Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paradigm Shifts in Radiation Biology: Their Impact on Intervention for Radiation-Induced Disease

Abstract Brooks, A. L. Paradigm Shifts in Radiation Biology: Their Impact on Intervention for Radiation-Induced Disease. Radiat. Res. 164, 454–461 (2005). New mechanistic cell and molecular studies on the effects of very low doses of radiation have resulted in three major paradigm shifts. First, the observation of bystander effects demonstrated that non-hit cells may respond as well as cells in which energy is deposited. Second, it was thought that gene mutations and chromosome aberrations were the most important early changes that represented the initiation phase of radiation-induced cancer. Now genomic instability that leads to the loss of genetic control appears to play a major role in the development of cancer. Finally, recent studies have demonstrated that radiation-induced changes in gene expression can be demonstrated at very low radiation doses. These changes can result in alterations in response pathways, many of which appear to be involved in protective or adaptive responses. The demonstration that unique genes are up- and down-regulated depending on the radiation type, dose and dose rate suggests that different molecular mechanisms are involved in responses to high and low radiation doses. The ability to alter radiation response by physical and chemical treatments suggests that it may be possible to intervene in the progression of radiation-induced diseases. Such intervention may decrease the cancer risk from radiation exposure. This new research also demonstrates that many nonlinear biological processes have an impact on the induction of cancer and the shape of dose–response functions. Thus, for low-LET radiation delivered at low dose rates, the linear, no-threshold hypothesis is not well supported, but it is adequately conservative in protecting against low-dose radiation risks.
Transoesophageal echocardiography predictors of periprocedural cerebrovascular accident in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

AIMS To assess the utility of transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) parameters such as spontaneous echo contrast (SEC), left atrial (LA) appendage velocities, and aortic plaque in predicting periprocedural cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS Five hundred and seventy-nine consecutive patients underwent catheter ablation of AF with pre-procedural TEE, 94% of whom also received pre-procedural warfarin and enoxaparin bridging. Of the 579 patients, 10 patients (cases) who developed periprocedural CVA (1.7%) and 40 randomly selected patients who did not develop CVA (controls) were included (50 study patients, age 58 ± 11 years, 82% male, 54% persistent AF). Periprocedural CVA was defined as a new neurological deficit that occurred anytime between the start of the procedure and 30 days after AF ablation. Demographic, clinical, and TEE variables of cases and controls were compared using standard statistical analyses. Patients with CVA more often had coronary artery disease [odds ratio (OR) 6.0, P = 0.03], previous history of CVA (OR 8.2, P = 0.02), and CHADS(2) score ≥ 2 (OR 5.4, P = 0.03) than patients without CVA. There was no difference in any of the TEE parameters (SEC, LA appendage velocity and area, patent foramen ovale, atrial septal aneurysm, valve abnormality, and aortic plaque). When these TEE parameters were adjusted for coronary artery disease, prior CVA and CHADS(2) ≥ 2, none emerged as an independent predictor of CVA. CONCLUSION Transoesophageal echocardiographic variables (other than LA thrombus) were not associated with the occurrence of periprocedural CVA in our patients undergoing catheter ablation of AF who generally received pre-procedural anticoagulation. Despite serving as markers of a thrombogenic milieu, the presence of SEC, low LA appendage velocities, and aortic plaque may not increase the risk of periprocedural CVA after AF ablation.
Phylogenetic analyses of the rhipicephaline ticks indicate that the genus Rhipicephalus is paraphyletic.

We inferred the phylogeny of 21 species and subspecies of ticks from the subfamilies Rhipicephalinae and Hyalomminae using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 12S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences. Two members of the subfamily Haemaphysalinae were used for outgroup reference. The largest rhipicephaline genus, Rhipicephalus, was represented by ticks from six of the species groups, the second largest genus, Dermacentor, by species from two of three of its subgenera, and the genus Boophilus by 3 of its 5 species. We analyzed the 12S and COI sequences separately and together; statistically significant incongruence between the 12S rDNA and the COI sequences was not detected in the combined dataset using the incongruence length difference test. The combined dataset provided greater phylogenetic resolution than the individual datasets, and although the 12S rDNA data had only 25% of the parsimony-informative characters, it provided half of the total partitioned Bremer support for the combined dataset. We present the first hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships among some species groups of Rhipicephalus but our most controversial result was that the genus Rhipicephalus is apparently paraphyletic, unless species of Boophilus are included in it. The species of Rhipicephalus most closely related to Boophilus spp. were from the R. pravus and R. evertsi species groups, which may implicate an African origin for this important group of ticks.
A management perspective on the impact of new attractions

Whereas investments in new attractions continue to rise within the theme park industry, knowledge regarding the effects of new attractions on theme park performance and attendance remains scarce. In this article results from a research amongst general managers of theme parks in Europe will be presented. Different methods were used to investigate what the impact of adding a new attraction on the number of visitors to a theme park would be, according to the general management. The managers first responded to a written survey and then answered some detailed, elaborative questions by email or telephone. The majority of managers also participated in an in-depth interview. Results show that investing in new attractions is considered to be the most important (controllable) factor on the number of visitors in both the short and long run. Most theme parks in Europe invest in major new attractions once every three years, combining it with a minor investment every year. Large differences in effects were found between parks. Parks that invest once every three years showed the highest effect on number of visitors for their latest new attraction.
Compact eight MIMO antennas for 5G smartphones and their MIMO capacity verification

The handset or smartphone antenna has evolved from the external antenna before the year 2000 to the internal antenna and casing-integrated antenna for 2G/3G/4G communications till now. For the fifth-generation (5G) communications, it is expected that the Massive MIMO system is very promising for applications and a large number of MIMO antennas will be attractive to be deployed in the smartphone to effectively increase the channel capacity. In this paper, promising compact eight MIMO antennas in the smartphone are presented. The MIMO antennas are operated in the 3.5-GHz band (3400~3600 MHz), which has been recently identified in WRC-15 for global mobile broadband services in the future. The achievable MIMO channel capacities for the proposed compact eight MIMO antennas are calculated and verified by MIMO OTA (over-the-air) testing in the open space. Results are presented and discussed.
Single-pill combination therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: linagliptin plus empagliflozin

Abstract Background: Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus invariably requires the use of multiple daily medications which can impact negatively on patient adherence. As a result, there is growing interest in the use of single-pill combinations that can reduce the pill burden. Many such formulations incorporate metformin, although this agent is not suitable for all patients. The single-pill combination of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor linagliptin with the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin offers a new and attractive option, given their complementary mechanisms of action. Scope: Publications with titles containing the keywords ‘linagliptin’ or ‘empagliflozin’ were identified from a non-systematic search of PubMed without date restrictions, together with abstracts presented at the annual meetings of the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2012–2014. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for entries containing these two keywords. Additional references known to the author were included. Findings: The efficacy and safety of linagliptin and empagliflozin as monotherapy or in combination with other oral antidiabetic drugs has been established through extensive clinical trial programs. Studies specifically evaluating the efficacy/safety of a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor/sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor in combination are limited, but do include two studies of linagliptin/empagliflozin of up to 52 weeks in duration. These studies show that the single-pill combination of linagliptin and empagliflozin produced clinical improvements in glycemic control that were generally superior to the improvements seen with linagliptin and empagliflozin alone, but with a safety profile comparable to that of the individual constituents. Conclusions: The single-pill combination of linagliptin and empagliflozin, with their complementary mechanisms of action, is a promising treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It would reduce the daily pill burden in this population, potentially improving adherence to, and optimizing the benefits of, treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Improved production of Trichoderma harzianum endochitinase by expression in Trichoderma reesei

The chromosomal endochitinase gene (ThEn-42) of the mycoparasite fungus Trichoderma harzianum P1 was isolated and overexpressed in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei under the promoter of the major cellulase gene cbhl1. The host strain RutC-30 did not produce any endogenous endochitinase activity. The prepro region of the T harzianum endochitinase was correctly processed in T. reesei. No differences in expression were observed when the prepro region was replaced with the CBHI signal sequence. Shake flask cultivation yielded 130 mg of active enzyme per liter, which in terms of activity represents about a 20-fold increase over the endochitinase activity produced by T. harzianum. The presence of multiple copies of the expression cassette in the transformant resulted in limitation in transcription and/or regulation factors needed for full activity of the cbh1 promoter, although this was not the major limiting factor for higher expression of endochitinase. The endochitinase was very sensitive to an acidic protease at the late stages of T. reesei cultivation. T. reesei RutC-30 appeared to be tolerant of the endochitinase and can be used as a production host for this enzyme, which has antifungal activity toward plant pathogens.
Inheritance and Synergism of Resistance to Imidacloprid in the Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), adults and larvae collected from Long Island, NY, were 100.8 and 13.2 times more resistant to imidacloprid, respectively, compared with a susceptible strain. This high level of resistance appeared in only the third field season of imidacloprid use. Analysis of probit lines from F1 reciprocal crosses indicated that resistance to imidacloprid in adults was inherited autosomaly as an incompletely recessive factor. The degree of dominance of the resistance was −0.23 and −0.10, respectively, 3 and 7 d after treatment (incompletely recessive). The χ2 analysis of response ratio statistics from F1 × susceptible back crosses compared with a monogenic model suggested that more than one locus is responsible for resistance to imidacloprid. Synergism studies with piperonyl butoxide suggested that mixed-function oxidase mediated detoxification is responsible for the resistance to imidacloprid in adults. Synergism studies with S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF) indicated that esterase mediated detoxification may be an additional resistance factor. Mixed-function oxidase mediated detoxification is probably also one of the mechanisms of resistance to imidacloprid in larvae. Because the synergists used did not completely eliminate resistance in the resistant strain, there may be additional mechanisms involved. Refugia and crop rotation decrease the frequency of homozygous resistant genotypes and may be effective resistance management strategies, because of the recessive nature of the resistance.
Short-term Stock Price Behaviour around European Cross-border Bank M&As

The current study explores the short-term stock price reaction of cross-border bank mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Western Europe for the period 1998-2009 which includes 40 M&A deals. Employing the classical event study methodology, we probe into the stock price effects of cross-border bank M&As by calculating abnormal returns for both bidders and targets. Moreover, we employ multivariate regression analysis in order to identify the determinants of value creation from cross-border bank M&As. Consistent with the pertinent literature, we demonstrate that targets significantly benefit from M&As, while bidders undergo price erosions during the M&A days. In specific, we find positive and significant abnormal stock price reaction of more than 3% on M&A day for targets and negative abnormal returns for bidders. The differential market behaviour between bidders and targets is more evident when the return on equity of the involved banks is taken into account.
Cytologic features of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in thinprep papanicolaou test slides and conventional smears: comparison of cases that performed poorly with those that performed well in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology

CONTEXT Both conventional and ThinPrep Papanicolaou smears with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions that are frequently missed are known to have relatively few abnormal cells. Whether this is also true of cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion is not known. OBJECTIVE To compare the cytologic features of cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that perform poorly with the features of cases that perform well. DESIGN The cytologic features of 10 ThinPrep Pap Test and conventional smear cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that performed poorly in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program were compared with 46 ThinPrep Pap Test and conventional smear cases that performed extremely well. The numbers of abnormal cells were categorized into less than 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 250, 251 to 500, and more than 500. RESULTS The median number of abnormal cells for cases that performed poorly was less than 50, whereas the median number of abnormal cells for cases that performed well was between 101 and 250. Overall, cases that performed poorly were significantly more likely to have less than 50, less than 100, and less than 250 abnormal cells than cases that performed well (P < .001, P < .001, and P = .009, respectively). A minority of cases performed well even with very few abnormal cells and groups. The same findings were present when conventional smears and ThinPrep specimens were analyzed separately. CONCLUSIONS ThinPrep Pap Test cases and conventional smears with a diagnosis of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that perform poorly in this program have significantly fewer abnormal cells than those that perform well. The median number of abnormal cells in cases that performed well is lower than that of comparable high-grade cases in the program.
Multiple scattering effects in Doppler optical coherence tomography of flowing blood

We investigate the effect of multiple scattering on the optical coherence tomography (OCT) signal and the Doppler OCT signal of flowing blood. Doppler OCT measurements at 1300 nm are performed on flowing diluted porcine blood with hematocrit ranging between 0% and 15%. Measured blood hematocrit and mean red blood cell volume are used to calculate, using the discrete dipole approximation model, the (single) scattering coefficient and scattering anisotropy of blood. Monte Carlo simulations, based on the calculated scattering coefficients and scattering anisotropies, are compared to Doppler OCT measurements for hematocrit smaller than 10%. Good quantitative agreement between Doppler OCT measurements and Monte Carlo simulations is observed. Our measurements, calculations and simulations explain the relatively low attenuation coefficients and well preserved flow profiles measured with Doppler OCT for flowing blood. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the effect of the scattering anisotropy of the medium on the strength of multiple scattering effects in Doppler OCT signals. With increasing scattering anisotropy the OCT attenuation decreases; the distortion of the flow profile is strongest at intermediate scattering anisotropies (≈0.6).
Coffee consumption and coronary heart disease risk using the Framingham risk score.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although concerns regarding the influence of coffee consumption on human health have accompanied the massive increase in coffee consumption, the effects of coffee intake on the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) remain controversial. Therefore, we evaluated the association between coffee consumption and CHD risk as estimated using the Framingham risk model in Korean adults. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN This cross-sectional study involved 3,987 participants aged 30-74 years who participated in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010. The frequency of coffee consumption was self-reported and classified into 4 categories (non-drinker, 1, 2, and >=3 cups/day). The 10-year risk for CHD was determined from the Framingham risk score. RESULTS Across the levels of coffee consumption, there were significant differences in the frequency of smoking among men and advanced age, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, diabetes, and smoking among women. In the multiple logistic regression analyses, the adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for >=20% 10-year CHD risk was 0.211 (0.060-0.745) for women who consumed >=3 cups of coffee per day compared with women who consumed <1 cup per day. For women, a significant dose-response inverse association between the level of coffee consumption and 10-year CHD risk persisted even after adjusting for multiple confounding factors. For the men, however, there was no significant association between coffee consumption and 10-year CHD risk. CONCLUSIONS Coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk for CHD in Korean women.
Wnt3A Induces GSK‐3β Phosphorylation and β‐Catenin Accumulation Through RhoA/ROCK

In canonical pathway, Wnt3A has been known to stabilize β‐catenin through the dissociation between β‐catenin and glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β) that suppresses the phosphorylation and degradation of β‐catenin. In non‐canonical signaling pathway, Wnt was known to activate Rho GTPases and to induce cell migration. The cross‐talk between canonical and non‐canonical pathways by Wnt signaling; however, has not been fully elucidated. Here, we revealed that Wnt3A induces not only the phosphorylation of GSK‐3β and accumulation of β‐catenin but also RhoA activation in RAW264.7 and HEK293 cells. Notably, sh‐RhoA and Tat‐C3 abolished both the phosphorylation of GSK‐3β and accumulation of β‐catenin. Y27632, an inhibitor of Rho‐associated coiled coil kinase (ROCK) and si‐ROCK inhibited both GSK‐3β phosphorylation and β‐catenin accumulation. Furthermore, active domain of ROCK directly phosphorylated the purified recombinant GSK‐3β in vitro. In addition, Wnt3A‐induced cell proliferation and migration, which were inhibited by Tat‐C3 and Y27632. Taken together, we propose the cross‐talk between canonical and non‐canonical signaling pathways of Wnt3A, which induces GSK‐3β phosphorylation and β‐catenin accumulation through RhoA and ROCK activation. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1104–1113, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Remineralization of Enamel Subsurface Lesions by Casein Phosphopeptide-stabilized Calcium Phosphate Solutions

Casein phosphopeptides (CPP) stabilize amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), localize ACP in dental plaque, and are anticariogenic in animal and in situ human caries models. In this in vitro study, CPP-stabilized calcium phosphate solutions were shown to remineralize subsurface lesions in human third-molar enamel. Solutions were used to examine the effect of CPP-calcium phosphate concentration on remineralization. Other solutions were used to examine the effect of increasing pH, which decreased the concentrations of free calcium and phosphate ions and increased the level of CPP-bound ACP. Although most of the remineralizing solutions were supersaturated with respect to the amorphous and crystalline calcium phosphate phases, the solutions were stabilized by the CPP such that spontaneous precipitation of calcium phosphate did not occur. After a ten-day remineralization period, enamel lesions were sectioned, subjected to microradiography, and the mineral content determined by microdensitometry. All solutions deposited mineral into the bodies of the lesions, with the 1.0% CPP-calcium phosphate (pH 7.0) solution replacing 63.9 ±20.1% of mineral lost at an averaged rate of 3.9 ± 0.8 x 10-8 mol hydroxyapatite/m2/s. The remineralizing capacity was greater for the solutions with the higher levels of CPP-stabilized free calcium and phosphate ions. Remineralization was not significantly correlated with either the CPP-bound ACP or the degrees of saturation for hydroxyapatite, octacalcium phosphate, or ACP. However, remineralization was significantly correlated with the degree of saturation for dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO4.2H2O), but this was attributed to the significant correlation of remineralization with the activity gradients from the solution into the lesion of some calcium phosphate ions and ion pairs, in particular the neutral ion pair CaHPO4 0. The CPP, by stabilizing calcium phosphate in solution, maintain high-concentration gradients of calcium and phosphate ions and ion pairs into the subsurface lesion and thus effect high rates of enamel remineralization.
Bring Quantile Unit Root Test back in Testing Hysteresis in Unemployment for the United States

We apply quantile unit root test to revisit the hysteresis in unemployment for the United States using data over 1928-2014. Conventional unit root tests indicate that hysteresis in unemployment does not hold in the United States over 1928-2014. Quantile Kolmogorov-Smirnov test also reject the hysteresis in unemployment hypothesis However, empirical results from quantile unit root test indicate that hysteresis in unemployment hold in both 0.3 and 0.4 quantiles. These empirical results are different from previous findings and have important policy implications for government to conduct economic stabilization policy in the United States.