Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Localization of Conventional Protein Kinase C Isoforms During Mouse Oocyte Development1

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC), the major cell target for tumor-promoting phorbol esters, plays a central role in signal transduction pathways. In many biological systems where Ca2+ serves as a second messenger, regulatory control is mediated by PKC. The activation of PKC depends on its binding to RACK1 receptor, which is an intracellular protein anchor for activated PKC. We demonstrate that the conventional PKC (cPKC) isoforms, PKC-α, PKC-βI, and PKC-βII, as well as RACK1, are expressed in mouse oocytes (germinal vesicle [GV]) and mature eggs (metaphase II [MII]). In GV oocytes, PKC-α, PKC-βII, and RACK1 were uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm, while PKC-βI was localized in the cytoplasm and in the plasma membrane as well. Treatment of GV oocytes with the biologically active phorbol ester, 12-o-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), resulted in a rapid translocation of the cytosolic PKC-α, but not PKC-βI, PKC-βII, or RACK1, to the plasma membrane. This was associated with inhibition of GV breakdown. In MII eggs (17 h post-hCG), PKC-α was uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm while PKC-βI and -βII were distributed in the cytoplasm and in the plasma membrane as well. Treatment with TPA resulted in a rapid translocation of PKC-α from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane and a significant decrease of PKC-βI throughout the cytoplasm, while it also remained in the cell periphery. No change in the distribution of PKC-βII or RACK1 was observed. TPA also induced pronucleus formation. Physiological activation of MII eggs by sperm induced cortical granule exocytosis associated with significant translocation of PKC-α and -βI, but not -βII, to the plasma membrane. Overall, these results suggest a possible involvement of cPKC isoforms in the mechanism of mouse oocyte maturation and egg activation.
M‐tropic HIV envelope protein gp120 exhibits a different neuropathological profile than T‐tropic gp120 in rat striatum

Most early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) strains are macrophage (M)‐tropic HIV variants and use the chemokine receptor CCR5 for infection. Neuronal loss and dementia are less severe among individuals infected with M‐tropic strains. However, after several years, the T‐cell (T)‐tropic HIV strain, which uses the CXCR4 variant, can emerge in conjunction with brain abnormalities, suggesting strain‐specific differences in neuropathogenicity. The molecular and cellular mechanisms of such diversity remain under investigation. We have previously demonstrated that HIV envelope protein gp120IIIB, which binds to CXCR4, causes neuronal apoptosis in rodents. Thus, we have used a similar experimental model to examine the neurotoxic effects of M‐tropic gp120BaL. gp120BaL was microinjected in the rat striatum and neuronal apoptosis was examined in the striatum, as well as in anatomically connected areas, such as the somatosensory cortex and the substantia nigra. gp120BaL promoted neuronal apoptosis and tissue loss that were confined to the striatum. Apoptosis was associated with microglial activation and increased levels of interleukin‐1β. Intriguingly, gp120BaL increased brain‐derived neurotrophic factor in the striatum. Overall, our data show that gp120BaL demonstrates a different neuropathological profile than gp120IIIB. A better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms mediating HIV neurotoxicity is vital for developing effective neuroprotective therapies against AIDS‐associated dementia complex.
Stress and coping in wildland firefighting dispatchers.

OBJECTIVE To gain a better understanding of the stressors faced by wildland firefighting dispatchers and how they cope with it. DESIGN Qualitative method of phenomenology. SETTING Dispatch centers around the western United States. SUBJECTS Subjects were recruited via e-mail solicitation. Only currently employed wildland firefighting dispatchers with extensive dispatching experience were selected. Dispatchers included in this study were employed at the local (3), geographic (4), or national level (4). Eleven dispatchers in total were interviewed, six females and five males. Average experience level as a dispatcher was 14.2 years. INTERVENTIONS In-person interviews. RESULTS Three broad categories of stressors were revealed: balancing personal and professional lives, contending with job-related issues, and dealing with issues related to control. Four coping strategies also emerged: taking time off, exercising, providing a service to firefighters, and receiving support from others. CONCLUSIONS In general, a complex and at times even a paradoxical relationship between the dispatchers interviewed and stress was noted. In other words, while subjects felt that the stressors experienced as a dispatcher had the ability to negatively affect their performance, they also believed that stress was beneficial at times. Future research is recommended to further our understanding of workplace stressors for wildland fire dispatchers, and how they cope with them.
Geometric Hashing

We propose a novel representation of local image structure and a matching scheme that are insensitive to a wide range of appearance changes. The representation is a collection of local af ne frames that are constructed on outer boundaries of maximally stable extremal regions (MSERs) in an af ne-covariant way. Each local af ne frame is described by a relative location of other local af ne frames in its neighborhood. The image is thus represented by quantities that depend only on the location of the boundaries of MSERs. Inter-image correspondences between local af ne frames are formed in constant time by geometric hashing. Direct detection of local af ne frames removes the requirement of point-based hashing to establish reference frames in a combinatorial way, which has in the case of af ne transform complexity that is cubic in the number of points. Local af ne frames, which are also the quantities represented in the hash table, occupy a 6D space and hence data collisions are less likely compared with 2D point hashing. Experimentally, the robustness of the method and its insensitivity to photometric changes is demonstrated on images from different spectral bands of satellite sensor, on images of a transparent object and on images of an object taken during day and night.
Hierarchical Rasterization of Curved Primitives for Vector Graphics Rendering on the GPU

In this paper, we introduce the CPatch, a curved primitive that can be used to construct arbitrary vector graphics. A CPatch is a generalization of a 2D polygon: Any number of curves up to a cubic degree bound a primitive. We show that a CPatch can be rasterized efficiently in a hierarchical manner on the GPU, locally discarding irrelevant portions of the curves. Our rasterizer is fast and scalable, works on all patches in parallel, and does not require any approximations. We show a parallel implementation of our rasterizer, which naturally supports all kinds of color spaces, blending and super‐sampling. Additionally, we show how vector graphics input can efficiently be converted to a CPatch representation, solving challenges like patch self intersections and false inside‐outside classification. Results indicate that our approach is faster than the state‐of‐the‐art, more flexible and could potentially be implemented in hardware.
Immobilized Kidney 28-kDa Endostatin-Related (KES28kDa) Fragment Promotes Endothelial Cell Survival

Background/Objective: Renal ischemia-hypoxia is a leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Ischemia causes extracellular matrix breakdown of the tubular basement membrane. Endostatin (ES) is the C-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII generated by proteolytic cleavage. Recent studies have demonstrated that ES expression is upregulated in ischemic kidneys. The present study aimed to characterize ES from ischemic kidneys. Methods: Ischemic renal failure was induced via 45 min of occlusion of the left renal artery and vein. After the ischemic period, blood was collected. Kidneys were harvested and used for immunohistochemical testing and protein extraction. Three-step purification was used. Soluble and immobilized purified ES were tested in cell viability and adhesion assays. Results: The soluble KES28kDa inhibited endothelial cell proliferation: 25 versus 12.5 µg (p < 0.05); 12.5 versus 3.15 µg (p < 0.05). Immobilization of KES28kDa supports endothelial cell survival over the control (p = 0.021). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells plated on immobilized KES28kDa showed an increase in membrane ruffles and stress fibers. Conclusion: These data demonstrate the local synthesis of a 28-kDa ES-related fragment following AKI and suggest its role in endothelium survival.
Effect of Prior Experimental Human EnteropathogenicEscherichia coli Infection on Illness following Homologous and Heterologous Rechallenge

ABSTRACT Two studies of adult volunteers were performed to determine whether prior enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) infection confers protective immunity against rechallenge. In the first study, a naive control group and volunteers who had previously ingested an O55:H6 strain were fed an O127:H6 strain. In the second study, a control group and volunteers who had previously ingested either the O127:H6 strain or an isogenic eae deletion mutant of that strain were challenged with the homologous wild-type strain. There was no significant effect of prior infection on the incidence of diarrhea in either study. However, in the homologous-rechallenge study, disease was significantly milder in the group previously challenged with the wild-type strain. Disease severity was inversely correlated with the level of prechallenge serum immunoglobulin G against the O127 lipopolysaccharide. These studies indicate that prior EPEC infection can reduce disease severity upon homologous challenge. Further studies may require the development of new model systems.
On the Capital Market Consequences of Alternative Data: Evidence from Outer Space

We study the emergence of satellite imagery of parking lot traffic across major retailers as a source of alternative data in capital markets. While satellite imagery signals embed timely information for quarterly earnings announcements, stock prices do not incorporate this information prior to the public disclosure of retailer performance. This creates opportunities for sophisticated investors to formulate trading strategies at the expense of individual investors, who tend to be on the opposite side of the trade. The evidence shows that unequal access to alternative data can increase information asymmetry between sophisticated investors and individual investors without necessarily enhancing price discovery.
Exergaming and static postural control in individuals with a history of lower limb injury.

CONTEXT Therapeutic exercise programs that incorporate real-time feedback have been reported to enhance outcomes in patients with lower extremity joint injuries. The Wii Fit has been purported to improve balance, strength, flexibility, and fitness. OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of Wii Fit rehabilitation on postural control and self-reported function in patients with a history of lower limb injury. DESIGN Single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. SETTING Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Twenty-eight physically active participants with a history of lower limb injuries were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (9 Wii Fit, 10 traditional, 9 control). INTERVENTION(S) Intervention groups performed supervised rehabilitation 3 d/wk for a total of 12 sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Time to boundary (TTB) and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) were conducted at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Self-reported function was measured at baseline and 4-week follow-up. Between-groups differences were compared using repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS With the eyes open, both intervention groups improved (P < .05) in the mean and the SD of the TTB anterior-posterior minima. In the eyes-closed condition, a time main effect (P < .05) for absolute TTB medial-lateral minima was observed. A time main effect was also noted in the posteromedial and posterolateral reach directions of the SEBT. When the scores for each group were pooled, improvement (P < .05) in self-reported function was demonstrated at 4-week follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Rehabilitation using the Wii Fit and traditional exercises improved static postural control in patients with a history of lower extremity injury.
Institutional stock ownership and corproate dividend policy : evidence from China

Institutional Stock Ownership and Corporate Dividend Policy: Evidence from China by SHEN Jianghua Master of Philosophy Agency theory suggests that institutional stockholders are able to influence the dividend policies of listed firms with the underlying objective of reducing a firm’s agency costs. This study explores the causal effects of institutional ownership on dividend policies for the firms listed in China. Using various measures of institutional ownership and dividend policy, I find that mutual fund ownership in a firm causes it to pay out more cash dividends or to initiate cash dividends. These effects are mainly evident in the firms controlled by the state and regional governments and those with relatively high free cash flows. The effects are also shown to be stronger when the mutual fund investment horizon is longer. However, firms with existing high levels of cash dividends do not attract mutual fund investors. The results still hold when I use different methods to mitigate the endogeneity problem. Mutual fund ownership is also shown to reduce agency costs and improve the operating performances of the firms that they invest in. Other institutional investors, such as banks, insurance companies, and securities companies appear to have different influences from those of mutual funds on firms’ cash dividend payments, agency costs and operating performances. My results support the agency costs explanation of institutional ownership and dividend policy.
Failure of acute procedural success predicts adverse outcome after percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with MitraClip.

AIMS MitraClip implantation is evolving as a potential alternative treatment to conventional surgery in high-risk patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR). However, outcome predictors are under-investigated. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of midterm mortality and heart failure rehospitalisation after percutaneous mitral valve repair with MitraClip. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 150 consecutive patients were followed for a median of 463 days. Survival analyses were performed for baseline characteristics, risk scores and failure of acute procedural success (APS) defined as persisting MR grade 3+ or 4+. Univariate significant risk stratifiers were tested in multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional hazards model. Overall survival was 96% at 30 days, 79.5% at 12 months, and 62% at two years. Multivariate analysis identified APS failure (HR 2.13, p=0.02), NYHA Class IV at baseline (HR 2.11, p=0.01) and STS score ≥12 (HR 2.20, p<0.0001) as significant independent predictors of all-cause mortality, and APS failure (HR 2.31, p=0.01) and NYHA Class IV at baseline (HR 1.89, p=0.03) as significant independent predictors of heart failure rehospitalisation. Furthermore, a post-procedural significant decrease in hospitalisation rate could only be observed after successful interventions (0.89±1.07 per year before vs. 0.54±0.96 after implantation, p=0.01). Patients with severely dilated and overloaded ventricles who did not meet EVEREST II eligibility criteria were at higher risk of APS failure. CONCLUSIONS The failure of acute procedural success proved to have the most important impact on outcome after MitraClip implantation.
Classical Hodgkin lymphoma-type PTLD after solid organ transplantation in children: a report on 17 patients treated according to subsequent GPOH-HD treatment schedules

Abstract Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a severe complication after solid organ transplantation (SOT). Classical Hodgkin lymphoma-type (HL-) PTLD is a rare subtype, and systematic data on treatment and prognosis are lacking. We report on 17 pediatric patients with classical HL-PTLD. HL-PTLD developed late at a median of 8.1 years after SOT. It was commonly EBV-positive (16/17) and expressed both CD30 (all tumors) and CD20 (8/17 tumors). Patients were treated with chemotherapy +/− involved field radiotherapy (IF-RT) according to the respective GPOH-HD protocol tailored by stage and LDH. Overall survival at 2 and 5 years was 86% with 81% of patients surviving event-free. Six patients had additional rituximab treatment; in two it was given as upfront monotherapy and in four was given concurrently with their chemotherapy. Rituximab monotherapy did not lead to long-term remission. In conclusion, treatment of HL-PTLD with classical HL chemotherapy is effective and tolerable. New treatment modalities such as CD30-targeted or EBV-specific agents may diminish toxicity.
Larvicidal Activity of Artocarpus Altilis against Culex Quinquefasciatus

Artocarpus altilis commonly known as breadfruit is an evergreen, flowering tree in the family Moraceae [1]. The leaves are thick and leathery with a glossy dark-green colour on the dorsal side. The underside is dull with an elevated midrib and main veins [2]. The wood is gold in colour, resistant to termites and shipworms, so it is used as timber for structures and outrigger canoes. Breadfruit tree bears a multitude of monoexious flowers. The fruits are mostly round, oval, or oblong in shape. The seeds are brown in colour, shiny, round or ovoid in shape and irregularly compressed. It is a multipurpose agroforestry tree crop which is primarily used for its nutritious, starchy fruit as rich source of carbohydrates, calcium and phosphorus [3]. The different parts are used for the treatment of tongue thrush, skin infections, sciatica, diarrhoea, low blood pressure and asthma [4, 5]. It has been reported as having potential as an insect repellent [6]. Anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, antitubercular, antiplasmodial, antihypertensive, antibacterial, anti-cholinergic, chelating, toxicity to cancer cells and anthelmintic activities had been reported for the plant [7-14]. Many compounds like morin, moracin, dihydromorin, cynomacurin, cyclomorusin, Abstract
miR-195 inhibits macrophages pro-inflammatory profile and impacts the crosstalk with smooth muscle cells

Macrophages are a main component of atherosclerotic plaques. Recent studies suggest that pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages are pro-atherogenic while M2 macrophages promote plaque stability. Moreover, toll-like receptor signalling pathways are implicated in atherosclerotic plaque formation, evolution and regression. We propose microRNAs as key regulators of these processes. In this context, our goal is to promote inflammation resolution using miR-195 to reduce M1-like macrophage polarization and to evaluate the molecular mechanisms underlying such effect, as well as to explore the functional consequences for smooth muscle cell recruitment. Human primary macrophages were differentiated from peripheral blood monocytes and stimulated with LPS or IL-10 to promote M1 or M2c polarization, respectively. miR-195 levels were upregulated in M2c macrophages compared with M1 macrophages. In THP-1 macrophages stimulated with LPS and IFN-γ, results show that TLR2 levels were reduced by miR-195 overexpression compared with scrambled control. In addition, phosphorylated forms of p54 JNK, p46 JNK and p38 MAPK were decreased by miR-195 in macrophages following M1 stimulation. Moreover, miR-195 significantly decreased levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α pro-inflammatory cytokines in the supernatants of M1-stimulated macrophage cultures. At the functional level, results from smooth muscle cell recruitment and migration models showed that miR-195 impairs the capacity of M1 macrophages to promote smooth muscle cells migration. In conclusion, miR-195 is involved in macrophage polarization and inhibits TLR2 inflammatory pathway mediators. Moreover, miR-195 impairs the effect of macrophages on smooth muscle cells recruitment capacity and migration profile. Thus, miR-195 might be used as a new potential tool to promote inflammation resolution in cardiovascular research.
Memory function in normal aging

Basic findings obtained on memory functions in normal aging are presented and discussed with respect to five separate but interacting memory systems. These systems are: episodic memory, semantic memory, short‐term memory, perceptual representation system and procedural memory. All available evidence from cross‐sectional research shows that there is a linear, decreasing memory performance as a function of age for episodic memory. Longitudinal studies suggest, however, that this age deficit may be an overestimation, by showing a relatively stable performance level up to middle age, followed by a sharp decline. Studies on semantic memory, short‐term memory, perceptual representation system, and procedural memory show a relatively constant performance level across the adult life span, although some tasks used to assess short‐term memory and procedural memory have revealed an age deficit. Disregarding the mixed results for these latter two memory systems, it can be concluded that episodic memory is unique in showing an age deficit. Episodic memory is also unique in the sense that it is the only memory system showing gender differences in performance throughout the adult life span with a significantly higher performance for women.
Spectrum of bone marrow findings in patients with angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma

Bone marrow (BM) biopsy is often performed early in the evaluation of patients with angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL), and may be the first diagnostic tissue sample; yet the BM histopathology associated with this disease has not been well described. In this study, BM specimens from 13 patients with AITL were reviewed. Seven (54%) were involved by AITL, which was characterised by paratrabecular and interstitial polymorphous infiltrates containing cytologically atypical lymphocytes, histiocytes and eosinophils. The neoplastic cells were positive for CD10 and CXCL13 by immunohistochemistry in a subset of cases. As in lymph nodes, the lymphomatous infiltrate in some BMs contained numerous small or scattered large B cells, resembling either benign lymphoid aggregates or T cell rich large B cell lymphoma, respectively. Secondary haematological changes were frequent and presented independent of BM involvement by AITL; these included trilineage haematopoietic hyperplasia and plasmacytosis. When BM biopsy preceded the diagnosis of AITL, these secondary changes were misinterpreted as chronic myeloproliferative disease (n = 2), or plasma cell dyscrasia (n = 2). In two cases, these changes obscured the presence of BM involvement by AITL. The spectrum of BM findings in AITL patients is important to recognise for early and accurate diagnosis in this disease.