Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The meiotic segregation of human sperm chromosomes in two men with accessory marker chromosomes.

Accessory marker chromosomes are occasionally discovered in normal individuals and they are presumed "clinically inert" since they do not appear to have any phenotypic effect. However, they do pose a theoretical risk at meiosis since they could disrupt the normal pairing and disjunction of homologous chromosomes. Sperm chromosome complements have been studied in two normal males, each of whom carry a small bisatellited accessory marker chromosome 47,XY, + mar (psps), to determine if these marker chromosomes are associated with an increased frequency of aneuploid gametes. Pronuclear chromosomes were visualized after in vitro fertilization of golden hamster eggs with human sperm. The frequency of sperm complements containing a marker chromosome was not significantly different from 50% as theoretically expected, in either male (17/43 and 13/31 with marker chromosomes). One male had 2/43 (4.7%) aneuploid sperm, which is very close to the average frequency of aneuploid sperm seen in control donors (5%). The other male had 6/31 complements with chromosomal abnormalities. One set of sperm chromosomes had structural abnormalities, and five (16.1%) had numerical abnormalities. This frequency of aneuploidy is significantly elevated over the frequency seen in control donors (P = .0002). It is particularly interesting that all the abnormalities involved small chromosomes, as would be expected if the marker chromosome participated in distributive pairing and thereby disrupted normal disjunction of chromosomes of similar size. These preliminary results suggest that accessory marker chromosomes may increase the risk of aneuploid gametes in some individuals.
Sex differences in numbers of nevi on body sites of young European children: implications for the etiology of cutaneous melanoma.

BACKGROUND Since 1950, the greatest increase in cutaneous melanoma incidence in fair-skinned males took place on the trunk and on the head and neck, whereas in females, it took place on the limbs, mainly on the lower limbs. We examined the influence of sex on numbers and size of nevi on different body sites in white European schoolchildren. METHODS Information about each holiday period since birth to interview was recorded from parents of six hundred twenty-eight 6- to 7-year-old children in four European cities (Brussels (Belgium), Bochum (Germany), Lyons (France), and Rome (Italy)). Number and anatomic location of small (2-4.9 mm) and large (>/=5 mm) nevi and individual susceptibility to sunlight were independently assessed. RESULTS After adjustment for host characteristics, sun exposure, and sun protection habits, males had 7% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), -7 to 19] more small nevi than females. However, compared to females, numbers of small nevi were increased by 17% (95% CI, 1-31) on the head and neck and by 16% (95% CI, 2-27) on the trunk and shoulders. In contrast, in males, the number of small nevi on upper limbs was decreased by -5% (95% CI, -26 to 13), and on lower limbs by -8% (95% CI, -34 to 13). The number of large nevi was 6% higher in males than in females (95% CI, -26 to 30). CONCLUSIONS The sex differences in small nevus distribution in schoolchildren reflect the sex differences in the anatomic distribution of melanoma in adults. Sex differences in sun exposure behaviors, dressing, and clothing would just add their effects to the sex-dependent inherited propensity to develop nevi on a given body site. These results reinforce the hypothesis by which childhood would be a decisive period for the occurrence of sun-induced biological events implicated in the genesis of cutaneous melanoma.
Neonatal hypoxic/ischemic brain injury induces production of calretinin‐expressing interneurons in the striatum

Ischemia‐induced striatal neurogenesis from progenitors in the adjacent subventricular zone (SVZ) in young and adult rodents has been reported. However, it has not been established whether the precursors that reside in the SVZ retain the capacity to produce the full range of striatal neurons that has been destroyed. By using a neonatal rat model of hypoxic/ischemic brain damage, we show here that virtually all of the newly produced striatal neurons are calretinin (CR)‐immunoreactive (+), but not DARPP‐32+, calbindin‐D‐28K+, parvalbumin+, somatostatin+, or choline acetyltransferase+. Retroviral fate‐mapping studies confirm that these newly born CR+ neurons are indeed descendants of the SVZ. Our studies indicate that, although the postnatal SVZ has the capacity to produce a range of neurons, only a subset of this repertoire is manifested in the brain after injury. J. Comp. Neurol. 511:19–33, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Divisional Reverse Leveraged Buyout

We examine the hypothesis that the leveraged buyout improves the operating performance of units that are divested from corporations. To do so, we focus on an historical sample of Divisional Reverse Leveraged Buyout (D-RLBO) and compare it with a matched sample of spinoffs We find that prior to divestiture, the D-RLBO units in our sample were healthier than the divested units that were spun off. Furthermore, although the finishing school of leveraged buyout did not improve the operating performance of the D-RLBO units, relative to the matched spinoff sample these units performed well in terms of market returns one-year following the IPO. Our results suggest that buyout specialists selected better performing assets ex-ante and that they did not necessarily enhance their operating performance before bringing them up to the public markets.
A pilot study on enhancing positive coping behaviour in early adolescents using a school-based project

Early adolescence is a period of rapid cognitive, social, emotional and physical changes. During this period, early adolescents usually lack the ability to cope when they experience stress, which is usually family and school-related. If they cannot cope with such stress, they may fail to develop in a healthy manner and may develop habits harmful to their health such as substance abuse. To enhance positive behaviour in those in early adolescence coping with stress, a school-based project was implemented using focus group interviews, an open forum and follow-up interviews and journals. The objectives were to identify the stressors encountered by the students and their ability to cope, to develop and implement an educational activity to promote positive coping behaviour and to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational activity. The findings of the evaluation support the view that an early prevention programme for promoting positive coping behaviour to early adolescents is useful.
Mutational Analysis of the Role of the Distal Histidine and Glutamine Residues of Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthase-2 in Peroxidase Catalysis, Hydroperoxide Reduction, and Cyclooxygenase Activation*

Site-directed mutants of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 (PGHS-2) with changes in the peroxidase active site were prepared by mutagenesis, expressed in Sf-9 cells, and purified to homogeneity. The distal histidine, His193, was mutated to alanine and the distal glutamine, Gln189, was changed to asparagine, valine, and arginine. The guaiacol peroxidase activities of H193A, Q189V, and Q189R were drastically reduced to levels observed in the absence of protein; only Q189N retained wild-type PGHS-2 (wtPGHS-2) activity. The mechanism of hydroperoxide reduction by the PGHS-2 mutants was investigated using 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE), a diagnostic probe of hydroperoxide reduction pathways. The hydroperoxide reduction activity of Q189V and Q189R was reduced to that of free Fe(III) protoporphyrin IX levels, whereas Q189N catalyzed more reduction events than wtPGHS-2. The percentage of two-electron reduction events was identical for wtPGHS-2 and Q189N. The number of hydroperoxide reductions catalyzed by H193A was reduced to ∼60% of wtPGHS-2 activity, but the majority of products were the one-electron reduction products, 15-KETE and epoxyalcohols. Thus, mutation of the distal histidine to alanine leads to a change in the mechanism of hydroperoxide reduction. Reaction of wtPGHS-2, Q189N, and H193A with varying concentrations of 15-HPETE revealed a change in product profile that suggests that 15-HPETE can compete with the reducing substrate for oxidation by the peroxidase higher oxidation state, compound I. The ability of the PGHS-2 proteins to catalyze two-electron hydroperoxide reduction correlated with the activation of cyclooxygenase activity. The reduced ability of H193A to catalyze two-electron hydroperoxide reduction resulted in a substantial lag phase in the cyclooxygenase assay. The addition of 2-methylimidazole chemically reconstituted the two-electron hydroperoxide reduction activity of H193A and abolished the cyclooxygenase lag phase. These observations are consistent with the involvement of the two-electron oxidized peroxidase intermediate, compound I, as the mediator of the activation of the cyclooxygenase of PGHS.
Cloning and Expression of Cytochrome P 450 Enzymes Catalyzing the Conversion of Tyrosine to p-Hydroxyphenylacetaldoxime in the Biosynthesis of Cyanogenic Glucosides in Triglochin maritima 1

Two cDNA clones encoding cytochrome P450 enzymes belonging to the CYP79 family have been isolated from Triglochin maritima. The two proteins show 94% sequence identity and have been designated CYP79E1 and CYP79E2. Heterologous expression of the native and the truncated forms of the two clones in Escherichia coli demonstrated that both encode multifunctional N-hydroxylases catalyzing the conversion of tyrosine to p-hydroxyphenylacetaldoxime in the biosynthesis of the two cyanogenic glucosides taxiphyllin and triglochinin in T. maritima. This renders CYP79E functionally identical to CYP79A1 from Sorghum bicolor, and unambiguously demonstrates that cyanogenic glucoside biosynthesis in T. maritima and S. bicolor is catalyzed by analogous enzyme systems with p-hydroxyphenylacetaldoxime as a free intermediate. This is in contrast to earlier reports stipulating p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile as the only free intermediate in T. maritima. L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl[3C]Ala (DOPA) was not metabolized by CYP79E1, indicating that hydroxylation of the phenol ring at the meta position, as required for triglochinin formation, takes place at a later stage. In S. bicolor, CYP71E1 catalyzes the subsequent conversion of p-hydroxyphenylacetaldoxime to p-hydroxymandelonitrile. When CYP79E1 from T. maritima was reconstituted with CYP71E1 and NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase from S. bicolor, efficient conversion of tyrosine to p-hydroxymandelonitrile was observed.
Field Parasitism of Nontarget Weevil Species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by the Introduced Biological Control Agent Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) over an Altitude Gradient

Abstract The parasitoid, Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was introduced into New Zealand in 1982 to control the alfalfa pest, Sitona discoideus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Studies have shown that a number of nontarget weevil species are attacked in the field by this parasitoid. A field study was carried out to investigate nontarget parasitism by M. aethiopoides over an altitudinal sequence from the target host habitat (alfalfa) into native grassland. Three locations were selected for the study, and at each, the alfalfa growing in the valley floor was sampled annually for parasitism of the target pest that ranged between 17 and 78%. At progressively higher altitudes, three further grassland sites at each location were sampled monthly during spring to autumn for up to 6 yr. Weevil densities were estimated, species identified, and dissections carried out to determine reproductive status and parasitism. Almost 12,000 weevils were collected during the study, which were identified as 36 species in total from the three locations. Eight weevil species were found to be parasitized, including S. discoideus, the target host that was found at all sites. Parasitism of nontarget species was ≈2% overall but varied with location, site, and season. Substantial nontarget parasitism was found at only one of the locations, with up to 24% parasitism of a native weevil, Nicaeana fraudator Broun (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), recorded. Another species, Irenimus egens (Broun) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was also found at this location at similar population densities but was attacked far less by M. aethiopoides. Results are discussed in relation to weevil phenology.
Genetic evidence for subspecies differentiation of the Himalayan marmot, Marmota himalayana, in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The primary host of plague in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China, is Marmota himalayana, which plays an essential role in the maintenance, transmission, and prevalence of plague. To achieve a more clear insight into the differentiation of M. himalayana, complete cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and 11 microsatellite loci were analyzed for a total of 423 individuals from 43 localities in the northeast of the QTP. Phylogenetic analyses with maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods showed that all derived haplotypes diverged into two primary well-supported monophyletic lineages, I and II, which corresponded to the referential sequences of two recognized subspecies, M. h. himalayana and M. h. robusta, respectively. The divergence between the two lineages was estimated to be at about 1.03 million years ago, nearly synchronously with the divergence between M. baibacina and M. kastschenkoi and much earlier than that between M. vancouverensis and M. caligata. Genetic structure analyses based on the microsatellite dataset detected significant admixture between the two lineages in the mixed region, which verified the intraspecies level of the differentiation between the two lineages. Our results for the first time demonstrated the coexistence of M. h. himalayana and M. h. robusta, and also, determined the distribution range of the two subspecies in the northeast of QTP. We provided fundamental information for more effective plague control in the QTP.
Depletion of Phospholipid Arachidonoyl‐Containing Molecular Species in a Human Schwann Cell Line Grown in Elevated Glucose and Their Restoration by an Aldose Reductase Inhibitor

Abstract: In experimental diabetic neuropathy, defective arachidonic acid metabolism characterized by a decrease in the proportion of glycerophospholipid arachidonoyl‐containing molecular species (ACMS) occurs and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the disorder. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of a tumor‐derived human Schwann cell line (NF1T) as a model to investigate the mechanism underlying the loss of ACMS. NF1T cells grown in 30 versus 5.5 mM glucose undergo a marked reduction in ACMS in phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol, in a manner resembling that of diabetic nerve. The depletion of ACMS can be reversed on transferring the cells from 30 mM glucose to medium containing physiological levels of glucose. Cells maintained in 5.5 mM glucose plus 25 mM mannitol or sorbitol did not exhibit decreased ACMS levels, indicating that osmotic effects were not responsible for ACMS depletion. However, growth in 25 mM fructose elicited a reduction of ACMS similar to that produced by 30 mM glucose. Excessive glucose flux through the polyol pathway has been implicated in the neural and vascular abnormalities associated with diabetes. Therefore, we examined the effects of polyol pathway inhibitors, including two aldose reductase inhibitors, zopolrestat and sorbinil, and a sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDI), CP166,572, on ACMS levels in NF1T cells cultured in elevated glucose concentrations. At 200 µM, zopolrestat fully and sorbinil partially corrected ACMS depletion. The SDI at concentrations up to 100 µM failed to affect diminished ACMS levels. Neither zopolrestat nor the SDI restored ACMS levels reduced in the presence of elevated fructose concentrations. These findings suggest that enhanced flux through the polyol pathway and, in particular, elevated aldose reductase activity may play a significant role in the reduction of ACMS levels in the cells brought about by elevated glucose levels.
Proximate Composition and Functional Properties of Mushroom Flours from Ganoderma spp., Omphalotus olearius (DC.) Sing. and Hebeloma mesophaeum (Pers.) Quél. Used in Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

The proximate composition and functional properties of three edible mushroom (Ganoderma spp., Omphalotus olearius (DC.) Sing. and Hebeloma mesophaeum (Pers.) Quél. ) flours used in Nasarawa state, Nigaria were investigated using standard analytical techniques. The samples contained crude protein in the range of 18.5% in Omphalotus olearius to 21.5% in Ganoderma spp. Crude fat varied with values ranging from 6.9% in Ganoderma spp. to 8.7% in Omphalotus olearius. Other proximate composition values were in the following ranges: moisture content 10.0 - 11.1%, ash 7.3 - 8.3%, crude fibre 2.8 - 3.5% and carbohydrate (by difference) 50.3 - 50.9%. The range values of functional properties were: foaming capacity 101.8 - 131.5%, foaming stability 51.0 - 54.0%, water absorption capacity 260.0 - 390.0%, oil absorption capacity 450 - 480%, oil emulsion capacity 57.3 - 61.0mLg- 1, least gelation concentration 12.0 - 14.0% and bulk density 230.0 - 410.0gmL-1. The results showed that these nutrient rich mushroom flours under investigation may prove useful in the formulation of different food products where foaming, emulsification, retention of flavour and palatability as well as gel formation are required.
Long-termComplete Remission Following Radiosurgery and Immunotherapy in aMelanomaPatientwithBrainMetastasis : Immunologic Correlates

A melanoma patient with brain metastases was treated by gamma-knife radiosurgery and immunotherapy with autologous tumor-lysate–loaded dendritic cells (DC). Ten years after the combined treatment, the patient remains in complete remission. Remarkable immunologic correlates to the clinical development were the transient induction of NY-ESO-1 antibody and the durable expansion of MAGE-A1p161–169 EADPTGHSY–specific CD8þ T cells. Although the induction of NY-ESO-1 antibody most likely resulted from gamma-knife–mediated "auto-vaccination," the persistence of circulating MAGE-A1–specific T cells, which are still detectable ex vivo in the absence of any tumormanifestation, coincides with DC-based vaccination administeredmonthly until today. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(5); 404–9. 2014 AACR.
Multi-Feature Registration of Point Clouds

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has become a mainstream technique for rapid acquisition of 3-D geometry. Current LiDAR platforms can be mainly categorized into spaceborne LiDAR system (SLS), airborne LiDAR system (ALS), mobile LiDAR system (MLS), and terrestrial LiDAR system (TLS). Point cloud registration between different scans of the same platform or different platforms is essential for establishing a complete scene description and improving geometric consistency. The discrepancies in data characteristics should be manipulated properly for precise transformation estimation. This paper proposes a multi-feature registration scheme suitable for utilizing point, line, and plane features extracted from raw point clouds to realize the registrations of scans acquired within the same LIDAR system or across the different platforms. By exploiting the full geometric strength of the features, different features are used exclusively or combined with others. The uncertainty of feature observations is also considered within the proposed method, in which the registration of multiple scans can be simultaneously achieved. The simulated test with an ideal geometry and data simplification was performed to assess the contribution of different features towards point cloud registration in a very essential fashion. On the other hand, three real cases of registration between LIDAR scans from single platform and between those acquired by different platforms were demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. In light of the experimental results, it was found that the proposed model with simultaneous and weighted adjustment rendered satisfactory registration results and showed that not only features inherited in the scene can be more exploited to increase the robustness and reliability for transformation estimation, but also the weak geometry of poorly overlapping scans can be better treated than utilizing only one single type of feature. The registration errors of multiple scans in all tests were all less than point interval or positional error, whichever dominating, of the LiDAR data.
Natural killer resistance of a drug-resistant leukemia cell line, mediated by up-regulation of HLA class I expression.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Drug-resistant leukemia cells may exhibit cross-resistance towards immunological effector mechanisms by alterations of apoptosis pathways. This is particularly relevant in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for leukemia, where the graft-versus-leukemia effect acts on cells pretreated with cytostatic drugs. Here, we clarify the mechanism underlying cross-resistance of drug-resistant variants of the T-leukemia cell line CEM towards natural killer cells. DESIGN AND METHODS We determined the sensitivity of different CEM sublines to natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity, and separately analyzed the components of the killing machinery by detection of granzyme B-induced caspase cleavage and HLA class I-dependent recognition mechanisms. Furthermore, we studied regulation of HLA class I expression comparing CEM with other cell lines. RESULTS We found that CEM cells resistant to cytostatic drugs or CD95 were cross-resistant towards NK cells from a variety of donors. Granzyme B-induced caspase and PARP cleavage in the sensitive and resistant cells were comparable, indicating that downstream apoptosis pathways were not altered in the drug-resistant cells. HLA class I molecules were upregulated in the resistant cells, inhibiting NK cells at the level of killer/target recognition. HLA class I upregulation was not found in other leukemia cell lines. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS This is the first description of HLA class I-mediated NK cross-resistance in drug-resistant cells. This finding may have a clinical impact since it may be considered as a possible reason for resistance to a graft-versus-leukemia approach in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Molecular Modeling of Interactions between N-(Carboxymethyl)-N-tetradecylglycine and Fluorapatite

In this study, a flotation collector N-(carboxymethyl)-N-tetradecylglycine (NCNT) was introduced for the purpose of energy-saving, and its adsorption ability on a fluorapatite (001) surface was investigated by density functional theory calculation. The results of frontier molecular orbital analysis of NCNT and adsorption energy between NCNT and fluorapatite (FAp) showed that NCNT possessed better activity and stronger interactions in the reagent–FAp system than oleic acid (OA). A simulation model revealed that the adsorption positions of NCNT on the fluorapatite surface are calcium atoms, at which NCNT chemisorbed on (001) fluorapatite surface via a bidentate geometry involving the formation of two Ca–O bonds. Flotation experiments verified that NCNT had a good recovery of 92.27% on FAp at pH 3.5, which was slightly lower than OA. Moreover, NCNT was used at 16 °C, which was much lower than the OA’s service condition (25 °C).