Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
v-Src Generates a p53-Independent Apoptotic Signal

ABSTRACT Evasion of apoptosis appears to be a necessary event in tumor progression. Some oncogenes, such as c-myc and E1A, induce apoptosis in the absence of survival factors. However, others, such asbcl-2 and v-src, activate antiapoptotic pathways. For v-Src, these antiapoptotic pathways are dependent on the function of Ras, phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, and Stat3. Here we asked whether v-Src can activate a proapoptotic signal when survival signaling is inhibited. We show that when the functions of Ras and PI 3-kinase are inhibited, v-src-transformed Rat-2 fibroblasts undergo apoptosis, evidenced by loss of adherence, nuclear fragmentation, and chromosomal DNA degradation. The apoptotic response is dependent on activation of caspase 3. Under similar conditions nontransformed Rat-2 cells undergo considerably lower levels of apoptosis. Apoptosis induced by v-Src is accompanied by a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochromec and is blocked by overexpression of bcl-2, indicating that it is mediated by the mitochondrial pathway. However apoptosis induced by v-Src is not accompanied by an increase in the level of p53 and is not dependent on p53 function. Thus v-Src generates a p53-independent proapoptotic signal.
Activation of mouse peritoneal cells to kill Listeria monocytogenes by T-lymphocyte products

An in vitro system has been used to demonstrate that glass-adherent mouse peritoneal cells can be activated to kill intracellular Listeria monocytogenes by antigen-stimulated T-lymphocytes derived from immunized mice. The soluble products of such stimulated lymphocyte cultures could only be shown to similarly activate peritoneal cells if the antigen used in both the immunization and lymphocyte stimulation was also present on the target intracellular organism.
An AMSTAR assessment of the methodological quality of systematic reviews of oral healthcare interventions published in the Journal of Applied Oral Science (JAOS)

Background Systematic reviews are not an assembly of anecdotes but a distillation of current best available evidence on a particular topic and as such have an important role to play in evidence-based healthcare. A substantial proportion of these systematic reviews focus on interventions, and are able to provide clinicians with the opportunity to understand and translate the best available evidence on the effects of these healthcare interventions into clinical practice. The importance of systematic reviews in summarising and identifying the gaps in evidence which might inform new research initiatives is also widely acknowledged. Their potential impact on practice and research makes their methodological quality especially important as it may directly influence their utility for clinicians, patients and policy makers. The objectives of this study were to identify systematic reviews of oral healthcare interventions published in the Journal of Applied Oral Science (JAOS) and to evaluate their methodological quality using the evaluation tool, AMSTAR. Methods Potentially eligible systematic reviews in JAOS were identified through an electronic search of the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Details of the relevant aspects of methodology as reported in these systematic reviews were extracted from the full text publications. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using the AMSTAR questionnaire. Results Five systematic reviews were identified, one of which was subsequently excluded as it was a review of a diagnostic test. Summary AMSTAR scores for the four included reviews were: 1, 5, 2 and 4 out of a maximum score of 11 (range 1-5, mean 3) with only one of the reviews scoring 5. Conclusion AMSTAR evaluation of the methodological quality of the relatively small number of systematic reviews published in JAOS illustrated that there was room for improvement. Pre-publication and editorial appraisal of future systematic reviews might benefit from the application of tools such as AMSTAR and is to be recommended.
A specific superoxide dismutase mutation is on the same genetic background in sporadic and familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease of motor neurons, causing progressive muscular atrophy, weakness, and death from respiratory failure, often within 2-3 years. Although most cases are sporadic, some 5%-10% are inherited as autosomal dominants with age-dependent penetrance. An ALS locus has been mapped to chromosome 21q, and causative mutations identified in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. A majority of SOD1 mutations have been found in cases with a clear family history of ALS. However, we and others have also described SOD1 mutations in patients where the disease appears to be sporadic. This is especially true for the missense mutation in codon 113 of the SOD1 gene, which substitutes threonine for isoleucine (I113T). One explanation for this finding is that this codon is a mutational hot spot with sporadic cases representing new mutations. Another is that the inherited nature of the cases is disguised by the reduced penetrance of this specific mutation. We have now shown that each of six unrelated cases of I113T mutation that we have collected in the Scottish population occurs on the same genetic background. Association analysis of multiple flanking loci on chromosome 21q supports the conclusion of a founder effect, with the more » original mutational event occurring {ge}10 generations ago. 12 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. « less
Vacancy Generation by Laser Preirradiation for Junction Leakage Suppression

Vacancy generation by laser preirradiation on silicon substrate before implantation for advanced junction engineering was demonstrated. Amorphized p+/n junction diodes subjected to preimplant laser irradiation show a twofold reduction on the off-state leakage current and a two-time improvement on the on-state current compared to control devices without any preirradiation. The defect-removal mechanism is achieved by the recombination of excess vacancies trapped at the maximum laser melt depth as a result of the molten silicon recrystallization with the implantation-generated interstitials. The effectiveness of laser-generated vacancies in annihilating residual defects is evident in the suppression of junction leakage current.
Affect Monitoring and the Primacy of Feelings in Judgment

Multidisciplinary evidence suggests that people often make evaluative judgments by monitoring their feelings toward the target. This article examines, in the context of moderately complex and consciously accessible stimuli, the judgmental properties of consciously monitored feelings. Results from four studies show that, compared to cold, reason-based assessments of the target, the conscious monitoring of feelings provides judgmental responses that are (a) potentially faster, (b) more stable and consistent across individuals, and importantly (c) more predictive of the number and valence of people’s thoughts. These findings help explain why the monitoring of feelings is an often diagnostic pathway to evaluation in judgment and decision making.
Optimization of Internet Protocol network design and routing

We consider network design and routing for Internet Protocol lIPr traffic. The design problem concerns capacity dimensioning of communication links, where the design cost consists of fixed charges and linear capacity expansion costs. The optimization problem also concerns determining the amount of traffic demand to be carried by the network and the metric used by a shortest path routing protocol. We present a novel linear mixed-integer mathematical formulation and two heuristic solution procedures. The first heuristic uses mixed-integer programming to generate a sequence of routing solutions. The second solution approach is a simulated annealing meta heuristic. Computational experiments for synthesized and real-life networks show that high-quality solutions can be obtained by both approaches. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Numerical modeling of tsunami waves generated by the flank collapse of the Cumbre Vieja Volcano (La Palma, Canary Islands): Tsunami source and near field effects

[1] In this work, we study waves generated by the potential collapse of the west flank of the Cumbre Vieja Volcano (CVV; La Palma, Canary Island, Spain) through numerical simulations performed in two stages: (i) the initial slide motion and resulting free surface elevation are first calculated using a 3D Navier-Stokes model; (ii) generated waves are then input into a 2D (horizontal) Boussinesq model to further simulate propagation to the nearby islands. Unlike in earlier work on CVV, besides a similar extreme slide volume scenario of 450 km3, in our simulations: (i) we consider several slide scenarios featuring different volumes (i.e., 20, 40, 80 km3), which partly result from a geotechnical slope stability analysis; (ii) we use a more accurate bathymetry; and (iii) an incompressible version of a multiple-fluid/material Navier-Stokes model. We find wave trains for each scenario share common features in terms of wave directivity, frequency, and time evolution, but maximum elevations near CVV significantly differ, ranging from 600 to 1200 m (for increasing slide volume). Additionally, our computations show that significant energy transfer from slide to waves only lasts for a short duration (order 200 s), which justifies concentrating our best modeling efforts on the early slide motion phase. The anticipated consequences of such wave trains on La Palma and other Canary Islands are assessed in detail in the paper.
The working mechanism of an immune complex vaccine that protects chickens against infectious bursal disease

The role of immune complexes (Icx) in B‐cell memory formation and affinity maturation allow for their potential use as vaccines. Recently, a new immune complex vaccine has been developed that is currently under field trials conducted in commercial poultry. This immune complex vaccine is developed by mixing live intermediate plus infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) with hyperimmune IBDV chicken serum (IBDV–Icx vaccine). Here we have investigated the infectivity of this vaccine as well as the native IBDV (uncomplexed) vaccine in terms of differences in target organs, in target cells and speed of virus replication. At various days after inoculation on day 18 of incubation (in ovo) with either one dose of virus alone or the IBDV–Icx vaccine, the replication of IBDV and the frequency of B cells and other leucocyte populations were examined in the bursa of Fabricius, spleen, and thymus using immunocytochemistry. With both vaccines, IBDV was detected associated with B cells, macrophages and follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in bursa and spleen, although complexing IBDV with specific antibodies caused a delay in virus detection of about 5 days. Most remarkable was the low level of depletion of bursal and splenic B cells in IBDV–Icx vaccinated chickens. Furthermore, in ovo inoculation with the IBDV–Icx vaccine induced more germinal centres in the spleen and larger amounts of IBDV were localized on both splenic and bursal FDC. From these results we hypothesize that the working mechanism of the IBDV–Icx vaccine is related to its specific cellular interaction with FDC in spleen and bursa.
TOPORS Modulates H2AX Discriminating Genotoxic Stresses

H2AX plays an important role in chromatin reorganization implicated in DNA repair and apoptosis under various DNA damaging conditions. In this study, the interaction between TOPORS (topoisomerase I‐binding protein) and H2AX was verified using mammalian cell extracts exposed to diverse DNA damaging stresses such as ionizing radiation, doxorubicin, camptothecin, and hydrogen peroxide. In vitro assays for ubiquitination revealed that TOPORS functions as a novel E3 ligase for H2AX ubiquitination. TOPORS was found to be dissociated from H2AX proteins when cells were exposed to oxidative stress, but not replication‐inducing DNA damaging stress. The protein stability of H2AX was decreased when TOPORS was ectopically expressed in cells, and oxidative stresses such as hydrogen peroxide and ionizing radiation induced recovery of the H2AX protein level. Therefore, these biochemical data suggest that TOPORS plays a key role in the turnover of H2AX protein, discriminating the type of DNA damaging stress. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 26:429‐438, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10:1002/jbt.21438
Promoting Parental Use of Nonpharmacologic Techniques With Children During Lumbar Punctures

A pretest and posttest with control group design was used to examine the effect of teaching eight children with acute leukocytic leukemia, aged 6 to 14 years, and their parents about selected nonpharmacologic techniques, then to support their use of these techniques during children's lumbar punctures. Children's distress behaviors were observed and recorded during the procedures. A Visual Analogue Scale was used to obtain children's self-report and parents' and staff nurses' perceptions of children's pain during the procedure. Posttest comparison of four subjects in the treatment group with four subjects in the control group indicated that the treatment group had fewer expressions of verbal resistance (P = .04), less muscular rigidity (P = .04), and more parent interventions (P = .06). Preintervention with postintervention comparison of all eight subjects indicated that following intervention, children had lower levels of self-reported pain (P = .09), fewer requests for emotional support (P = .07), fewer expressions of verbal fear (P = .10), and fewer information-seeking questions (P = .10). Comments from children and parents indicate that children benefitted from nonpharmacologic techniques.
Oncogene amplification during tumorigenesis of established rat fibroblasts reversibly transformed by activated human ras oncogenes

Normal rat fibroblasts of the established cell line Rat 4 were cotransformed with activated human ras oncogenes and with a cloned chicken thymidine kinase (tk) gene. Linkage between tk and ras genes allowed the isolation of oncogene deletion revertants and of cell clones showing varying degrees of malignant phenotype. Southern and Northern experiments in concert with tumorigenicity assays show that the malignant transformation of these cells by mutant ras oncogenes is a gradual but reversible process that depends on the relative abundance of oncogene sequences and their corresponding transcripts. We also show that moderate amplification of a c-K-ras oncogene in these cells results in a clear increase in their tumorigenicity and that the mutant gene present in low copy numbers in cultured cells undergoes amplification in the corresponding in vivo induced tumors.
THE COURSE OF EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA IN A PRIMAQUINE-SENSITIVE CAUCASIAN. A CASE STUDY.

Two severe hemolytic crises, in a month’s period, were induced by primaquine in a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient Sardinian male. Young red blood cells tagged with Fe 59 10 to 16 days earlier were destroyed in the second hemolytic episode. The implications of these experiments on the nature of drug-induced hemolysis in Caucasians are briefly discussed.
Bank Restructuring, Competition, and Lending Supply: Evidence from the Spanish Banking Sector

This article analyses the effects of the bank restructuring process performed in Spain between 2010 and 2016. First, we create a unique dataset by combining information from Bankscope and the Table of Public Financial Assistance released by the Bank of Spain. Second, we investigate whether these reforms affected (i) the stability, (ii) the degree of competition, and (iii) lending and liquidity supply of the Spanish banking industry. The main results suggest that the restructuring process reduced the degree of competition but increased financial stability in the Spanish banking industry. In particular, we find that two divergent forces affected the Spanish financial stability. On the one hand, the bail out dampened financial instability. On the other hand, the increasing bank market power fostered financial stability (i.e., lower risk-taking behaviour). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the restructuring process: (i) increased the Lerner index, (ii) did not increase the collusion among banks (iii) diminished the gap in cost efficiency between weak and healthy banks. Finally, we find that there are not improvements in lending and liquidity supply.
Hmong gardens: Botanical diversity in an urban setting

Since the end of the Vietnam War, thousands of Laotian Hmong have immigrated to the United States, many ultimately resettling in the Central Valley of California. In the innercity environment of Sacramento, the Hmong continue their agrarian traditions by creating urban gardens where they grow traditional plants. In this study, we document 59 Hmong garden species grown at a site in South Sacramento. Most of these species are documented in the Southeast Asian botanical literature as either food or medicinal plants. Uses of the plants are discussed as is the importance of urban gardens in maintaining Hmong cultural identity and practices.
The role of personality in predicting repeat participation in periodic health screening.

OBJECTIVE Drawing on the Five-Factor Model of personality, the aim of the present study was to find out which personality traits predict health maintenance behaviors, reflected in routine participation in health screenings, over and above objective and subjective health status. METHOD Participants were 2,803 employed individuals (61% men), free of background diseases, who underwent a routine health examination and were subsequently notified whether they were healthy or at risk. These participants were invited to repeat the examination within the next few years, as is medically recommended. RESULTS Logistic and negative binomial regressions were used to predict participants' odds of returning for a second examination, within the next 7 years, as well as the number of consecutive visits, while controlling for sociodemographic factors, objective and subjective health, and length of follow-up. We found that both endpoints were positively predicted by Conscientiousness and negatively predicted by Extraversion and Openness. The association between Neuroticism and these endpoints followed a bell-shaped curve (i.e., individuals high or low in Neuroticism were less likely to return). CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that personality traits should be taken into consideration in the planning and implementation of health-promoting interventions.
Differential Projections of Thermoreceptive and Nociceptive

Craig, A. D. and J. O. Dostrovsky.Differential projections of thermoreceptive and nociceptive lamina I trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic neurons in the cat. J Neurophysiol86: 856–870, 2001. The projections of 40 trigeminothalamic or spinothalamic (TSTT) lamina I neurons were mapped using antidromic activation from a mobile electrode array in barbiturate anesthetized cats. Single units were identified as projection cells from the initial array position and characterized with natural cutaneous stimuli as nociceptive-specific (NS, n 5 9), polymodal nociceptive (HPC, n 5 8), or thermoreceptive-specific (COOL, n 5 22; WARM, n 5 1) cells. Thresholds for antidromic activation were measured from each electrode in the mediolateral array at vertical steps of 250 mm over a 7-mm dorsoventral extent in two to eight (median 5 6.0) anteroposterior planes. Histological reconstructions showed that the maps encompassed all three of the main lamina I projection targets observed in prior anatomical work, i.e., the ventral aspect of the ventroposterior complex (vVP), the dorsomedial aspect of the ventroposterior medial nucleus (dmVPM), and the submedial nucleus (Sm). The antidromic activation foci were localized to these sites (and occasional projections to other sites were also observed, such as the parafascicular nucleus and zona incerta). The projections of thermoreceptive and nociceptive cells differed. The projections of the thermoreceptive-specific cells were 20/23 to dmVPM, 21/23 to vVP, and 17/23 to Sm, whereas the projections of the NS cells were 1/9 to dmVPM, 9/9 to vVP, and 9/9 to Sm and the projections of the HPC cells were 0/8 to dmVPM, 7/8 to vVP, and 6/8 to Sm. Thus nearly all thermoreceptive cells projected to dmVPM, but almost no nociceptive cells did. Further, thermoreceptive cells projected medially within vVP (including the basal ventral medial nucleus), while nociceptive cells projected both medially and more laterally, and the ascending axons of thermoreceptive cells were concentrated in the medial mesencephalon, while the axons of nociceptive cells ascended in the lateral mesencephalon. These findings provide evidence for anatomical differences between these physiological classes of lamina I cells, and they corroborate prior anatomical localization of the lamina I TSTT projection targets in the cat. These results support evidence indicating that the ventral aspect of the basal ventral medial nucleus is important for thermosensory behavior in cats, consistent with the view that this region is a primordial homologue of the posterior ventral medial nucleus in primates.
Contribution of Astrocyte-Derived IL-15 to CD8 T Cell Effector Functions in Multiple Sclerosis

The contribution of local factors to the activation of immune cells infiltrating the CNS of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) remains to be defined. The cytokine IL-15 is pivotal in the maintenance and activation of CD8 T lymphocytes, a prominent lymphocyte population found in MS lesions. We investigated whether astrocytes are a functional source of IL-15 sufficient to enhance CD8 T lymphocyte responses and whether they provide IL-15 in the inflamed CNS of patients with MS. We observed that human astrocytes in primary cultures increased surface IL-15 levels upon activation with combinations of proinflammatory cytokines. Expanded human myelin autoreactive CD8 T lymphocytes cultured with such activated astrocytes displayed elevated lytic enzyme content, NKG2D expression, and Ag-specific cytotoxicity. These functional enhancements were abrogated by anti–IL-15–blocking Abs. Immunohistochemical analysis of brain tissue sections obtained from patients with MS demonstrated colocalization for IL-15 and the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein within white matter lesions. The majority of astrocytes (80–90%) present in demyelinating MS lesions expressed IL-15, whereas few astrocytes in normal control brain sections had detectable IL-15. IL-15 could be detected in the majority of Iba-1–expressing microglia in the control sections, albeit in lower numbers when compared with microglia/macrophages in MS lesions. Furthermore, infiltrating CD8 T lymphocytes in MS lesions were in close proximity to IL-15–expressing cells. Astrocyte production of IL-15 resulting in the activation of CD8 T lymphocytes ascribes a role for these cells as contributors to the exacerbation of tissue damage during MS pathogenesis.