest at the start of a goal-directed trajectory, and that such enhanced activity is related to navigational performance. These findings accord with hippocampal activity patterns observed in human studies. Moreover, we speculate the enhanced activity may relate to navigational planning. The second experimental chapter shows hippocampal place cell sequences during rest preplay a future, motivationally-relevant trajectory through unexplored space. This effect could not be explained by simple preconfiguration in the hippocampal circuitry. Thus, we conclude these findings show that preplay can be under the control of goal-directed influences and may represent the neural signature underlying navigational planning in novel environments. The aforementioned findings emphasise the importance of studying functional neural circuits. Consequently, the final study describes a method to perform targeted ablations of single-cells in the rodent brain, by means of laser irradiation. We show this lesioning method is spatially precise and has a depth limitation of ~400μm below brain surface. Moreover, we describe one experimental application of the method. We suggest this method is well suited for addressing the causal links between functional neural circuits and behaviour. The final chapter discusses the data in terms of how out-of-field hippocampal activity may be involved in future planning and the contribution the ablation method can make to the study of hippocampal function.
Cloning and sequence analysis of two copies of a 23S rRNA gene from Helicobacter pylori and association of clarithromycin resistance with 23S rRNA mutations

In this study, two identical copies of a 23S-5S gene cluster, which are separately situated within the Helicobacter pylori UA802 chromosome, were cloned and sequenced. Comparison of the DNA sequence of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene with known sequences of other bacterial 23S rRNA genes indicated that the H. pylori UA802 23S rRNA genes are closely related to those of Campylobacter spp. and therefore belong in the proposed Proteobacteria subdivision. The 5'-terminal nucleotide T or A of the 23S rRNA is close to a Pribnow box which could be a -10 region of the transcription promoter for the 23S rRNA gene, suggesting that a posttranscriptional process is likely not involved in the maturation of the H. pylori 23S rRNA. Clinical isolates of H. pylori resistant to clarithromycin were examined by using natural transformation and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Cross-resistance to clarithromycin and erythromycin, which was transferred by natural transformation from the Cla(r) Ery(r) donor strain H. pylori E to the Cla(s) Ery(s) recipient strain H. pylori UA802, was associated with an single A-to-G transition mutation at position 2142 of both copies of the 23S rRNA in UA802 Cla(r) Ery(r) mutants. The transformation frequency for Cla(r) and Ery(r) was found to be approximately 2 x 10(-6) transformants per viable cell, and the MICs of both clarithromycin and erythromycin for the Cla(r) Ery(r) mutants were equal to those for the donor isolate. Our results confirmed the previous findings that mutations at positions 2142 and 2143 of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene are responsible for clarithromycin resistance and suggest that acquisition of clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori could also result from horizontal transfer.