Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Allethrin induced toxicity in the male reproductive tract of rats contributes to disruption in the transcription of genes involved in germ cell production

Pyrethroids are known to be neurotoxic. However, their toxic effects including that of allethrin on the male reproductive tract are not elucidated. Adult male rats were treated orally with 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg body weight allethrin every day for 60 days. Lipid peroxidation was increased (p < 0.001) in the caput, cauda, and testes. Nitric oxide production was increased (p < 0.001) in the caput, but unaltered in the cauda and testes. The activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione‐S‐transferase, and superoxide dismutase were decreased in the caput and cauda where as a decrease was observed in the testis obtained from allethrin treated rats. In the epididymides and testes, damage to tubular architecture, congestion, degeneration of epithelial cell lining, intestinal edema, and presence of dead or degenerating spermatids were observed in a dose dependent manner. The expression profile of genes involved in spermatogenesis (Tgf‐beta1), sperm maturation (Spag11e), and sperm function (Defb22) were reduced (p < 0.001) in allethrin rats. The expression of p53 gene was decreased and increased phosphorylation of MAPK (p42/p44) expression was observed the male reproductive tract tissues of allethrin treated rats. Although earlier studies have reported the effects of allethrin inhalation because of the use of mosquito coils and vaporizers, our results for the first time prove that oral exposure to allethrin could affect fertility and may contribute to deregulation of cell cycle in the male reproductive tract. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1330–1345, 2014.
Monitoring Shigella flexneri vacuolar escape by flow cytometry

Invasive bacterial pathogens such as Shigella flexneri force their uptake into non-phagocytic host cells. Upon internalization, they rupture the endocytic vacuole and escape into the host cell cytoplasm. Recent studies applying fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based methods to track host-pathogen interactions have provided insights into the process of bacterial infection at the single cell level. We have previously reported that the vacuolar escape of invasive bacteria into the host cellular cytosol can be tracked by fluorescence microscopy using a FRET CCF4/β-Lactamase reporter assay. Here, we show that our vacuolar rupture assay can also be analyzed by flow cytometry constituting an important alternative to data acquisition by microscopy. Whereas analysis of our assay by fluorescence microscopy offers precise spatiotemporal resolution, flow cytometry analysis represents a high-throughput method that allows efficient and fast quantification of a large number of events and can further improve future research on vacuolar escape.
Self-renewal vs. Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells1

Abstract Embryonic stem (ES) cells are typically derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation blastocyst and can both self-renew and differentiate into all the cells and tissues of the embryo. Because they are pluripotent, ES cells have been used extensively to analyze gene function in development via gene targeting. The embryonic stem cell is also an unsurpassed starting material to begin to understand a critical, largely inaccessible period of development. If their differentiation could be controlled, they would also be an important source of cells for transplantation to replace cells lost through disease or injury or to replace missing hormones or genes. Traditionally, ES cells have been differentiated in suspension culture as embryoid bodies, named because of their similarity to the early postimplantation-staged embryo. Unlike the pristine organization of the early embryo, differentiation in embryoid bodies appears to be largely unpatterned, although multiple cell types form. It has recently been possible to separate the desired cell types from differentiating ES cells in embryoid bodies by using cell-type-restricted promoters driving expression of either antibiotic resistance genes or fluorophores such as EGFP. In combination with growth factor exposure, highly differentiated cell types have successfully been derived from ES cells. Recent technological advances such as RNA interference to knock down gene expression in ES cells are also producing enriched populations of cells and elucidating gene function in early development.
Reliability Studies of Distribution Systems Integrated With Electric Vehicles Under Battery-Exchange Mode

Although the concept of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) has explicitly shown its benefits in improving grid efficiency, it has not yet been furnished with effective evaluation methods in power system studies. This paper aims to propose an analytical approach by which the reliability impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) in the distribution level can effectively be assessed. The studies are done for EVs integration under the battery-exchange (BE) operating mode. In this regard, at first, different behaviors of EV users under BE mode are extracted based on refueling patterns of conventional vehicles. Afterwards, an algorithm is presented to optimally break down the period of studies into a few time intervals during which fluctuations of the distribution system load can be neglected. Subsequently for each time interval, probabilistic model of available energy in batteries of BE station is extracted taking into account the battery-exchange patterns of EV users. Convolving the load model of system and available energy in batteries of BE station, calculation procedure of some commonly used reliability indices is introduced. A comprehensive study is also presented through implementing the proposed approach on the IEEE 34-node test system. The obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method in extracting the main benefits of EVs with the goal of enhancing the reliability performance of distribution systems.
A model for polygon similarity estimation

A model for polygon similarity estimation is presented. The advantages of the model are that it introduces a numerical measure of similarity between two polygons; it can be applied for all polygon forms and any number of vertices; and it gives acceptable intuitively interpreted results even in the cases of great differences in the number of polygon vertices. The model has been tested in a large number of experiments. The discussion is restricted to simple planar polygons, i.e., those polygons whose edges do not intersect themselves and whose vertices are represented by ordered pairs of Cartesian coordinates. <<ETX>>
Multimodality tomography for multiphase hydrocarbon flow measurements

Multimodality sensing is used for monitoring of multiphase hydrocarbon flow where there is a need to measure the quantity of oil, water and gas in a cross section of a pipe originating from an oil well. Information on the flow regime, i.e., the physical distribution of the hydrocarbon production constituents in the pipe cross section, is demanded. Expedient information concerning the productivity of the well, i.e., the quantity of oil, water and gas produced, the transport of multiphase flow and the upstream separation process can be provided by tomographic information. A dual modality tomograph (DMT), consisting of capacitance and gamma-ray sensors, has been developed at the University of Bergen. Characterization of the DMT has demonstrated feasibility in relation to the hydrocarbon flow application, but also shortcomings mainly relating to the performance of the capacitance sensor in water continuous phase, and the salinity dependence of the gamma-ray measurements. Research work has been conducted to further develop the DMT for hydrocarbon multiphase flow. The new developments include dual modality densitometry (DMD), where both mixture density and salinity are measured, and a water-cut independent high-frequency magnetic field sensor.
Heparin binding confers prion stability and impairs its aggregation

The conversion of the prion protein (PrP) into scrapie PrP (PrPSc) is a central event in prion diseases. Several molecules work as cofactors in the conversion process, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). GAGs exhibit a paradoxical effect, as they convert PrP into protease‐resistant PrP (PrP‐res) but also exert protective activity. We compared the stability and aggregation propensity of PrP and the heparin‐PrP complex through the application of different in vitro aggregation approaches, including real‐time quaking‐induced conversion (RT‐QuIC). Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy–associated forms from mouse and hamster brain homogenates were used to seed RT‐QuIC‐induced fibrillization. In our study, interaction between heparin and cellular PrP (PrPC) increased thermal PrP stability, leading to an 8‐fold decrease in temperature‐induced aggregation. The interaction of low‐molecular‐weight heparin (LMWHep) with the PrP N‐ or C‐terminal domain affected not only the extent of PrP fibrillization but also its kinetics, lowering the reaction rate constant from 1.04 to 0.29 s–1 and increasing the lag phase from 12 to 19 h in RT‐QuIC experiments. Our findings explain the protective effect of heparin in different models of prion and prion‐like neurodegenerative diseases and establish the groundwork for the development of therapeutic strategies based on GAGs. —Vieira, T. C. R. G. , Cordeiro, Y. , Caughey, B. , Silva, J. L. Heparin binding confers prion stability and impairs its aggregation. FASEB J. 28, 2667–2676 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Panel Data Analysis of the Impact of Economic Freedom as Well as Economic Conditions, The Quality of Life, and Public Education Spending on U.S. Undocumented Immigrant Settlement Patterns

This study seeks to identify key factors influencing the geographic settlement pattern of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on the impact of economic freedom, and to extend the OLS findings in previous related studies. Indeed, this study adds to the literature in several ways. First, it provides current insights into the link between the settlement patterns of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and economic freedom. Second, the study adopts a panel data-set and provides estimates using cross-section fixed-effects. Third, this study also endeavors to provide further insights into the impacts on the settlement patterns of undocumented immigrants of non-economic-freedom economic conditions, as well as the quality of life and spending on primary and secondary public education. The various state fixed-effects estimates provided in the present study yield several conclusions. In particular, according to these estimations, the settlement pattern of undocumented immigrants in the U.S is inversely a function of colder climates, higher crime rates, higher population density, and a higher cost of living. In addition, the interstate distribution of undocumented immigrants to the U.S. is positively a function of the annual per pupil outlays on public primary and secondary education; it is also positively a function of the degree of economic freedom, the principal focus of this study.
A prospective, blinded analysis of A‐PROTEIN (recoverin or CAR protein) levels in pediatric patients with central nervous system tumors

Abnormal expression of A‐PROTEIN has been identified in a number of tumors including carcinoma of the lung, breast, colon, prostate, and cervix. Brain tumors have been reported to express high plasma levels of A‐PROTEIN, suggesting that it may be of significant diagnostic and prognostic value.
Stereospecific Regulation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Proenkephalin Genes by Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Rat PC12 Cells

Circulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are primarily derived from bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates in the colon where they function as physiologic modulators of epithelial cell maturation. Butyrate has been shown to induce tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis, and enkephalin neuropeptide gene transcription, suggesting a role in perinatal sympathoadrenal stress-adaptation. We sought to determine whether there were SCFA structural requirements for this effect. Nine biologically relevant SCFAs and butyrate derivatives were tested in an in vitro model (PC12, rat pheochromocytoma cells) for their ability to regulate neurotransmitter-related gene expression. Our results revealed that among all the studied SCFAs, only propionate and butyrate increased tyrosine hydroxylase and proenkephalin mRNA levels. The functional activity was selective to the carbon atom chain length and associated with the presence of an ethyl moiety in the carbon atom backbone chain. Modifications or absence of this domain affected the gene induction response, suggesting a receptor-mediated mechanism(s). Moreover, propionate, butyrate, and the drug 4-phenyl-butyrate were each shown to regulate transmitter genes via at least three independent mechanisms: histone hyperacetylation, cAMP signaling, or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma–mediated pathways. Thus, the biologic impact of SCFAs on catecholaminergic and opioid systems depend on the activation of SCFA-specific, dose-specific, and gene-specific molecular mechanisms. We speculate that 1) circulating levels of SCFAs may influence sympathoadrenal transmitter biosynthesis and hence whole animal stress-adaptive responsiveness after birth, and 2) the adverse effects of antibiotics on delayed acquisition of postnatal gut flora may affect this apparent evolutionary advantage of gut colonization.
Discipline and flexibility: a behavioural perspective on microfinance product design

Abstract The success of both microcredit and micro-savings products rests upon simplicity and standardization in order to stimulate client discipline. However, these products lack flexibility. This paper attempts to make sense of behavioural product design in microfinance. We focus on the potential trade-offs between discipline and flexibility. While discipline devices encourage clients to make payments on time, microfinance product flexibility improves clients’ day-to-day money management and helps them cope with shocks. Our contribution is twofold. Firstly, we highlight the evidence-based advantages and disadvantages of flexible products in microfinance. Secondly, we present best-practice examples of flexible products offered by microfinance institutions worldwide.
Flow visualization in blood aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir used in cardiopulmonary bypass.

OBJECTIVE One of the major damage caused by occlusion in roller pumps is hemolysis. Comparative studies between roller pump with adjustments non occlusive and centrifugal pumps have been made in recent decades in an attempt to develop new products and adjustments that cause fewer traumas to the figurative elements of blood. Usually the roller pumps are adjusted by the static method due to concern variables flow that can occur with non-occlusive settings. Excessive slack in the rollers provoke back flow and can provides errors in the calculation of flow by the rotation of the pump, according to the devices added to the circuit and the systemic resistance of the patient. The objective of this study is to evaluate the back flow caused by two types of roller pumps in blood aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir. METHOD Back flow visualization was performed in blood aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir. It was tested two different models of roller pumps, adjusted by drop rate and dynamic calibration. The tests were conducted with silicone tubes of 3/8 x 1/16 e 1/2 x 3/32 inches in diameter in water and solution similar to blood. RESULTS We recorded back flow visually in blood aspirator and in cardiotomy reservoir with their measure of values. The pumps had differences in refluxes measured adjusted by the dynamic calibration method. Pump#2 presents back flow adjusted fully occluded. CONCLUSION The back flow measured in two models of pump present differences (P <0.008). The results indicate differences in its characteristics caused by the process of manufacturing, design or possible wear. Non-occlusive adjustments may cause variations in flow with the increase of resistance added to the circuit, with difficulty to fix the flow by increasing the rotation.
Computational Artifacts of the In Situ Electric Field in Anatomical Models Exposed to Low-Frequency Magnetic Field

An in situ (internal) electric field is used as a dosimetric quantity for human protection from low-frequency electromagnetic fields (lower than 5 MHz) under international safety standard/;guidelines. The IEEE standard uses a homogenous elliptical cross section to derive external field strength corresponding to an in situ field strength, while the International Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines use anatomical models to relate them. In the latter, “the 99th percentile value of the in situ electric field averaged over the cube of its side length of 2 mm” is used to represent the maximum in situ electric field. This metric was introduced to suppress computational artifacts that are inherent when using voxelized anatomical models, in which curved boundaries are discretized with a stair-casing approximation. To suppress the error, a few schemes have been proposed for treating the computational artifacts. In this study, the various schemes to suppress the artifacts are reviewed. Subsequently, a postprocessing method for determining the appropriate maximum in situ field strength is proposed. The performance of the proposed scheme is first verified by comparison with an analytical solution in a multilayered sphere. The method is then applied for different exposure scenarios in anatomically realistic human models where the volume under computation is also considered.
Drugs in development: targeting high-density lipoprotein metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport

Purpose of review This review summarizes currently available therapies for raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and expands on therapies currently in development that target high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Recent findings In the realm of new high-density lipoprotein-raising therapies, there is a strong focus on high-density lipoprotein metabolism and the reverse cholesterol transport pathway. Several infusions of recombinant apoA-I Milano/phospholipid complexes appeared to reduce atheroma volume as measured by intravascular ultrasound. Both intravenous and oral apoA-I mimetic peptides are in early clinical trials. Next generation PPAR-α agonists are more potent at high-density lipoprotein-raising than currently available fibrates, and dual PPAR-α/PPAR-γ agonists are under investigation to help correct atherogenic dyslipidemia seen in many diabetics. Two small molecule inhibitors of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein have shown promise in clinical trials at substantially raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Summary Larger scale clinical trials, including those with additional surrogate outcome measures as well as cardiovascular event outcomes are needed to further assess the benefit of newer high-density lipoprotein-raising therapies. Additional therapeutics are currently in development that target other parts of the reverse cholesterol transport pathway and, in addition to providing new potential pharmaceuticals, will help to further elucidate the atheroprotective mechanisms of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Correlation Analysis of Electromyogram Signals for Multiuser Myoelectric Interfaces

An inability to adapt myoelectric interfaces to a novel user's unique style of hand motion, or even to adapt to the motion style of an opposite limb upon which the interface is trained, are important factors inhibiting the practical application of myoelectric interfaces. This is mainly attributed to the individual differences in the exhibited electromyogram (EMG) signals generated by the muscles of different limbs. We propose in this paper a multiuser myoelectric interface which easily adapts to novel users and maintains good movement recognition performance. The main contribution is a framework for implementing style-independent feature transformation by using canonical correlation analysis (CCA) in which different users' data is projected onto a unified-style space. The proposed idea is summarized into three steps: 1) train a myoelectric pattern classifier on the set of style-independent features extracted from multiple users using the proposed CCA-based mapping; 2) create a new set of features describing the movements of a novel user during a quick calibration session; and 3) project the novel user's features onto a lower dimensional unified-style space with features maximally correlated with training data and classify accordingly. The proposed method has been validated on a set of eight intact-limbed subjects, left-and-right handed, performing ten classes of bilateral synchronous fingers movements with four electrodes on each forearm. The method was able to overcome individual differences through the style-independent framework with accuracies of >83% across multiple users. Testing was also performed on a set of ten intact-limbed and six below-elbow amputee subjects as they performed finger and thumb movements. The proposed framework allowed us to train the classifier on a normal subject's data while subsequently testing it on an amputee's data after calibration with a performance of >82% on average across all amputees.
The Use of Image Blur as a Depth Cue

Images of three-dimensional scenes inevitably contain regions that are spatially blurred by differing amounts, owing to depth-of-focus limitations in the imaging apparatus. Recent perceptual data indicate that this blur variation acts as an effective cue to depth: if one image region contains sharply focused texture, and another contains blurred texture, then the two regions may be perceived at different depths, even in the absence of other depth cues. Calculations based on the optical properties of the human eye have shown that variation in blur as a function of depth follows the same course as variation in binocular disparity with depth. Computational modelling has shown that the effect of blur on single-step edges is very similar to its effect on random fractal patterns, because the two stimuli have similar Fourier amplitude spectra. Blur discrimination thresholds for the two stimuli were also very similar, and could be predicted by a model based on high-spatial-frequency discrimination. A comparison of blur discrimination thresholds with the range of binocular stereopsis indicates that blur and disparity cues cover different distance ranges: stereopsis is most effective for distances relatively close to fixation, while blur information should be more effective for larger distances.
Learning attack strategies through attack sequence mining method

Since security audit data increased so dramatically, management and analysis of these security data become a challenge issue. In our system SATA (security alerts and threat analysis), we proposed a new method of learning multi-stage attack strategies through attack sequence mining method to recognize attacker's high-level strategies and predicting upcoming attack intentions. We first apply an attack sequence mining algorithm to mine attack behavior sequence patterns from alarm database. We then correlate the attack behaviors matched with certain attack sequence pattern to identify potential attack intentions. Our technique is easy to implement and it can be used to detect novel multi-stage attack strategies. The primary experiments show that our approach is effective and practical.