Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Intravenous 1,25(OH)2D3 Therapy on Glucose Metabolism in Hemodialyzed Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism

Glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are common findings in end‐stage renal disease patients. Parathormone (PTH) and vitamin D3 are linked with disturbances of glucose metabolism. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects long‐term glycemic control. HbA1c is a marker of increased risk of death in diabetic patients but also in general population. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of 1,25(OH)2D3 therapy on long‐term control of glycemia in hemodialyzed (HD) patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHP). Eight HD patients with SHP (PTH = 1088.6 ± 472.2) were given intravenous 1,25(OH)2D31–2 µg thrice a week, for 12 weeks (mean dose 4.5 µg/week). At baseline and after 12 weeks fasting blood was sampled for: glucose, insulin, HbA1c, PTH. Insulin/glucose ratio (I/G) was calculated as marker of insulin resistance. Results were compared with 14 healthy volunteers (controls) matched for age, sex and BMI. At baseline I/G was higher in HD vs controls 0.110 ± 0.045 vs 0.073 ± 0.021 (p = 0.02), and of borderline significance at follow‐up (0.106 ± 0.053, p = 0.05 vs controls). PTH decreased significantly to 506.1 ± 646.3 (p < 0.02) during therapy. Significant decrease of HbA1c in HD patients was observed (5.84 ± 0.40 vs 5.13 ± 0.51; p = 0.01), while fasting glucose, insulin and I/G did not change significantly. Intravenous 1,25(OH)2D3 therapy is successful, even in patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism. Significant decrease in HbA1c with stable insulin concentration may indicate positive impact of intravenous 1,25(OH)2D3 therapy on long‐term glucose metabolism.
Implications of a developmental-stage-dependent thylakoid-bound protease in the stabilization of the light-harvesting pigment-protein complex serving photosystem II during thylakoid biogenesis in red kidney bean

Intact etioplasts of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) plants exhibit proteolytic activity against the exogenously added apoprotein of the light-harvesting pigment-protein complex serving photosystem II (LHCII) that increases as etiolation is prolonged. The activity increases in the membrane fraction but not in the stroma, where it remains low and constant and is mainly directed against LHCII and protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase. The thylakoid proteolytic activity, which is low in etioplasts of 6-d-old etiolated plants, increases in plants pretreated with a pulse of light or exposed to intermittent-light (ImL) cycles, but decreases during prolonged exposure to continuous light, coincident with chlorophyll (Chl) accumulation. To distinguish between the control of Chl and/or development on proteolytic activity, we used plants exposed to ImL cycles of varying dark-phase durations. In ImL plants exposed to an equal number of ImL cycles with short or long dark intervals (i.e. equal Chl accumulation but different developmental stage) proteolytic activity increased with the duration of the dark phase. In plants exposed to ImL for equal durations to such light-dark cycles (i.e. different Chl accumulation but same developmental stage) the proteolytic activity was similar. These results suggest that the protease, which is free to act under limited Chl accumulation, is dependent on the developmental stage of the chloroplast, and give a clue as to why plants in ImL with short dark intervals contain LHCII, whereas those with long dark intervals possess only photosystem-unit cores and lack LHCII.
Detection of Stop Signs CS 223 B Project Report Winter 2008 ,

In this project we study selecting of robust method to detect and recognize stop signs in an urban area. To tackle this problem we tries three different method, and the experiment showed that the two of the tree methods are promising to continue working on. The first method was HAAR features combined with Decision Trees which didn’t work well in tests. The second approach was using HOG with logistic regression which showed robustness in different lightening. And the final approach was template matching which could detect stop signs with small amount of false positives.
The influence of the metal cations and microhydration on the reaction trajectory of the N3 ↔ O2 thymine proton transfer: Quantum mechanical study

This study involves the intramolecular proton transfer (PT) process on a thymine nucleobase between N3 and O2 atoms. We explore a mechanism for the PT assisted by hexacoordinated divalent metals cations, namely Mg2+, Zn2+, and Hg2+. Our results point out that this reaction corresponds to a two‐stage process. The first involves the PT from one of the aqua ligands toward O2. The implications of this stage are the formation of a hydroxo anion bound to the metal center and a positively charged thymine. To proceed to the second stage, a structural change is needed to allow the negatively charged hydroxo ligand to abstract the N3 proton, which represents the final product of the PT reaction. In the presence of the selected hexaaqua cations, the activation barrier is at most 8 kcal/mol. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Getting on With Life

Currently, the dominant cultural beliefs toward disability are negative, and the existing literature is limited with respect to examining how people are using and/or viewing their disabilities positively. The purpose of this study was to identify how individuals living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) viewed and/or used their disability positively, and what contextual influences facilitated this positive approach. This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative data from a larger study. The findings revealed three levels at which disability was viewed and/or used positively by people with SCI: self, peers, and disability community. In addition, several aspects of the participants’ situations were found to facilitate this positive view and/or use of disability: personality, spirituality, support systems, and acceptance of one’s disability. The findings reveal that individuals with SCI are viewing and/or using their disabilities positively in many different ways. This study has significant implications for the direction of future research and for health care professionals who need to increase their advocacy and facilitating roles.
Presynaptic GABAA receptors facilitate GABAergic transmission to dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area of young rats

γ‐Aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR)‐mediated postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were recorded from dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area of young rats in acute brain slices and from mechanically dissociated neurons. Low concentrations (0.1–0.3 μm) of muscimol, a selective GABAAR agonist, increased the amplitude, and reduced the paired pulse ratio of evoked IPSCs. Moreover, muscimol increased the frequency but not the amplitude of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs). These data point to a presynaptic locus of muscimol action. It is interesting that 1 μm muscimol caused an inhibition of sIPSCs, which was reversed to potentiation by the GABAB receptor antagonist CGP52432. Isoguvacine, a selective GABAAR agonist that belongs to a different class, mimicked the effects of muscimol on sIPSCs: it increased them at low (≤ 0.5 μm), and decreased them at a higher concentration (1 μm). Hence, the activation of presynaptic GABAARs facilitates GABA release, which is limited by presynaptic GABABRs. Furthermore, facilitation of sIPSCs by muscimol was eliminated in a medium containing tetrodotoxin or cadmium. It is noteworthy that sIPSC frequency was greatly increased by 4,5,6,7‐tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4‐c]pyridin‐3‐ol(gaboxadol, or THIP), an agonist with preferential effects on extrasynaptic GABAARs containing α4βδ subunits, or by guvacine, a GABA transport blocker, which increases ambient GABA levels. In addition, sIPSC frequency was attenuated by furosemide, a selective antagonist of α6 subunits. Thus, the presynaptic GABAARs may be situated at extrasynaptic sites and may contain α4/6βδ subunits. Given the marked sensitivity of extrasynaptic GABAARs to ambient GABA, alcohols and anaesthetics, these receptors may present a critical site for regulating synaptic function in the developing brain in both physiological and pathological situations.
Neural correlates of early-closure garden-path processing: Effects of prosody and plausibility

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate neural correlates of early-closure garden-path sentence processing and use of extrasyntactic information to resolve temporary syntactic ambiguities. Sixteen participants performed an auditory picture verification task on sentences presented with natural versus flat intonation. Stimuli included sentences in which the garden-path interpretation was plausible, implausible because of a late pragmatic cue, or implausible because of a semantic mismatch between an optionally transitive verb and the following noun. Natural sentence intonation was correlated with left-hemisphere temporal activation, but also with activation that suggests the allocation of more resources to interpretation when natural prosody is provided. Garden-path processing was associated with upregulation in bilateral inferior parietal and right-hemisphere dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior frontal cortex, while differences between the strength and type of plausibility cues were also reflected in activation patterns. Region of interest (ROI) analyses in regions associated with complex syntactic processing are consistent with a role for posterior temporal cortex supporting access to verb argument structure. Furthermore, ROI analyses within left-hemisphere inferior frontal gyrus suggest a division of labour, with the anterior–ventral part primarily involved in syntactic–semantic mismatch detection, the central part supporting structural reanalysis, and the posterior–dorsal part showing a general structural complexity effect.
Academic and Industrial Perspectives on Capstone Course Content and the Accompanying Metrics

Published literature and accreditation activities all support the use of senior design courses and Capstone classes to integrate the knowledge provided over the course of the engineering curriculum. At the same time industry practitioners are expressing concerns regarding the skills newly graduated engineers possess, and regarding their ability to participate successfully in complex engineering design projects. In an effort to address these concerns, significant pedagogical research has been undertaken to improve the senior design experience. Although noticeable advancements have been observed in soft skills and course structure, research suggests these efforts may not be addressing the root cause of the practitioners' concerns. A five year study finds that the efforts placed on how to teach engineering design courses have not addressed the more causal factor of what to teach. This research covers the current state of academic efforts regarding the Capstone classes, industry practitioners' views of what should be learned, and observations of students in multiple sessions of a senior design course. A lack of specificity and metrics regarding academic outcomes of senior design courses, and a divergence in learning constructs are observed. This paper presents the results obtained from academic literature, practitioner interviews, and student observations
Effect of Moderate Versus High-Intensity Interval Exercise Training on Heart Rate Variability Parameters in Inactive Latin-American Adults: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

We investigated the effect of moderate versus high-intensity interval exercise training on the HRV indices in physically inactive adults. Twenty inactive adults were randomly allocated to receive either moderate intensity training (MCT group) or high-intensity interval training (HIT group). The MCT group performed aerobic training at an intensity of 55-75%, which consisted of walking on a treadmill at 60-80% of the maximum heart rate (HRmax) until the expenditure of 300 kcal. The HIT group ran on a treadmill for 4 minutes at 85-95% peak HRmax and had a recovery of 4 minutes at 65% peak HRmax until the expenditure of 300 kcal. Supine resting HRV indices (time domain: SDNN, standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals; rMSSD, Root mean square successive difference of RR intervals and frequency domain: HFLn, high-frequency spectral power; LF, low-frequency spectral power and HF/LF ratio) were measured at baseline and 12 weeks thereafter. The SDNN changes were 3.4 (8.9) ms in the MCT group and 29.1 (7.6) ms in the HIT group (difference between groups 32.6 [95% CI, 24.9 to 40.4 (P = 0.01)]. The LF/HFLn ratio change 0.19 (0.03) ms in the MCT group and 0.13 (0.01) ms in the HIT group (P between groups = 0.016). No significant group differences were observed for the rMSSD, HF and LF parameters. In inactive adults, this study showed that a 12-week HIT training program could increase short-term HRV, mostly in vagally mediated indices such as SDNN and HF/LFLn ratio power.
Calcium channel currents in Xenopus oocytes injected with rat skeletal muscle RNA.

1. Ba2+ currents (IBa) through voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels were studied in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with heterologous RNA extracted from skeletal muscle (SkM) of young rats, using the two‐electrode voltage clamp technique. 2. With 40 or 50 mM‐extracellular Ba2+, native oocytes of most frogs displayed IBa between ‐5 and ‐20 nA at 0 mV. However, in ‘variant’ native oocytes of four frogs, IBa exceeded ‐30 nA and reached up to ‐100 nA. In oocytes injected with SkM RNA, IBa of up to ‐250 nA was observed. 3. In SkM RNA‐injected oocytes and ‘variant’ native oocytes, the decay of IBa displayed two kinetic components. The faster component was selectively blocked by 40‐100 microM‐Ni2+ and thus was termed the Ni(2+)‐sensitive IBa. The slower component was Ni2+ resistant, being inhibited only 10‐20% by 100‐200 microM‐Ni2+. The half‐activation and the half‐inactivation voltages of the Ni(2+)‐sensitive IBa were more negative (by 14.5 and 28.7 mV, respectively) than those of the Ni(2+)‐resistant IBa. 4. Neither Ni(2+)‐sensitive nor Ni(2+)‐resistant IBa in native or SkM RNA‐injected oocytes were affected by dihydropyridine antagonists nifedipine and (+) PN 200‐110 (1‐10 microM), by the dihydropyridine agonist (‐)Bay K 8644 (0.01‐2 microM), or by verapamil below 50 microM. IBa was blocked by diltiazem (half‐block at about 500 microM). Thus, the pharmacology of IBa in SkM RNA‐injected and in native oocytes was not characteristic of the L‐type Ca2+ channel abundant in the skeletal muscle. 5. Destruction of the RNA coding for the channel‐forming alpha 1‐subunit of the SkM L‐type Ca2+ channel using a hybrid arrest method failed to selectively suppress the appearance of either Ni(2+)‐sensitive or Ni(2+)‐resistant IBa in SkM RNA‐injected oocytes. 6. Our results suggest that the appearance of large voltage‐dependent Ba2+ currents in SkM RNA‐injected oocytes is not due to the expression of the alpha 1‐subunit of the SkM L‐type Ca2+ channel. The possibility that the expression of a channel‐forming subunit of another Ca2+ channel type underlies one of these currents cannot be rejected. However, since the Ba2+ currents in SkM RNA‐injected oocytes resemble those observed in native oocytes, we suggest that their appearance may be the result of an enhanced activity of the native Ca2+ channels, possibly due to the expression of the ‘auxiliary’ subunits of the SkM Ca2+ channel that form complexes with a native alpha 1‐subunit.
Yeasts encoding tumour antigens in cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for cancer represents an attractive therapeutic target because of its specificity and lack of toxicity, but products investigated so far have been limited by neutralisation, complexity of manufacturing and requirement for patient-specific products. Recombinant yeast cells are capable of stimulating the immune system to produce highly specific and potent cellular responses against target protein antigens with little toxicity. Data from animal models suggest that Tarmogens™ (yeast-based immunotherapeutics) can elicit protective immunity against xenografted and chemically induced tumours. This concept is now being tested in a Phase I trial in patients with colorectal, pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancers.
A Botanical Extract from Channel Flow Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Induces Apoptosis, and Suppresses CCL5 in Human Endometriotic Stromal Cells1

Abstract Growing evidence suggests that medicinal herbs have direct actions on endometrial cells. By screening multiple herbs using an in vitro model of endometriosis, we found that a commonly used herbal formula exerted considerable antiproliferative effects. Our purpose was to investigate the effects of this antiendometriosis herbal mixture on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and CCL5 expression and secretion in endometriotic stromal cells in vitro. Isolated normal endometrial, eutopic, and ectopic endometriotic stromal cells were cultured under established conditions. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and CCL5 gene expression protein secretion was evaluated after incubation with different concentrations of an antiendometriosis herbal mixture extract. Cell proliferation was assessed by cell counting, 3H-thymidine incorporation, and MTS assays. Apoptosis was determined by blotting using anti-cleaved caspase 3 antibodies and by a TUNEL assay. CCL5 gene expression and protein secretion were determined by transient transfection of gene promoter reporters and ELISAs in cell supernatants. Extracts of a traditional herbal mixture dose-dependently decreased cell proliferation in normal, eutopic, and ectopic endometriotic stromal cells. 3H-Thymidine uptake and MTS confirmed these findings. The herbal extracts induced apoptosis, as evidenced by activation of caspase 3 and the presence of TUNEL-positive cells after treatment. The herbal extracts also suppressed CCL5 gene transcription and protein secretion in endometriotic stromal cells, even when corrected for cell number. Extracts from a medicinal herbal mixture have direct effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and CCL5 production in endometriotic stromal cells. Our findings support the further investigation of novel, potentially safe and well-tolerated botanical products as future endometriosis treatments.
Hepatitis C Virus Drives the Unconstrained Monoclonal Expansion of VH1–69-Expressing Memory B Cells in Type II Cryoglobulinemia: A Model of Infection-Driven Lymphomagenesis 1

Chronic hepatitis C virus infection causes B cell lymphoproliferative disorders that include type II mixed cryoglobulinemia and lymphoma. This virus drives the monoclonal expansion and, occasionally, the malignant transformation of B cells producing a polyreactive natural Ab commonly encoded by the VH1–69 variable gene. Owing to their property of producing natural Ab, these cells are reminiscent of murine B-1 and marginal zone B cells. We used anti-Id Abs to track the stages of differentiation and clonal expansion of VH1–69+ cells in patients with type II mixed cryoglobulinemia. By immunophenotyping and cell size analysis, we could define three discrete stages of differentiation of VH1–69+ B cells: naive (small, IgMhighIgDhighCD38+CD27−CD21highCD95−CD5−), “early memory” (medium-sized, IgMhighIgDlowCD38−CD27+CD21lowCD95+CD5+), and “late memory” (large-sized, IgMlowIgDlow-negCD38−CD27lowCD21low-negCD5−CD95−). The B cells expanded in cryoglobulinemia patients have a “memory” phenotype; this fact, together with the evidence for intraclonal variation, suggests that antigenic stimulation by hepatitis C virus causes the unconstrained expansion of activated VH1–69+ B cells. In some cases, these cells replace the entire pool of circulating B cells, although the absolute B cell number remains within normal limits. Absolute monoclonal VH1–69+ B lymphocytosis was seen in three patients with cryoglobulinemia and splenic lymphoma; in two of these patients, expanded cells carried trisomy 3q. The data presented here indicate that the hepatitis C virus-driven clonal expansion of memory B cells producing a VH1–69+ natural Ab escapes control mechanisms and subverts B cell homeostasis. Genetic alterations may provide a further growth advantage leading to an overt lymphoproliferative disorder.
Selective potentiation of a novel calcium channel in rat hippocampal neurones.

1. Calcium channel activity in cultured embryonic hippocampal neurones was studied with the cell‐attached configuration of the patch clamp technique. Single‐channel recordings revealed the presence of a novel kind of calcium channel activity characterized by marked bursts of re‐openings following voltage pulses to +20 mV from a holding potential of ‐40 mV. 2. The re‐openings were greatly prolonged by the dihydropyridine (DHP) agonist (+)‐(S)‐202‐791, thus ruling out the possibility that they arose from T‐, N‐ or P‐type channels. Furthermore, the novel gating pattern could be readily distinguished from that of the L‐type channel which showed only conventional tail currents. 3. Since the novel gating pattern was stable over many minutes, we provisionally referred to it as a novel kind of calcium channel that showed voltage‐dependent potentiation (Lp channel) to distinguish it from the ‘standard’ L‐type channel (Ls channel). 4. Lp channels could also be distinguished from Ls channels on the basis of slope conductance (24.3 vs. 26.9 pS for Lp and Ls, respectively) and mean DHP‐induced long open time (2.7 vs 11 ms at +20 mV for Lp and Ls, respectively). 5. Voltage‐dependent potentiation of Lp channel activity was studied using a dual‐pulse protocol. When preceded by conditioning prepulses, Lp responses to test pulses were greatly increased. Ls‐ and N‐type calcium channels showed no such enhancement of their activity. 6. Long‐duration recordings revealed no clear evidence for transitions from Ls to Lp gating (or vice versa), suggesting that Ls and Lp activities arose from different kinds of calcium channels or that Lp gating is an unusually long‐lived mode of Ls channel gating.
Simplification and Improvement of protein detection in two-dimensional electrophoresis gels with SERVA HPE™ Lightning Red

Abstract A new fluorescent amino-reactive dye has been tested for both labelling proteins prior to electrophoretic separations and between the two steps of two-dimensional electrophoresis. A series of experiments showed, that the labelling of lysines with this dye is compatible with all standard additives used for sample preparation, including reducing substances and carrier ampholytes. Using this dye for pre-labelling considerably simplifies the electrophoresis and detection workflow and provides highly sensitive and quantitative visualisation of proteins.