Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of iron deficiency on lead accumulation in Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle seedlings.

Understanding the effects of root Fe deficiency on the uptake and translocation of toxic metals can be important for improving the phytoremediation strategies of polluted soils. The present study investigated how Fe nutritional status affects the uptake and root-to-shoot-translocation of Pb in hydroponically grown seedlings of (Mill.) Swingle. The interactions of Fe deficiency and Pb were assessed by measuring the root Fe(III) reductase activity, carboxylic acids concentration in root exudates, root and shoot biomass, and accumulation of Pb and other metals (Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu) in roots and leaves of Fe-sufficient (+Fe) and Fe-deficient (-Fe) plants. The results indicate that Fe deficiency induced 18-fold higher Fe(III) reductase activity in roots compared with +Fe plants, which was followed by increased root exudation of citric acid (28.2 ± 1.39 in +Fe and 498 ± 256.4 μmol g DW 2 h in -Fe plants). Iron deficiency also induces a significant decrease of root and shoot dry weight compared with the control +Fe plants, whereas 2-wk Pb (20 μM) treatment did not influence root and shoot growth. Iron-sufficient plants accumulated more Pb (56.8 ± 17.29 μg g) in leaves than -Fe plants (21.5 ± 8.10 μg g). Two weeks of exposure to Pb significantly decreased Fe(III) reductase activity and accumulation of Fe, Zn, and Mn in the roots of -Fe plants. It is hypothesized that 2 wk of root exposure to Pb blocks functioning of a specific Fe transport system activated under Fe deficiency.
Project PREVENT: A Randomized Trial to Reduce Multiple Behavioral Risk Factors for Colon Cancer

Background: This report examines the outcome data for Project PREVENT, a two-site randomized control trial designed to reduce behavioral risk factors for colorectal cancer among individuals who have been diagnosed with adenomatous colon polyps. Methods: The study sample included 1,247 patients with recent diagnosis of adenomatous colorectal polyps. Within 4 weeks following the polypectomy, participants completed a baseline survey by telephone, and were randomized to either Usual Care (UC) or the PREVENT intervention, which was designed to target multiple risk factors. The intervention consisted of a telephone-delivered intervention plus tailored materials, and focused on the six primary behavioral risk factors for colorectal cancer, including red meat consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, multivitamin intake, alcohol, smoking, and physical inactivity. Results: Participation in the PREVENT intervention was associated with a significantly greater reduction in prevalence of multiple risk factors for colorectal cancer compared with UC. Only about one third of UC participants dropped any risk factors during the study period, compared with almost half of the PREVENT participants. PREVENT participants were also significantly more likely to change more than one behavior than UC participants. Conclusions: The PREVENT intervention was effective in helping patients change multiple risk factors. These results provide further support that more comprehensive interventions that move beyond emphasis on a single risk factor are acceptable to patient populations, can result in improvements, and are cost effective.
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles induced intracellular calcium homeostasis modification in primary human keratinocytes. Towards an in vitro explanation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles toxicity

Abstract Deciphering the molecular basis of toxicology mechanism induced by nanoparticles (NPs) remains an essential challenge. Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) was applied in combination with Transmission Electron Microscopy and Confocal Microscopy to analyze human keratinocytes exposed to TiO2-NPs. Investigating chemical elemental distributions using IBA gives rise to a fine quantification of the TiO2-NPs uptake within a cell and to the determination of the intracellular chemical modifications after TiO2-NPs internalization. In addition, fluorescent dye-modified TiO2-NPs have been synthesized to allow their detection, precise quantification and tracking in vitro. The internalization of these TiO2-NPs altered the calcium homeostasis and induced a decrease in cell proliferation associated with an early keratinocyte differentiation, without any indication of cell death. Additionally, the relation between the surface chemistry of the TiO2-NPs and their in vitro toxicity is clearly established and emphasizes the importance of the calcium homeostasis alteration in response to the presence of TiO2-NPs.
Cluster-Based Hybrid Reconfigurable Architecture for Auto-adaptive SoC

The paper presents a cluster-based hybrid reconflgurable architecture for auto-adaptive SoC to achieve high- performance and flexibility with low design effort on a variety of multimedia applications. An efficient adaptivity is enabled thanks to the use of heterogenous and exchangeable cores and to a hierarchical organization. This organization is materialized trough a global hardware reconfiguration and local hardware reconfiguration by using partial and dynamic reconfiguration. A case study of a discrete wavelet transform is used to demonstrate the feasibility in task adaptive level considering different types of niters. A platform based on a Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA is used for experimental implementation.
Diagnostic value of indirect hemagglutination in the seroepidemiology of Shigella infections

To evaluate the usefulness of the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test in the epidemiological investigation of shigellosis, single serum specimens were tested from 50 patients with Shigella dysenteriae 1 (Shiga bacillus) infections, 103 asymptomatic contacts of these cases, 267 adult and 100 student control, and serum specimens collected during two outbreaks caused by S. sonnei and one outbreak due to S. flexneri 6. In patients with S. dysenteriae 1, 74% demonstrated titers of greater than or equal to 1:40, with 50% showing titers of greater than or equal to 1:160, whereas in the controls 10.4% had titers of greater than or equal to 1:40 and only 0.3% had titers of greater than or equal to 1:160. IHA titers in serum specimens collected from patients with S. sonnei and S. flexneri 6 were too low to be considered diagnostic for individual patients, but were useful in analysis of group results. Groups of ill individuals yielded titers significantly higher than non-ill groups; however, titers from ill groups were usually less than 1:40. The IHA test for S. dysenteriae 1 antibodies serves as a valuable adjunct to the diagnosis of Shiga bacillus dysentery. In our laboratory, an IHA titer of 1:40 or 1:80 is a "borderline positive. " Shiga bacillus dysentery is strongly indicated when IHA titers are greater than or equal to 1:60.
Observing price dispersion on the BlaBlaCar shared economy

According to many experiences, prices of similar goods on a given market do not converge to one price. In this thesis the equilibrium price dispersion of the BlaBlaCar shared economy is observed. The existence and the nature of equilibrium price dispersion is examined on a given route during a given period of time. With the help of the collected data and a transformation of the Varianmodel I found evidence for the existence of price dispersion in equilibrium state. It is also proven that the prediction of the Varian-model about the nature of price dispersion does not seem to hold for the BlaBlaCar market on the whole range of prices. Although, I found evidence that the predictions hold between the price quotes 16 and 20 Euros. The results might be implicated to understand the price dispersion on the BlaBlaCar market and on other shared economies.
Institutional dynamics in loosely coupled federal systems: The cases of Argentina and Venezuela

ABSTRACT This article takes up recent work on path dependence and dynamism in federal systems. It argues that historical institutionalist suppositions derived from tightly coupled federations cannot be extended to loosely coupled federal systems, as are found in Latin America. Loose coupling means that interaction between actors and state levels is contentious and informal. Loosely coupled federations are less prone to path dependence and exhibit a strong propensity to institutional dynamics, especially after decentralization. In this article, the focus is on the relationship between party system and federal structure to show how the interaction between both components in the context of loose coupling can lead to swift shifts towards centralization or decentralization. By examining two cases, Argentina and Venezuela, the relevant mechanisms of institutional interaction are carved out and the resulting dynamics are reconstructed.
Relationship Trading in OTC Markets

We examine the network of trading relations between insurers and dealers in the over-the-counter corporate bond market. Comprehensive regulatory data shows that many insurers use only one dealer while the largest insurers have networks of up to forty dealers. Large insurers receive better prices than small insurers. However, execution costs are a non-monotone function of the network size, increasing once the network size exceeds 20 dealers. To understand these facts we build a model of decentralized trade in which insurers trade off the benefits of repeat business against dealer competition. The model can quantitatively fit the distribution of insurers' network sizes and how prices depend on insurers' size.
Microbial Formation of Ethane in Anoxic Estuarine Sediments

Estuarine sediment slurries produced methane and traces of ethane when incubated under hydrogen. Formation of methane occurred over a broad temperature range with an optimum above 65�C. Ethane formation had a temperature optimum at 40�C. Formation of these two gases was inhibited by air, autoclaving, incubation at 4 and 80�C, and by the methanogenic inhibitor, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. Ethane production was stimulated by addition of ethylthioethanesulfonic acid, and production from ethylthioethanesulfonic acid was blocked by 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. A highly purified enrichment culture of a methanogenic bacterium obtained from sediments produced traces of ethane from ethylthioethanesulfonic acid. These results indicate that the small quantities of ethane found in anaerobic sediments can be formed by certain methanogenic bacteria.
Monte Carlo analysis of the static noise margins for CMOS gates in predictive technology models

The latest results on biasing (upsizing) the gate lengths of CMOS transistors implemented in advanced technologies have identified optimum lengths which allow maximizing the static noise margins (SNMs). The optimum lengths for nMOS and pMOS transistors were determined analytically, based on BSIM4v4.7. 0 equations for the threshold voltage. Further, it has been shown through simulations that designs using such optimum lengths exhibit better performances than those obtained using classical design methods (minimum length transistors). In this paper, we will present for the first time detailed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for estimating the SNMs of XOR-2 and MAJ-3 CMOS gates when implemented in 22nm predictive technology models (PTM). These support the claim that the SNMs of CMOS gates using optimally sized transistors are significantly (about twice) better than the SNMs of classically sized CMOS gates, for any input combinations.
Use of perfluorocarbons to enhance the performance of perfused three‐dimensional hepatic cultures

Bioartificial liver devices (BALs) are extracorporeal systems designed to temporarily bridge patients until a suitable donated liver is available for transplantation and also have value for pharmaceutical testing applications. Yet critical issues exist that limit the functional performance of their current designs. One of these concerns scale up issues connected to oxygen (O2) delivery to the cells housed within their three‐dimensional (3D) configurations, and its consequences to device performance. As primary blood substitute candidates with extraordinarily high O2 capacity, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) offer hope as one strategy for addressing the O2 delivery issue encountered when scaling up the tissue space of current BAL designs. This study utilizes a PFC‐based second‐generation O2 carrier OXYCYTE®, as an additive to regular nutrient medium, for augmenting O2 delivery in a customized 3D tissue assembly system. The results demonstrate that the addition of PFCs significantly increases the O2 capacity of regular medium and that net cytochrome P450 activity levels are considerably increased under flow in PFC‐treated systems, as compared to controls. This work thus clarifies the benefits of using PFCs to enhance the functional performance of 3D liver systems. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:718–726, 2013
Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi.

BACKGROUND A geographic cluster of 10 cases of pulmonary hemorrhage and hemosiderosis in infants occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, between January 1993 and December 1994. STUDY DESIGN This community-based case-control study tested the hypothesis that the 10 infants with pulmonary hemorrhage and hemosiderosis were more likely to live in homes where Stachybotrys atra was present than were 30 age- and ZIP code-matched control infants. We investigated the infants' home environments using bioaerosol sampling methods, with specific attention to S atra. Air and surface samples were collected from the room where the infant was reported to have spent the most time. RESULTS Mean colony counts for all fungi averaged 29 227 colony-forming units (CFU)/m3 in homes of patients and 707 CFU/m3 in homes of controls. The mean concentration of S atra in the air was 43 CFU/m3 in homes of patients and 4 CFU/m3 in homes of controls. Viable S atra was detected in filter cassette samples of the air in the homes of 5 of 9 patients and 4 of 27 controls. The matched odds ratio for a change of 10 units in the mean concentration of S atra in the air was 9.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-3 X 10(6)). The mean concentration of S atra on surfaces was 20 X 10(6) CFU/g and 0.007 x 10(6) CFU/g in homes of patients and controls, respectively. CONCLUSION Infants with pulmonary hemorrhage and hemosiderosis were more likely than controls to live in homes with toxigenic S atra and other fungi in the indoor air.
Sex ratio in flea infrapopulations: number of fleas, host gender and host age do not have an effect

SUMMARY This study set out to determine whether the sex ratio of fleas collected from host bodies is a reliable indicator of sex ratio in the entire flea population. To answer this question, previously published data on 18 flea species was used and it was tested to see whether a correlation exists between the sex ratio of fleas collected from host bodies and the sex ratio of fleas collected from host burrows. Across species, the female:male ratio of fleas on hosts correlated strongly with the female:male ratio of fleas in their burrows, with the slope of the regression overlapping 1. Controlling for flea phylogeny by independent contrasts produced similar results. It was also ascertained whether a host individual is a proportional random sampler of male and female fleas and whether the sex ratio in flea infrapopulations depends on the size of infrapopulations and on the gender and age of a host. Using field data, the sex ratio in infrapopulations of 7 flea species parasitic on 4 rodent species was analysed. Populations of 3 species (Nosopsyllus iranus, Parapulex chephrenis and Xenopsylla conformis) were significantly female-biased, whereas male bias was found in 1 species (Synosternus cleopatrae). In general, the sex ratio of fleas collected from an individual rodent did not differ significantly from the sex ratio in the entire flea population. Neither host gender, and age nor number of fleas co-occurring on a host affected (a) the sex ratio in flea infrapopulations and (b) the probability of an infrapopulation to be either female- or male-biased.
Unawareness of motor impairment and emotions in right hemispheric stroke: a preliminary investigation

Awareness may lack in some stroke patients who are not capable of evaluating the nature and severity of illness. Thus, unawareness may have different forms such as anosognosia, neglect, and alexithymia or unawareness of emotions. In this study we investigated the relationship among anosognosia, neglect, alexithymia, and cognition.
PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in thymic epithelial tumours and non-neoplastic thymus

Aims We explored the relationships between programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and the pathological and clinical features of thymic epithelial tumours and thymic hyperplasia. Methods We evaluated PD-1 and PDL-1 expressions within epithelial and microenvironmental components in thymic epithelial tumours (n=44) and thymic hyperplasias (n=8), immunohistochemically. We compared the results with demographic, clinical and histopathological features of the cases. Results We found 48% epithelial expression and 82.7% microenvironment expression for PD-1 and 11.5% epithelial expression and 34.6% microenvironment expression for PD-L1. There was no PD-1 expression, in either the epithelial or microenvironment, in the thymic hyperplasia group. PD-1 and PD-L1 positivity was more significant in thymic epithelial tumours than thymic hyperplasia. Patients with PD-1-positive microenvironments exhibited significantly shorter mean estimated survival time than their negative counterparts. Conclusion These findings suggest that anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapies may benefit patients due to high release of PD-1 and PD-L1 in thymic epithelial tumours.
Involvement of de novo synthesized palmitate and mitochondrial EGFR in EGF induced mitochondrial fusion of cancer cells

Increased expressions of fatty acid synthase (FASN) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are common in cancer cells. De novo synthesis of palmitate by FASN is critical for the survival of cancer cells via mechanisms independent of its role as an energy substrate. Besides the plasma membrane and the nucleus, EGFR can also localize at the mitochondria; however, signals that can activate mitochondrial EGFR (mtEGFR) and the functions of mtEGFR of cancer cells remain unknown. The present study characterizes mtEGFR in the mitochondria of cancer cells (prostate and breast) and reveals that mtEGFR can promote mitochondrial fusion through increasing the protein levels of fusion proteins PHB2 and OPA1. Activation of plasma membranous EGFR (pmEGFR) stimulates the de novo synthesis of palmitate through activation of FASN and ATP-citrate lyase (ACLy). In vitro kinase assay with isolated mitochondria shows that palmitate can activate mtEGFR. Inhibition of FASN blocks the mtEGFR phosphorylation and palmitoylation induced by EGF. Mutational studies show that the cysteine 797 is important for mtEGFR activation and palmitoylation. Inhibition of FASN can block EGF induced mitochondrial fusion and increased the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In conclusion, these results suggest that mtEGFR can be activated by pmEGFR through de novo synthesized palmitate to promote mitochondrial fusion and survival of cancer cells. This mechanism may serve as a novel target to improve EGFR-based cancer therapy.
Prognostic significance of nestin expression in resected non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND Nestin is a class 6 intermediate filament protein expressed in stem/progenitor cells during CNS development. Nestin expression has been detected in many kinds of tumors and was reported in a recent small-scale study in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the relationships between nestin expression and clinicopathologic parameters and determined its prognostic significance concerning survival in patients with resected NSCLC. METHODS Nestin expression in tumor cells was studied immunohistochemically in 171 consecutive patients with NSCLC, and associations with clinicopathologic parameters were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of nestin expression on survival. RESULTS Nestin expression was observed in tumor cell samples in 27 of the 171 patients with NSCLC (15.8%). Nestin had only cytoplasmic expression. Clinicopathologically, nestin expression was significantly associated with squamous cell carcinoma (P = .001), poorer differentiation (P = .007), lymph node metastasis (P = .008), intratumoral vascular invasion (P = .003), intratumoral lymphatic invasion (P = .008), pleural invasion (P = .039), and poorer prognosis (P < .001). Multivariable analysis confirmed that nestin expression increased the hazard of death after adjusting for other clinicopathologic factors (hazard ratio, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.39-5.46). CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that nestin expression is a prognostic indicator of poorer survival probability for patients with resected NSCLC and may be used as a potential marker for select patients who should receive adjuvant chemotherapy.
Loss measurement of a 40 kW high-speed bearingless PM synchronous motor

The losses and the temperature rise of a high-speed “bearingless” permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor prototype, designed for 40 kW at 40,000 rpm, represent the focus of this paper. A combined axial-radial permanent magnet (PM)-biased homo-polar magnetic bearing is responsible for the magnetic levitation along the axial and the drive-end (DE) radial direction. The “bearingless” motor unit supplies the torque and the radial magnetic suspension of the non-drive end (NDE). Thus, the losses of such a drive can be divided in two main categories: motoring losses and magnetic suspension losses. These losses are calculated analytically and numerically and their values are verified through no-load and load measurements on the constructed prototype.
Listen to the song of the brain in real time: The Chengdu Brainwave Music

Electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a window for the activity of the human brain. In this work, we propose a brainwave music display system in real time — the Chengdu Brainwave Music (CBM), which translates the event, amplitude and average power of EEG into musical parameters, and plays the generated music immediately. Real EEG data is utilized as examples for the system. The system can be a useful tool for EEG monitoring, neuro-feecback, and entertainment.
High Time Resolution Observations of the Vela Pulsar

We present high time resolution observations of single pulses from the Vela pulsar (PSR B0833-45) made with a baseband recording system at observing frequencies of 660 and 1413 MHz. We have discovered two startling features in the 1413 MHz single-pulse data. The first is the presence of giant micropulses that are confined to the leading edge of the pulse profile. One of these pulses has a peak flux density in excess of 2500 Jy, more than 40 times the integrated pulse peak. The second new result is the presence of a large-amplitude Gaussian component on the trailing edge of the pulse profile. This component can exceed the main pulse in intensity but is switched on only relatively rarely. Fluctuation spectra reveal a possible periodicity in this feature of 140 pulse periods. Unlike the rest of the profile, this component has low net polarization and emits predominantly in the orthogonal mode. This feature appears to be unique to the Vela pulsar. We have also detected microstructure in the Vela pulsar for the first time. These same features are present in the 660 MHz data. We suggest that the full width of the Vela pulse profile might be as large as 10 ms but that the conal edges emit only rarely.