Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visualization of inactive X chromosome in preimplantation embryos utilizing MacroH2A–EGFP transgenic mouse

One of the two X chromosomes is inactivated in female eutherian mammals. MacroH2A, an unusual histone variant, is known to accumulate on the inactive X chromosome (Xi) during early embryo development, and can thus be used as a marker of the Xi. In this study, we produced a transgenic mouse line expressing the mouse MacroH2A1.2–enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion protein (MacroH2A–EGFP) under the control of a CAG promoter and verified whether MacroH2A–EGFP would be useful for tracing the process of X chromosome inactivation by visualizing Xi noninvasively in preimplantation embryos. In transgenic female mice, MacroH2A–EGFP formed a fluorescent focus in nuclei throughout the body. In female blastocysts, the MacroH2A–EGFP focus colocalized with Xist RNA, well known as a marker of Xi. Fluorescence marking of Xi was first observed in some embryonic cells between the 4‐ and 8‐cell stages. These results demonstrate that MacroH2A can bind to the Xi by around the 8‐cell stage in female mouse embryos. These MacroH2A–EGFP transgenic mice might be useful to elucidate the process of X chromosome inactivation during the mouse life cycle. genesis 51:259–267. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Treatment of Nail Psoriasis with a Two-Compound Formulation of Calcipotriol plus Betamethasone Dipropionate Ointment

Background: Treatment of nail psoriasis remains a challenge. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a two-compound product of calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate ointment on nail psoriasis in an open-label study. Methods: Twenty-five psoriatic patients with nail involvement and mild cutaneous psoriasis were instructed to apply a calcipotriol-betamethasone valerate ointment formulation once daily for 12 weeks on affected nails. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at weeks 4, 8 and 12 using the nail psoriasis severity index (NAPSI). Results: Twenty-two patients having 114 nails involved at baseline with a mean NAPSI of 5.8 ± 1.7 were followed up for 12 weeks. The mean NAPSI at the end of the treatment period was reduced to 1.6 ± 0.6 presenting a 72% improvement. Significant improvement was observed for hyperkeratosis and onycholysis (reduction of mean hyperkeratosis NAPSI from 2.2 ± 0.5 to 0.5 ± 0.1 and mean onycholysis NAPSI from 2.0 ± 0.6 to 0.4 ± 0.2), moderate improvement for oil drops (reduction of mean oil drop NAPSI from 1.2 ± 0.4 to 0.8 ± 0.3) and slight improvement for pitting (reduction of mean pitting NAPSI from 0.8 ± 0.2 to 0.6 ± 0.2). Conclusions: The calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate two-compound ointment, applied once daily for 12 weeks, was shown to improve nail psoriasis.
A miniature dielectrically loaded spiral folded printed quadrifilar helix antenna for GPS dual-band Applications

Owing to its good circular-polarization (CP) radiation characteristics, the printed quadrifilar helical antenna (PQHA) has been shown to be a very promising candidate for broadcasting satellite. It has also many attractive features such as light weight, hemispherical coverage and no requirement of ground plane with reasonable front to back (F/B) ratio. The antenna can be used on satellite platform as well as on hand held devices which require communicating or receiving data from satellite. For this purpose, several related designs of the PQHA with a reduced antenna height providing dual band behaviour have been developed and reported, using meander line technique to obtain square spirals helix arms giving 43% of size reduction of a 3λ/4 conventional PQHA arm length or using coaxially mounted two dielectrically loaded PQHA to obtain 49% of size reduction of a λ/4 conventional PQHA arm length.
Efficacy of Oral Ribavirin in Hematologic Disease Patients with Paramyxovirus Infection: Analytic Strategy Using Propensity Scores

ABSTRACT Few antiviral agents are available for treating paramyxovirus infections, such as those involving respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), and human metapneumovirus (hMPV). We evaluated the effect of oral ribavirin on clinical outcomes of paramyxovirus infections in patients with hematological diseases. All adult patients with paramyxovirus were retrospectively reviewed over a 2-year period. Patients who received oral ribavirin were compared to those who received supportive care without ribavirin therapy. A propensity-matched case-control study and a logistic regression model with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to reduce the effect of selection bias in assignment for oral ribavirin therapy. A total of 145 patients, including 64 (44%) with PIV, 60 (41%) with RSV, and 21 (15%) with hMPV, were analyzed. Of these 145 patients, 114 (78%) received oral ribavirin and the remaining 31 (21%) constituted the nonribavirin group. Thirty-day mortality and underlying respiratory death rates were 31% (35/114) and 12% (14/114), respectively, for the oral ribavirin group versus 19% (6/31) and 16% (5/31), respectively, for the nonribavirin group (P = 0.21 and P = 0.56). In the case-control study, the 30-day mortality rate in the ribavirin group was 24% (5/21) versus 19% (4/21) in the nonribavirin group (P = 0.71). In addition, the logistic regression model with IPTW revealed no significant difference in 30-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio of 1.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] of 0.3 to 5.8) between the two groups. Steroid use (adjusted odds ratio, 5.67; P = 0.01) and upper respiratory tract infection (adjusted odds ratio, 0.07; P = 0.001) was independently associated with mortality. Our data suggest that oral ribavirin therapy may not improve clinical outcomes in hematologic disease patients infected with paramyxovirus.
Requirements for Apoptotic Cell Contact in Regulation of Macrophage Responses1

An important consequence of macrophage engulfment of apoptotic cells is suppression of inflammatory responses, which was first defined by assay of TNF-α release stimulated by LPS. These effects are apparently mediated in part by paracrine effects of TGF-β released by the subset of stimulated macrophages that ingest apoptotic cells, which suppresses neighboring cells. However, the apoptotic cell-derived signal that stimulates TGF-β release, and the nature of any additional signals required for the anti-inflammatory response remain poorly defined. In this study, we investigate the requirements for apoptotic cell engagement of macrophage surface receptors in these responses. We show that the apoptotic cell receptors CD36 and αvβ3 contribute to apoptotic cell phagocytosis by mouse macrophages, but are not essential for anti-inflammatory responses, suggesting that the mechanisms of response and phagocytosis are separate. In further defining requirements for response, we confirm the importance of TGF-β in suppression by apoptotic cells, and identify an additional level of control of these effects. We show that LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage TNF-α release is only suppressed if macrophages have first contacted apoptotic cells, and hence, bystander macrophages are refractory to TGF-β released by phagocytosing macrophages. We conclude that the profound suppression of LPS-driven TNF-α release by macrophage populations requires hitherto obscure contact-dependent licensing of macrophage responsiveness to TGF-β by apoptotic cells.
INCREASED SUPEROXIDE CONTRIBUTES TO ENHANCEMENT OF VASCULAR CONTRACTION IN INS2AKITA DIABETIC MICE, AN AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT MUTANT MODEL

1 Superoxide has been reported to be involved in vascular dysfunction in diabetes. The Ins2Akita mouse is an autosomal dominant mutant diabetic model that can serve as an excellent substitute for the Type 1 diabetic mouse model induced by chemical diabetogens. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of superoxide on vascular dysfunction using this new diabetic model. 2 Compared with age‐matched normal C57BL/6 mice, in Ins2Akita diabetic mice arterial superoxide, lipid peroxidation production (1.2 ± 0.1 vs 17.4 ± 1.9 mmol/mg tissue, respectively; P < 0.01) and plasma lipid peroxidation production (0.08 ± 0.02 vs 0.40 ± 0.03 mmol/L, respectively; P < 0.01) were increased. Meanwhile, expression of vascular adhesion molecule‐1, E‐selectin and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 in the aorta and/or plasma was elevated. 3 The contraction of carotid arteries to U46619 in Ins2Akita diabetic mice was significantly enhanced compared with control mice (P < 0.05). Tempol (a scavenger of superoxide), apocynin (an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase) and allopurinol (an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase) all not only decreased superoxide in carotid arteries, but also suppressed arterial contractions to U46619 in Ins2Akita diabetic mice. Indomethacin, an inhibitor of cyclo‐oxygenase, and chelerythrine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, also suppressed the enhanced vascular contraction. 4 These results suggest that increased arterial superoxide generated from diverse sources may potentiate the contractions of carotid arteries in Ins2Akita diabetic mice.
Modélisation et simulation de l'activité électrique du coeur dans le thorax, analyse numérique et méthodes de volumes finis

Cette these s'inscrit dans le cadre de la modelisation en bio-mathematiques et dans celui de l'analyse numerique et du calcul scientifique. Le modele bidomaine decrit l'activite electrique du coeur. Cette activite est complexe : elle releve a l'echelle cellulaire de processus biochimiques et a l'echelle macroscopique de la structure anisotrope des tissus cardiaques, des caracteristiques du thorax. Une application fondamentale du modele est la simulation d'electrocardiogrammes. Des methodes de calcul type volumes finis sont developpees pour la resolution du modele. Dans un premier temps, la stabilite et la convergence de schemas volumes finis classiques est etablie, en theorie et numeriquement, pour une version simplifiee du modele bidomaine. Pour faire face a des difficultes conceptuelles et pratiques du modele complet (anisotropie des tissus, conditions limites, maillages non structures distordus), une seconde classe de schemas 2D-3D, cell-vertex centered, est mise au point et testee.
In silico analysis of phytohormone metabolism and communication pathways in citrus transcriptome

Plant hormones play a crucial role in integrating endogenous and exogenous signals and in determining developmental responses to form the plant body throughout its life cycle. In citrus species, several economically important processes are controlled by phytohormones, including seed germination, secondary growth, fruit abscission and ripening. Integrative genomics is a powerful tool for linking newly researched organisms, such as tropical woody species, to functional studies already carried out on established model organisms. Based on gene orthology analyses and expression patterns, we searched the Citrus Genome Sequencing Consortium (CitEST) database for Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) consensus sequences sharing similarity to known components of hormone metabolism and signaling pathways in model species. More than 600 homologs of functionally characterized hormone metabolism and signal transduction members from model species were identified in citrus, allowing us to propose a framework for phytohormone signaling mechanisms in citrus. A number of components from hormone-related metabolic pathways were absent in citrus, suggesting the presence of distinct metabolic pathways. Our results demonstrated the power of comparative genomics between model systems and economically important crop species to elucidate several aspects of plant physiology and metabolism.
The Comparative Study on Public Key Algorithm using RSA AND OAEP

The cryptography algorithms use of real security applications. These applications tend to be too complicated, exposing too much detail of the cryptographic process. Users need simple inherent security that doesn’t require more of them simply clicking the secure checkbox. Cryptography is a first abstraction to separate specific algorithms from generic cryptographic processes in order to eliminate compatibility and upgradeability problems. The core idea is enhance the security of RSA algorithm. In this dissertation public key algorithm RSA and enhanced RSA are compared analysis is made on time based on execution time.
Antiproliferative effect of 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin analogs on human breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Desmopressin (dDAVP), a synthetic nonapeptide derivative of arginine vasopressin, is a safe antidiuretic and hemostatic compound that acts as a selective agonist for the vasopressin V2 membrane receptor (V2R). It is known that dDAVP can inhibit progression of residual metastatic cells in preclinical models. Among other mechanisms, the compound induces an agonist effect on V2R present in tumor cells. RESULTS/DISCUSSION Looking for novel analogs with improved anti-tumor activity, positions 4 and 5, at the conformational peptide loop, were substituted. The analog [V(4)Q(5)]dDAVP ([4-valine 5-glutamine] desmopressin) exhibited a significantly higher antiproliferative effect than dDAVP in cultures of MCF-7, a V2R-expressing human breast carcinoma cell line. The chiral isomer of this analog and tetrapeptide fragments corresponding to the loop region were also assessed. CONCLUSION Preclinical evaluation of the anti-tumor activity of [V(4)Q(5)]dDAVP in animal models is warranted.
Bergson and philosophy

Various schools of philosophy have tried to position the thought of Henri Bergson over the last eighty years. In France he has been regarded primarily as an early form of phenomenologist, in the United States and Britain he is still regarded as a vitalist philosopher. This introductory study looks instead at Bergson's use of philosophical form itself and aims to dispel the view that Bergson ever stuck to one type of philosophy at all, be it vitalism or phenomenology. The claim of any one form of thought to the title of 'first philosophy' is challenged by the idea of a Bergsonian metaphilosophy which states that, in a universe with no static foundations, there can never be first philosophies. In other words, if everything is changing, then this must be no less true of philosophy. In pursuit of this approach, John Mullarkey explores each of Bergson's seven major works from a metaphilosophical perspective. Taking each book in chronological order of publication, the first four chapters are devoted to examining one of Bergson's works against the background of current debate within its respective field - the metaphysics of space and time, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of biology, and sociobiology. The remaining four chapters take a problem-based approach examining the role of ethics, ontology, methodology and metaphilosophy in Bergson's thought. This book is an important and lucid reassessment of an influential philosopher which sets his work in philosophical contexts appropriate to his thought. Key Features * Covers all major aspects of Bergson's thought and all his philosophical writings. * Places Bergson's work in its proper philosophical context between Continental and Analytical traditions. * Relates Bergson's ideas to contemporary philosophical debate, showingthe importance of his work to Thomas Nagel, Gilles Deleuze, Emmanuel Levinas, philosophy of mind, biology and ethics. * Written in a clear style which assumes no prior knowledge of Bergson.
Cancer treatment optimization

In this chapter, we provide an overview and some computational challenges in intensity modulated radiation therapy. This chapter is an article written by Lee and Deasy for SIAM Views and News. Here, experience with a mixed-integer programming treatment planning model is described. The MIP model allows simultaneous optimization over the space of beamlet intensity weights and beam and couch angles. The model uses two classes of decision variables to capture the beam configuration and intensities simultaneously. Binary (0/1) variables are used to capture “on” or
Optimized Preference-Aware Multi-Path Video Streaming with Scalable Video Coding

Most client hosts are equipped with multiple network interfaces (e.g., WiFi and cellular networks). Simultaneous access of multiple interfaces can significantly improve the users’ quality of experience (QoE) in video streaming. An intuitive approach to achieve it is to use Multi-path TCP (MPTCP). However, the deployment of MPTCP, especially with link preference, requires OS kernel update at both the client and server side, and a vast amount of commercial content providers do not support MPTCP. Thus, in this paper, we realize a multi-path video streaming algorithm in the application layer instead, by considering Scalable Video Coding (SVC), where each layer of every chunk can be fetched from only one of the orthogonal paths. We formulate the quality decisions of video chunks subject to the available bandwidth of the different paths, chunk deadlines, and link preferences as an optimization problem. The objective is to to optimize a QoE metric that maintains a tradeoff between maximizing the playback rate of every chunk and ensuring fairness among chunks. The proposed metric prefers to use bandwidth of the links to optimize a concave utility function of the chunk quality. Even though the formulation is a non-convex discrete optimization, we provide a quadratic complexity algorithm which is shown to be optimal in some special cases. We further propose an online algorithm where several challenges including bandwidth prediction errors, are addressed. Extensive emulated experiments in a real testbed with real traces of public dataset reveal the robustness of our scheme and demonstrate its significant performance improvement compared to other multi-path algorithms.
Developing Intellectual Capital within Agile IT Teams: a literature Review

Since the Agile Manifesto was presented in 2001, more and more organizations move from traditional, plan-driven software development to agile approaches. This movement is motivated by the fact that environments are changing quickly and new requirements need fast implementation. We conducted a structured literature review to identify the current state of knowledge about agile IT teams and how they develop ambidextrous organizational learning to respond to rapid changes. We draw on the intellectual capital theory with the aim to explore key capabilities of agile IT teams of prior research. Afterwards, we synthesize the key capabilities considering intellectual capital. We derive intellectual capital configurations that enable IT teams to develop ambidextrous organizational learning. Furthermore, we identified technological oriented capabilities of infrastructure flexibility and architecture modularity for agile IT teams. Therefore, we built the concept of technological capi-tal and arranged these capabilities. Thus, this study contributes to research by highlighting the char-acteristics that enable IT teams to be agile and thus helping companies to gain competitive advantage. Furthermore, we discuss possibilities how balance in ambidextrous organizational learning could be achieved. Additionally, we provide further research opportunities in this research stream.
Human papillomavirus vaccine intentions among males: A test of the Parallel Processing Model

We investigated the cognitive and emotional reactions resulting from a human papillomavirus–related illness threat (i.e. testing positive for human papillomavirus) and the potential behavioral implications resulting from these psychosocial processes among men (N = 536). Structural equation modeling was used to explore a theoretical model explaining human papillomavirus vaccine intentions. The model fit the data well and explained 16 percent of the variance in vaccine intentions. Negative emotional response mediated the path between illness threat and vaccine intentions. Threat of genital warts was a salient concern and was positively associated with negative emotional response and subsequent vaccine intentions. Implications for vaccine promotion are discussed.
Differential Recovery of Antibody Production Potential After Sublethal, Whole‐Body Irradiation of Mice

Mice were given single injections of sheep erythrocytes (SE) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at various times after sublethal, whole‐body irradiation (550 rad 60CO) and direct, antigen‐specific, plaque‐forming cell (PFC) responses were quantified. Irradiated mice did not respond to SE or PVP when immunized 15 d postirradiation (PI); by day 30 PI, the responses by irradiated mice were 40–126% of normal to SE and 3–38% of normal to PVP. The impaired recovery after irradiation of immune responses to PVP was not due to altered antigen dose requirements or altered time of peak PFC response and occurred after irradiation of mice by doses as low as 200 rad. Both athymic and euthymic mice had impaired responses to PVP after whole‐body irradiation. The impaired response of irradiated mice to PVP was repaired by adoptive transfer of normal bone marrow, fetal liver, or spleen cells and also by spleen cell preparations enriched in Ig+ cells but not by spleen cell preparations enriched in Thy.1+ or Ig− cells. With the aid of additional antigens it was observed that by day 30 PI, mice had recovered ability to respond to the T‐cell‐dependent antigen SE and the T‐cell‐independent type‐1 antigens 2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl‐Brucella abortus and butanol‐extracted bacterial lipopolysaccharide, but at that time they gave impaired responses to the T‐cell‐independent type‐2 antigens PVP, type III pneumococcal polysaccharide, and phenol‐extracted bacterial lipopolysaccharide; they had an immune response pattern similar to that of CBA/N mice having an X‐linked immunodeficiency.
Light subunit of neurofilament triplet protein in the cerebrospinal fluid after subthalamic nucleus stimulation for Parkinson’s disease

Constantinescu R, Holmberg B, Rosengren L, Corneliusson O, Johnels B, Zetterberg H. Light subunit of neurofilament triplet protein in the cerebrospinal fluid after subthalamic nucleus stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124: 206–210. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Dynamic Developmental Elaboration of N-Linked Glycan Complexity in the Drosophila melanogaster Embryo*

The structural diversity of glycoprotein N-linked oligosaccharides is determined by the expression and regulation of glycosyltransferase activities and by the availability of the appropriate acceptor/donor substrates. Cells in different tissues and in different developmental stages utilize these control points to manifest unique glycan expression patterns in response to their surroundings. The activity of a Toll-like receptor, called Tollo/Toll-8, induces a pattern of incompletely defined, but neural specific, glycan expression in the Drosophila embryo. Understanding the full extent of the changes in glycan expression that result from altered Tollo/Toll-8 signaling requires characterization of the complete N-linked glycan profile of both wild-type and mutant embryos. N-Linked glycans harvested from wild-type or mutant embryos were subjected to direct structural analysis by analytic and preparative high pressure liquid chromatography, by multidimensional mass spectrometry, and by exoglycosidase digestion, revealing a predominance of high mannose and paucimannose glycans. Di-, mono-, and nonfucosylated forms of hybrid, complex biantennary, and triantennary glycans account for 12% of the total wild-type glycan profile. Two sialylated glycans bearing N-acetylneuraminic acid were detected, the first direct demonstration of this modification in Drosophila. Glycan profiles change during normal development consistent with increasing α-mannosidase II and core fucosyl-transferase enzyme activities, and with decreasing activity of the Fused lobes processing hexosaminidase. In tollo/toll-8 mutants, a dramatic, expected loss of difucosylated glycans is accompanied by unexpected decreases in monofucosylated and nonfucosylated hybrid glycans and increases in some nonfucosylated paucimannose and biantennary glycans. Therefore, tollo/toll-8 signaling influences flux through several processing steps that affect the maturation of N-linked glycans.