Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suppression of constitutive cytochrome P-450 gene expression in livers of rats undergoing an acute phase response to endotoxin.

Administration of purified bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to male rats suppressed the constitutive hepatic expression of the male-specific cytochrome P-450 [AH, reduced flavoprotein:oxygen oxidoreductase (RH hydroxylating), E.C. 1.14.14. 1] isozyme P-450h (P450IIC11) to about 35% of control levels within 24 hr. The mRNA for P-450h was more rapidly and more profoundly suppressed than was the protein, indicating (a) that the decrease in the mRNA was responsible for the suppression of the protein and (b) that other mechanisms work to maintain expression of P-450h apoprotein in the face of repression of its mRNA. Suppression of P-450h expression was maximal at an endotoxin dose of 30-100 micrograms/kg, indicating that P-450 suppression is concomitant with the acute-phase response of hepatic secretory proteins. The female-specific cytochrome P-450 isozyme, P-450i (P450IIC12), was suppressed to 17% of control levels by LPS administration in female rats. Suppression of the P-450i apoprotein by LPS, and recovery of its expression, was more rapid than was suppression of P-450h in males. P-450i protein and mRNA levels were concomitantly suppressed by LPS, indicating that although there is a pretranslational component to the suppression, other mechanisms may also contribute. Calculations based on estimations of the microsomal contents of P-450h and P-450i relative to the total cytochrome P-450 in untreated rat livers indicate that suppression of these forms contributes significantly to the decreases in total microsomal P-450 after LPS treatment. In these studies, hepatic microsomal NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (TPNH2-cytochrome c reductase, E.C.1.6.2.4) activities and content of cytochrome b5 were decreased by LPS administration in both male and female rats. Like its effects on cytochrome P-450 expression, endotoxin suppression of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activities and cytochrome b5 levels was more rapid in female rats than in males. The production of a local inflammatory response in male rats by subcutaneous injection of turpentine caused effects on cytochrome P-450, P-450h expression, and cytochrome b5 that were similar to those of endotoxin but were less rapidly achieved.
Cyclic AMP Phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) Tethers EPAC1 in a Vascular Endothelial Cadherin (VE-Cad)-based Signaling Complex and Controls cAMP-mediated Vascular Permeability*

Vascular endothelial cell (VEC) permeability is largely dependent on the integrity of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin or VE-Cad)-based intercellular adhesions. Activators of protein kinase A (PKA) or of exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) reduce VEC permeability largely by stabilizing VE-Cad-based intercellular adhesions. Currently, little is known concerning the nature and composition of the signaling complexes that allow PKA or EPAC to regulate VE-Cad-based structures and through these actions control permeability. Using pharmacological, biochemical, and cell biological approaches we identified and determined the composition and functionality of a signaling complex that coordinates cAMP-mediated control of VE-Cad-based adhesions and VEC permeability. Thus, we report that PKA, EPAC1, and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) enzymes integrate into VE-Cad-based signaling complexes in human arterial endothelial cells. Importantly, we show that protein-protein interactions between EPAC1 and PDE4D serve to foster their integration into VE-Cad-based complexes and allow robust local regulation of EPAC1-based stabilization of VE-Cad-based adhesions. Of potential translational importance, we mapped the EPAC1 peptide motif involved in binding PDE4D and show that a cell-permeable variant of this peptide antagonizes EPAC1-PDE4D binding and directly alters VEC permeability. Collectively, our data indicate that PDE4D regulates both the activity and subcellular localization of EPAC1 and identify a novel mechanism for regulated EPAC1 signaling in these cells.
Animal: Validation and Applications of Nonlinear Registration-Based Segmentation

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the modality of choice for neuro-anatomical imaging. Quantitative analysis requires the accurate and reproducible labeling of all voxels in any given structure within the brain. Since manual labeling is prohibitively time-consuming and error-prone we have designed an automated procedure called ANIMAL (Automatic Nonlinear Image Matching and Anatomical Labeling) to objectively segment gross anatomical structures from 3D MRIs of normal brains. The procedure is based on nonlinear registration with a previously labeled target brain, followed by numerical inverse transformation of the labels to the native MRI space. Besides segmentation, ANIMAL has been applied to non-rigid registration and to the analysis of morphometric variability. In this paper, the nonlinear registration approach is validated on five test volumes, produced with simulated deformations. Experiments show that the ANIMAL recovers 64% of the nonlinear residual variability remaining after linear regist.
Methylation of RNA polymerase II non-consensus Lysine residues marks early transcription in mammalian cells

Dynamic post-translational modification of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) coordinates the co-transcriptional recruitment of enzymatic complexes that regulate chromatin states and processing of nascent RNA. Extensive phosphorylation of serine residues at the largest RNAPII subunit occurs at its structurally-disordered C-terminal domain (CTD), which is composed of multiple heptapeptide repeats with consensus sequence Y1-S2-P3-T4-S5-P6-S7. Serine-5 and Serine-7 phosphorylation mark transcription initiation, whereas Serine-2 phosphorylation coincides with productive elongation. In vertebrates, the CTD has eight non-canonical substitutions of Serine-7 into Lysine-7, which can be acetylated (K7ac). Here, we describe mono- and di-methylation of CTD Lysine-7 residues (K7me1 and K7me2). K7me1 and K7me2 are observed during the earliest transcription stages and precede or accompany Serine-5 and Serine-7 phosphorylation. In contrast, K7ac is associated with RNAPII elongation, Serine-2 phosphorylation and mRNA expression. We identify an unexpected balance between RNAPII K7 methylation and acetylation at gene promoters, which fine-tunes gene expression levels. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.11215. 001
Salient Object Detection through Over-Segmentation

In this paper we present a salient object detection model from an over-segmented image. The input image is initially segmented by the mean-shift segmentation algorithm and then over-segmented by a quad mesh to even smaller segments. Such segmented regions overcome the disadvantage of using patches or single pixels to compute saliency. Segments that are similar and spread over the image receive low saliency and a segment which is distinct in the whole image or in a local region receives high saliency. We express this as a color compactness measure which is used to derive saliency level directly. Our method is shown to outperform six existing methods in the literature using a saliency detection database containing images with human-labeled object contour ground truth. The proposed saliency model has been shown to be useful for an image retargeting application.
Mathematical Modelling Approach for Correlating Spectrophotometric Absorbance with Dissolved Oxygen

A mathematical model has been developed in this paper for determination of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water samples by measuring the absorbance of monochromatic light by the sample. Determination of dissolved oxygen is an important parameter in the study of water quality. Winkler's method, based on titrations, is well established as the standard method for the determination of the DO. Experimentation was carried out to measure the dissolved oxygen and the absorbance of the water samples. Mathematical modelling has been carried out for determining DO values as a function of the absorbance observed for the samples. The correlation between absorbance of monochromatic light by the sample and DO values was determined. This correlation coefficient was found using curve fitting tools in the MATLAB software. Finally, the DO values hence obtained were compared with and found to be in close agreement with those obtained by Winkler's method.
Index Option Prices and Stock Market Momentum

We test the prediction of standard option pricing models that there should be no relation between option prices and past stock market movements. Using the Standard and Poor's 100 index options (OEX options) prices from 19831995, we document that OEX calls are significantly overvalued relative to OEX puts after large stock price increases. The reverse is true after large stock price decreases. These valuation effects are both economically and statistically significant. Our results suggest that past stock returns exert an important influence on index option prices.
A Model System to Study Intracellular Trafficking and Processing of the Alzheimer’s Amyloid Precursor Protein

The occurrence of consensus phosphorylation sites in the intracellular domain of the Alzheimer’s amyloid precursor protein (APP), coupled with observations of their in vivo phosphorylation, prompted several workers to investigate the effects that phosphorylation of such sites could have on APP metabolism and subsequent Aβ production. However, hitherto all attempts to dissect the role played by such phosphorylation events failed to reveal substantial effects. Having decided to revisit this problem, our new approach was based on the following vectors: (1) site-directed mutagenesis of the target amino acids to mimic a specific phosphorylation state, (2) expression of wild-type and mutant APP-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion proteins for ease of visualization, (3) controlled low level expression to avoid ‘flooding’ cellular pathways, and (4) the use of cycloheximide to inhibit de novo protein synthesis. Using this method we were able to detect specific differences in APP processing that were correlated with the mimicked phosphorylation state of several phosphorylation sites. New combined methodologies, like the one described here, allow for the detailed analysis of key control points in the cellular metabolism of specific proteins that are central to neurodegenerative diseases and may be under the control of specific posttranslational modifications, such as reversible phosphorylation.
Extracellular ATP, intracellular calcium and canalicular contraction in rat hepatocyte doublets

Bile‐canaliculus contraction in rat hepatocyte doublets is postulated to involve activation of an actinmyosin system. We examined this hypothesis by determining the relationship between canalicular contraction and cystolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) concentration after extracellular addition of ATP or microdialysis of myosin light chain kinase or its Ca2+‐independent fragment, which retains catalytic activity. After incubation of doublets with 200 μmol/L ATP in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, [Ca2+]i peaked at 40 sec and 71% of canaliculi contracted within 4 min. Decreasing effects were observed with equimolar ADP, AMP and nonhydrolyzable ATP, but no effect was observed with adenosine. The effect of extracellular ATP on [Ca2+]i and canalicular contraction was dose dependent. Addition of extracellular Ca2+ and ATP resulted in a plateau level of [Ca2+]i. Cytochalasin D, which depolymerizes actin filaments, inhibited ATP‐induced canalicular contraction, but not the increase in [Ca2+ Microdialysis of myosin light chain kinase and its Ca2+‐independent fragment (but not the heatdenatured fragment, albumin, trypsin plus soybean inhibitor or buffer) into one hepatocyte of a doublet resulted in canalicular contraction in 86% of doublets. Injection of myosin light chain kinase or its Ca2+‐independent fragment did not increase [Ca2+]i within 5 min. These results indicate that (a) the basolateral plasma membrane of hepatocytes has a P2Y‐class purinoceptor, (b) increased [Ca2+]i after incubation with ATP is initially due to mobilization from internal sites and (c) canalicular contraction is directly related to [Ca2+]i and activation of an actin‐myosin system. The physiological role of extracellular ATP in canalicular contraction is uncertain. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;14:640–647.)
A comparison of line detection methods for power line avoidance in aircrafts

Power lines constitute a great thread for aircraft flight safety. Digital camera based methods consider these power lines as digital lines and edges which are desired to be detected using line and edge detectors. EDLines, LSD and Hough Transform are the best line detection methods that are known in the literature. In this study, in order to determine the power lines for aircraft safety, methods of EDLines, LSD and Hough Transform are considered. The paper starts by briefly describing the methods, then continues with their performance analysis. Finally, the results are discussed. EDLines method is observed to provide higher accuracy among the three methods. In addition, it produces faster results. Consequently, EDLines method is expected to be widely used in aircraft safety applications.
"Sero-switch" adenovirus-mediated in vivo gene transfer: circumvention of anti-adenovirus humoral immune defenses against repeat adenovirus vector administration by changing the adenovirus serotype.

Recombinant, replication-deficient adenovirus (Ad) vectors have been successfully used to transfer and express the normal human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) cDNA in vivo in the respiratory epithelium of experimental animals and humans with cystic fibrosis (CF). Since Ad-directed gene expression wanes over time, repeat administration is necessary to achieve an effective treatment for CF. A major hurdle to such a strategy is the possibility that anti-Ad humoral immunity may prevent gene expression in individuals with pre-existing anti-Ad immunity or following repeat administration. One strategy to circumvent such a problem would be alternating the use of Ad vectors belonging to different subgroups. Neutralizing antibodies developed with the administration of one Ad serotype do not cross-react with an Ad belonging to a second serotype in a manner that blocks infection and gene expression. To test this hypothesis, an immunizing dose of wild-type Ad5 (subgroup C), Ad4 (subgroup E), or Ad30 (subgroup D) was administered intratracheally to experimental animals, followed by an intratracheal administration of a replication-deficient subgroup C-derived vector coding for marker genes (chloramphenicol acetyl transferase or beta-galactosidase) or for the normal human CFTR cDNA. As expected, studies with vectors coding for marker genes or for CFTR cDNA demonstrated that airway administration of a vector does not yield efficient gene transfer, if there has been prior recent airway administration of the same Ad subgroup. In contrast, effective expression from the second administration can be achieved with an adenovirus vector belonging to a subgroup different from the first adenovirus administered. These data support the paradigm of alternating Ad vectors derived from different subgroups as strategy to circumvent anti-Ad humoral immunity, thus permitting the use of Ad vectors as a means to treat the respiratory manifestations of CF.
Longer duration of viremia and unique amino acid substitutions in a hepatitis A virus stain associated with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS)

The molecular characteristics of hepatitis A virus (HAV) have been studied widely though there is a paucity of data on the correlation with virological and serological findings. In the present study, the whole genome of an Indian HAV strain associated with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) was characterized vis‐à‐vis two other Indian HAV genotype IIIA strains, associated with a self‐limiting disease. The percentage nucleotide divergence displayed by the Indian strains (CP‐IND, PN‐IND, and GBS‐IND) varied from 3 to 6, whereas the percentage amino acid divergence varied from 0.1 to 0.7 as compared to the other HAV IIIA strains (n = 5) available in the GenBank. The GBS‐IND strain showed an increased rate of nonsynonymous substitutions as well as a larger number of unique and heterologous amino acid substitutions compared to the HAV IIIA GenBank strains. These amino acid substitutions in the GBS‐IND strain were detected in a nonstructural protein (2C‐251F) and the B‐cell epitope regions of structural proteins (VP1‐29E, VP1‐91S, VP3‐50Y, and VP4‐5S). In a comparative analysis of HAV strains, homology‐based models of the capsid proteins indicated a localized alteration in the surface charge distribution on the VP1 protein of GBS‐IND strain and involvement of its unique amino acid substitutions in the predicted antigenic determinants. Overall, the study suggests that the unique amino acid substitutions in the GBS‐IND strain may have contributed to neutralization escape of the virus leading to a longer duration of viremia. J. Med. Virol. 82:913–919, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
STAT4 associates with systemic lupus erythematosus through two independent effects that correlate with gene expression and act additively with IRF5 to increase risk

Objectives: To confirm and define the genetic association of STAT4 and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), investigate the possibility of correlations with differential splicing and/or expression levels, and genetic interaction with IRF5. Methods: 30 tag SNPs were genotyped in an independent set of Spanish cases and controls. SNPs surviving correction for multiple tests were genotyped in five new sets of cases and controls for replication. STAT4 cDNA was analysed by 5′-RACE PCR and sequencing. Expression levels were measured by quantitative PCR. Results: In the fine mapping, four SNPs were significant after correction for multiple testing, with rs3821236 and rs3024866 as the strongest signals, followed by the previously associated rs7574865, and by rs1467199. Association was replicated in all cohorts. After conditional regression analyses, two major independent signals, represented by SNPs rs3821236 and rs7574865, remained significant across the sets. These SNPs belong to separate haplotype blocks. High levels of STAT4 expression correlated with SNPs rs3821236, rs3024866 (both in the same haplotype block) and rs7574865 but not with other SNPs. Transcription of alternative tissue-specific exons 1, indicating the presence of tissue-specific promoters of potential importance in the expression of STAT4, was also detected. No interaction with associated SNPs of IRF5 was observed using regression analysis. Conclusions: These data confirm STAT4 as a susceptibility gene for SLE and suggest the presence of at least two functional variants affecting levels of STAT4. The results also indicate that the genes STAT4 and IRF5 act additively to increase the risk for SLE.
Current distribution within a new meteorological gradient observation tower under direct lightning strike in Shenzhen and spatial electrical field around the tower

Current distribution within a new gradient observation tower has been calculated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The current through Metallic stay cables which are designed to reinforce tower body has been take into account. It is found that a large portion of lightning current would be absorbed by stay cables. Ground level electrical field is also given by the calculation. In addition, the influence of tower on background field is addressed when thundercloud exists based on the solution of Laplace static equation.
WiFi leakage detection in LTE downlink for in-device interference avoidance

To allow users to access networks and services ubiquitously, more and more user equipments (UEs) are equipped with multiple radio transceivers. However, due to the proximity of transmit and receive frequencies of in-device wireless technologies, the transmitter (TX) of one in-device wireless technology can interfere with the reception of another wireless technology within the same device, and the spurious emissions of the aggressor TX may result in unacceptable interference at the victim receiver which is co-located in-device. Hence, it is crucial to detect the in-device interference and adapt the strategies to avoid harm. In this paper, we consider the scenario of LTE coexisting with WiFi. Different from traditional spectrum sensing in cognitive radio which detects signal in the background of Gaussian noise, the WiFi leakage detection problem in this paper aims to detect WiFi leakage in the background of LTE signal and Gaussian noise. This makes the problem challenging. By identifying unique features of the WiFi leakage, we investigate this problem thoroughly and propose two detection algorithms, including entropy ratio based and cyclostationary based algorithms. Simulation results under different scenarios are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed detection techniques.
polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit the proliferation of the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A 549 in vitro

ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), in particular the marine-derived forms eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been demonstrated to affect cancer cell replication, the cell cycle and cell death. Epidemiological studies have also suggested diets rich in n-3 PUFA were inversely correlated with the development of cancer. In the present study, we explored the effects of DHA and EPA on the proliferation activity and apoptosis of the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. A methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and morphological analysis was determined by fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. A549 cells were treated with different doses of DHA (40, 45, 50 and 55 μg/ml) or EPA (45, 50, 55 and 60 μg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 h. The results demonstrated that DHA and EPA significantly suppressed the proliferation of A549 cells and induced apoptosis of A549 cells in a doseand time-dependent manner. The apoptotic phenomenon was also confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, compared with the control, the formation of autophagosomes was clearly enhanced in DHAor EPA-treated cells. In conclusion, DHA and EPA inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells and induced cell apoptosis and autophagy, which may provide new safe and effective options for the treatment of lung cancer in the future.
Les provinces canadiennes et la convergence : une evaluation empirique

Cette etude a pour but de determiner si l'hypothese de convergence economique s'applique aux provinces canadiennes. En utilisant les donnees du produit interieur brut reel par habitant et de la productivite des facteurs de production entre 1966 et 1992, l'etude montre, a l'aide de deux methodes distinctes, que l'on ne peut rejeter cette hypothese. Ce resultat confirme les conclusions auxquelles sont parvenus d'autres auteurs qui ont examine le phenomene de la convergence entre les provinces canadiennes. La premiere methode utilisee consiste a estimer la relation qui existe entre la croissance moyenne et le niveau initial du PIB reel par habitant. Se fondant entre autres sur le probleme classique du retour a la moyenne, certains chercheurs ont reproche a cette methode de ne pas tester adequatement l'hypothese de la convergence. La deuxieme methode, quant a elle, consiste a examiner la tendance des ecarts observes entre, d'une part, le niveau du PIB reel par habitant et de la productivite dans les provinces les plus riches et, d'autre part, le niveau de chacune de ces deux variables dans les autres provinces. L'etude se distingue de celles qui ont ete realisees jusqu'ici sur le sujet par l'utilisation de la deuxieme methode, qui, en plus de contourner les critiques mentionnees ci-dessus, nous a permis d'examiner separement le comportement de chaque province.