Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obestatin alleviates subarachnoid haemorrhage-induced oxidative injury in rats via its anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects

Abstract Objective: The aim was to investigate the putative anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effect of obestatin in a rat model of subarachnoidal haemorrhage (SAH). Methods: To induce SAH, rats were injected with 0.3 mL blood into their cisterna magna. At 48 hours rats were decapitated after neurological examination. Blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability, brain water content, oxidative stress markers and histological analysis were done in brain tissue. Results: The results showed that neurological examination scores were increased in the SAH group and, moreover, BBB permeability was impaired and oedema formed. SAH resulted in increased levels of plasma tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 levels and caspase-3 activity. Lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation levels and myeloperoxidase activity were all increased in the brain tissue, with concomitant decreases in antioxidant enzymes. On the other hand, SAH-induced neurological impairment and oxidative brain injury were ameliorated in the obestatin-treated group. Conclusion: The present study provides the first evidence that peripheral administration of obestatin exerts potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in SAH-induced oxidative damage by maintaining a balance in oxidant-antioxidant status through the augmentation of endogenous antioxidants and the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators.
Low Complexity Equalization Using Mode-Subset Selection in MIMO Multimode Fiber Links

Optical fiber links have enabled the transmission of very high data rates over both short-range and long-range links. However, the recent growth in the bandwidth demand has created the need to enhance their data rate capacities. While modern modulation techniques and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) based mode-division multiplexing (MDM) techniques with multimode fibers (MMFs) have been demonstrated to be promising approaches to achieve higher data rates, the computational complexity required to perform data decoding at these high data rates makes these systems prohibitive. In this paper, we model the channel characteristics and mode-dependent losses of few-mode and many-mode MMFs and study the data rates obtained if only a few modes are chosen for decoding at the subset. Such an approach promises to reduce the decoding complexity while not sacrificing data rate significantly. Simulations reveal that a subset selection approach leads to large savings in computation while not compromising data rate significantly. In particular, the energy-per-bit requirement can be reduced by over 50% in few-mode fibers and upto 70% in large-core multimode fiber links, when compared to conventional MDM decoding.
Optimal Interconnection Planning of Community Microgrids With Renewable Energy Sources

The optimal planning of the interconnected network of multimicrogrids is discussed in this paper. The interconnection planning will enhance the reliability and the economic operation of a community of microgrids. The proposed approach will apply a probabilistic minimal cut-set-based iterative methodology for the optimal planning of interconnection among microgrids with variable renewable energy sources. The optimal planning takes into account various factors including the economics, reliability, and variability of renewables, network- and resource-based uncertainties, and adaptability to accommodate the prevailing operating concerns. A clustering-based method is considered for analyzing the variable data concerning the potential deployment of renewable energy in microgrids. The proposed interconnection planning methodology is applied to a six-microgrid system and the planning results are discussed. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed interconnection planning methodology will determine an optimal topology accurately and efficiently for a cluster of microgrids, and show that the proposed adaptive planning methodology can easily be applied to practical microgrid applications.
Computer modeling of the rhamnogalacturonase–“hairy” pectin complex

The structure of a pectin‐bound complex of rhamnogalacturonase was modeled to identify the amino acid residues involved in catalysis and substrate binding. The “hairy” region of pectin, represented by six repeating stretches of (1→4)‐D‐galacturonate‐(1→2)‐L‐rhamnose dimer, was flexibly docked into the putative binding site of rhamnogalacturonase from Aspergillus aculeatus whose X‐ray structure is known. A search of the complex configurational space was performed using AutoDock for the dimeric and tetrameric sugar units in which the −1 galacturonate residue has various ring conformations. Then the plausible AutoDock solutions were manually extended to the dodecameric pectin models. Subsequently, the resulting complex models were subjected to solvated molecular dynamics using AMBER. In the best model, the substrate has an extended pseudo‐threefold helix with the −1 ring in a 4H3 half‐chair that approaches the transition state conformation. The catalytic machinery is clearly defined: Asp197 is a general acid and the activated water bound between Asp177 and Glu198 is a nucleophile. The active site is similar, with a small yet significant difference, to that of polygalacturonase that degrades the pectic “smooth” region of linear homopolymer of D‐(1→4)‐linked galacturonic acid. Rhamnogalacturonase has ten binding subsites ranging from −3 to +7, while polygalacturonase has eight subsites from −5 to +3. The model suggests that the eight amino acids including three arginine and three lysine residues, all of which are invariantly conserved in the rhamnogalacturonase family of proteins, are important in substrate binding. The present study may aid in designing mutational studies to characterize rhamnogalacturonase. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minor Anomalies in Childhood Lymphomas and Solid Tumors

Background: Despite the presence of reports on correlation between major congenital defects and cancer, very few studies have investigated the frequency of minor anomalies in childhood malignancy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of minor anomalies in children with lymphoma and solid tumors. Procedure: A total of 281 well-defined minor anomalies were determined in 116 patients. The patients were compared with age-matched and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Results: Concerning the cumulative data, 87.9% (102/116) of the patients and 37.9% (44/116) of the controls had at least 1 minor anomaly (P<0.05). A total of 281 minor anomalies (2.42 per subject) were noted in the patient group, whereas 41 (0.35 per subject) were noted in the control group (P<0.05). The eye, ear, mouth, hand, and feet anomalies were statistically higher in the patient group than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Our results contribute to the understanding of the role of genetic factors in childhood cancer. Future studies might be directed toward identifying the developmental pathways and the relevant genes that are involved in relation to childhood cancer and minor anomalies.
A multivariable MPPT algorithm for granular control of photovoltaic systems

In this paper a novel approach to the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) in distributed PhotoVoltaic (PV) applications is proposed. It is useful when the granular control of the PV field is applied by adopting a dc/dc converter for each PV module. It consists of a single digital controller implementing a multivariable MPPT algorithm based on the Perturb and Observe (P&O) approach, acting on the dc/dc converters dedicated to each PV module and with their output terminals put in series connection. The control strategy only requires a single current sensor on the dc bus, so that classical PV modules current sensing is avoided. PSIM simulations confirm the advantages offered by the proposed approach.
Tuning of Strouhal number for high propulsive efficiency accurately predicts how wingbeat frequency and stroke amplitude relate and scale with size and flight speed in birds

The wing kinematics of birds vary systematically with body size, but we still, after several decades of research, lack a clear mechanistic understanding of the aerodynamic selection pressures that shape them. Swimming and flying animals have recently been shown to cruise at Strouhal numbers (St) corresponding to a regime of vortex growth and shedding in which the propulsive efficiency of flapping foils peaks (St ≈ fA/U, where f is wingbeat frequency, U is cruising speed and A ≈ bsin(θ/2) is stroke amplitude, in which b is wingspan and θ is stroke angle). We show that St is a simple and accurate predictor of wingbeat frequency in birds. The Strouhal numbers of cruising birds have converged on the lower end of the range 0.2 < St < 0.4 associated with high propulsive efficiency. Stroke angle scales as θ ≈ 67b−0.24, so wingbeat frequency can be predicted as f ≈ St. U/bsin(33.5b−0.24), with St = 0.21 and St = 0.25 for direct and intermittent fliers, respectively. This simple aerodynamic model predicts wingbeat frequency better than any other relationship proposed to date, explaining 90% of the observed variance in a sample of 60 bird species. Avian wing kinematics therefore appear to have been tuned by natural selection for high aerodynamic efficiency: physical and physiological constraints upon wing kinematics must be reconsidered in this light.
Annual radiation background in the City of Isfahan.

BACKGROUND Measurement of environmental exposure is very important from different points of view especially for human health. In Iran, it is measured in some cities especially in high background areas such as Ramsar, but so far there is not any measurement in Isfahan. MATERIAL/METHODS Measurements were performed using CaSO4: Dy TLDs. The locations under investigations were 52 health centers distributed all around Isfahan city. Each TLD badge was put in a special plastic bag and left over the roofs of the selected health center for a month. The procedure was repeated for all 12 months of the year 1379 (21st March 2000 to 20th March 2001). RESULTS The maximum and the minimum of obtained results for dose equivalent in different months and locations were 15.9 x 10(-2) and 6.5 x 10(-2) mSv. Obtained maximum and minimum of the means between all the locations were 10.5 x 10(-2) and 8.6 x 10(2) mSv for the whole year. Monthly mean and SD for Isfahan city for the whole year were 9.7 x 10(-2) and 1.5 x 10(-2) respectively therefore mean annual dose equivalent in Isfahan city is 1.16 x 0.18 mSv. The results do not show any high background radiation area. CONCLUSIONS From the total of 624 measurements at 52 sites of Isfahan, obtained annual outdoor X and gamma ray dose equivalent for a person living in isfahan is 1.16 x 0.18 mSv. This figure is about 48.3% of the world average total radiation background reported by UNSCEAR.
DNA Motifs and Sequence Periodicities

Genomic DNA sequences contain a wealth of information about the bendability and curvature of the DNA molecule. For example, the well-known 10-11 bp periodicities within genomes can be attributed to supercoiled structures or wrapping around nucleosomes. Such periodic signals have previously been examined mainly based on mono- or dinucleotide correlations. In this study, we generalize this approach and analyze correlation functions of longer motifs such as tetramers or poly(A) sequences. Periodically placed motifs may indicate regular protein binding or curvature signals. We detected various periodic signals e.g. strong 10-11 bp oscillations of periodically placed poly(A), poly(T) or poly(W) stretches. These observations lead to a new view on the intensively studied 10-11 bp periodicities.
Crystallographic Insights into the Pore Structures and Mechanisms of the EutL and EutM Shell Proteins of the Ethanolamine-Utilizing Microcompartment of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The ethanolamine-utilizing bacterial microcompartment (Eut-BMC) of Escherichia coli is a polyhedral organelle that harbors specific enzymes for the catabolic degradation of ethanolamine. The compartment is composed of a proteinaceous shell structure that maintains a highly specialized environment for the biochemical reactions inside. Recent structural investigations have revealed hexagonal assemblies of shell proteins that form a tightly packed two-dimensional lattice that is likely to function as a selectively permeable protein membrane, wherein small channels are thought to permit controlled exchange of specific solutes. Here, we show with two nonisomorphous crystal structures that EutM also forms a two-dimensional protein membrane. As its architecture is highly similar to the membrane structure of EutL, it is likely that the structure represents a physiologically relevant form. Thus far, of all Eut proteins, only EutM and EutL have been shown to form such proteinaceous membranes. Despite their similar architectures, however, both proteins exhibit dramatically different pore structures. In contrast to EutL, the pore of EutM appears to be positively charged, indicating specificity for different solutes. Furthermore, we also show that the central pore structure of the EutL shell protein can be triggered to open specifically upon exposure to zinc ions, suggesting a specific gating mechanism.
Dynamic power optimization using look-ahead clock gating technique

Main part of power dissipation in real time processors occurs due to dynamic power. Thus to reduce this in digital systems a technique namely clock gating is used. The three most popular techniques are latch-based, data-driven and Auto-Gated FF (AGFF) based clock gating. Here a combination of above techniques namely Look-Ahead Clock Gating (LACG) is presented. Problems such as timing and hardware overheads can be solved using LACG.
Diverging and Contested Feminisms in Early Social Work History in Ontario (1900-1950)

This study examines early Ontario social work history by documenting the lives of four women who contributed to the history of Ontario social work some of whom have largely been forgotten. While social work remains a female-dominated profession, both currently and historically, few historical studies have addressed this. This study attempts to equalize the views and voices of social workers by including select women who were active in the field illuminating and identifying some of the contributions of women to the debates which characterized early social work in Ontario. This study selected two women from the radical tradition with socialist/communist affiliations and as counterpoint two figures who were members of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire and who represent a conservative value system based in the tradition of British imperialism. Three guiding research questions for the study are 1) what conditions organizations and practices shaped and positioned social work as a profession in its formative years 2) how were the significant debates/discursive trajectories reflected in the organizational settings of early social work? 3) How were these ideas implicated in their practice? Did these women speak through the organizations they led or participated in? How did they contribute to the production of or alternative positions to, the competing epistemés of the
ATP and cytosol requirements for transferrin recycling in intact and disrupted MDCK cells.

We have developed an in vitro system for studying membrane transport during receptor‐mediated endocytosis. Using nitrocellulose disruption to permeabilize selectively the apical domain of filter‐grown MDCK cells, the recycling of receptor‐bound transferrin (Tfn) from an intracellular pool was reconstituted in vitro with a rate and efficiency similar to that of intact cells. Tfn and Tfn receptor recycling from endosomes back to the cell surface was dependent on added ATP and cytosol‐derived proteins. Thus, incubation of intact cells under conditions of ATP depletion resulted in the clearance of Tfn receptors from the basolateral membrane, this was reversible upon removal of the energy poisons. Reappearance of previously internalized receptors could also be obtained in disrupted cells but required the addition of both ATP and cytosol to the assay mixture. Similarly, when intact cells were allowed to internalize labeled Tfn prior to disruption, efficient and rapid release of ligand back into the medium was markedly stimulated by ATP and cytosol. Recycling was judged to be both selective and vectorial since only the expected small fraction of a previously internalized horseradish peroxidase was released after addition of ATP and cytosol, and release was primarily into the basal medium. While the cytosol contributed one or more protein factors, none was sensitive to N‐ethylmaleimide. Alkylation of the disrupted cells, however, did inactivate recycling.
Differential effects of anti‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐10 and IL‐13) on tumoricidal and chemotactic properties of human monocytes induced by monocyte chemotactic and activating factor

The effect of recombinant human IL‐4, IL‐10, and IL‐13 on the chemotaxis and antitumor activity of human blood monocytes induced by monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) was examined. MCAF alone did not induce monocyte‐mediated cytotoxicity against human melanoma (A375‐M) cells whereas it significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity by norMDP‐stimulated monocytes. MCAF, unlike IFN‐γ, had no priming effect on monocyte activation by norMDP. MCAF acted with norMDP or LPS to enhance the production of both IL‐1β and TNF‐α. Enhanced cytotoxicity of monocytes stimulated with MCAF plus norMDP was reduced by IL‐1 receptor antagonist and anti‐TNF‐α antibody. IL‐4, IL‐10, and IL‐13 suppressed the generation of antitumor activity and cytokine production (IL‐1β and TNF‐α) of monocytes stimulated with MCAF plus norMDP or LPS. Chemotaxis of monocytes induced by MCAF was not affected by norMDP or any of the anti‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐10, and IL‐13). Moreover, the pretreatment of monocytes with anti‐inflammatory cytokines did not suppress monocyte‐chemotaxis. These findings suggest that in vivo recruitment and anti‐tumor expression of blood monocytes induced by MCAF may be differently regulated by anti‐inflammatory cytokines in vivo. J. Leukoc. Biol. 57: 303–309; 1995.
Internet and Voting in the Web 2.0 Era: Evidence from a Local Broadband Policy

This article analyzes the impact of a local broadband expansion policy on electoral turnout and party vote share. We exploit a unique policy intervention involving staged broadband infrastructure installation across rural municipalities in the Province of Trento (Italy), thus generating a source of exogenous (spatial and temporal) variation in the provision of advanced broadband technology (ADSL2+). Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find positive effects of broadband availability on overall electoral turnout at national parliamentary elections. Party vote share analysis shows significant shifts across the ideological spectrum. These shifts, however, are likely transitory rather than persistent. Placebo estimations support a causal interpretation of our results. We provide further evidence that broadband availability is linked to actual adoption in that the broadband policy increased overall Internet and broadband take-up among private households.
Understanding socio-economic inequalities in food choice behaviour: can Maslow's pyramid help?

Socio-economic groups differ in their material, living, working and social circumstances, which may result in different priorities about their daily-life needs, including the priority to make healthy food choices. Following Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, we hypothesised that socio-economic inequalities in healthy food choices can be explained by differences in the levels of need fulfilment. Postal survey data collected in 2011 (67·2 % response) from 2903 participants aged 20–75 years in the Dutch GLOBE (Gezondheid en Levens Omstandigheden Bevolking Eindhoven en omstreken) study were analysed. Maslow's hierarchy of human needs (measured with the Basic Need Satisfaction Inventory) was added to age- and sex-adjusted linear regression models that linked education and net household income levels to healthy food choices (measured by a FFQ). Most participants (38·6 %) were in the self-actualisation layer of the pyramid. This proportion was highest among the highest education group (47·6 %). Being in a higher level of the hierarchy was associated with a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as more healthy than unhealthy bread, snack and dairy consumption. Educational inequalities in fruit and vegetable intake (B= − 1·79, 95 % CI − 2·31, − 1·28 in the lowest education group) were most reduced after the hierarchy of needs score was included (B= − 1·57, 95 % CI − 2·09, − 1·05). Inequalities in other healthy food choices hardly changed after the hierarchy of needs score was included. People who are satisfied with higher-level needs make healthier food choices. Studies aimed at understanding socio-economic inequalities in food choice behaviour need to take differences in the priority given to daily-life needs by different socio-economic groups into account, but Maslow's pyramid offers little help.
Construction of a 3-chlorobiphenyl-utilizing recombinant from an intergeneric mating

Recombinant Pseudomonas sp. strain CB15, which grows on 3-chlorobiphenyl (3CB), was constructed from Pseudomonas sp. strain HF1, which grows on 3-chlorobenzoate, and from Acinetobacter sp. strain P6, which grows on biphenyl, by using a continuous amalgamated culture apparatus. DNA from strains CB15 and HF1 hybridized very strongly to each other, while hybridization between both parental strains, HF1 and P6, was negligible. However, DNA from the recombinant CB15 hybridized moderately to strongly with three specific fragments of parental strain P6. Strains HF1 and P6 did not grow on 3CB, but recombinant strain CB15 mineralized this compound and released inorganic chloride. When growing on 3CB, strain CB15 accumulated brown products, one of which was identified as 3-chloro-5-(2'-hydroxy-3'-chlorophenyl)-1,2-benzoquinone by mass spectrometry. Emulsification and mechanical fragmentation greatly increased the rate of 3CB mineralization by strain CB15. At least three methods of inhibition from catecholic intermediates may account for slow growth on 3CB. The meta fission of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl (the nonchlorinated analog of the metabolic intermediate 3-chloro-2',3'-dihydroxybiphenyl) was affected by substrate inhibition (Vmax = 359 nmol.min-1.mg-1, Km = 114 microM, Kss [the inhibition constant] = 951 microM) and was also inhibited by 3-chlorocatechol. The ortho fission of 3-chlorocatechol, a degradation product, followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Vmax = 365 nmol.min-1.mg-1, Km = 1 microM), but the addition of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl inhibited the reaction (Ki = 0.87 microM). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)