Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenomic Regulation of Schwann Cell Reprogramming in Peripheral Nerve Injury

The rapid and dynamic transcriptional changes of Schwann cells in response to injury are critical to peripheral nerve repair, yet the epigenomic reprograming that leads to the induction of injury-activated genes has not been characterized. Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes the trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3), which produces a transcriptionally repressive chromatin environment. We find that many promoters and/or gene bodies of injury-activated genes of mature rat nerves are occupied with H3K27me3. In contrast, the majority of distal enhancers that gain H3K27 acetylation after injury are not repressed by H3K27 methylation before injury, which is normally observed in developmentally poised enhancers. Injury induces demethylation of H3K27 in many genes, such as Sonic hedgehog (Shh), which is silenced throughout Schwann cell development before injury. In addition, experiments using a Schwann cell-specific mouse knock-out of the Eed subunit of PRC2 indicate that demethylation is a rate-limiting step in the activation of such genes. We also show that some transcription start sites of H3K27me3-repressed injury genes of uninjured nerves are bound with a mark of active promoters H3K4me3, for example, Shh and Gdnf, and the reduction of H3K27me3 results in increased trimethylation of H3K4. Our findings identify reversal of polycomb repression as a key step in gene activation after injury. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Peripheral nerve regeneration after injury is dependent upon implementation of a novel genetic program in Schwann cells that supports axonal survival and regeneration. Identifying means to enhance Schwann cell reprogramming after nerve injury could be used to foster effective remyelination in the treatment of demyelinating disorders and in identifying pathways involved in regenerative process of myelination. Although recent progress has identified transcriptional determinants of successful reprogramming of the Schwann cell transcriptome after nerve injury, our results have highlighted a novel epigenomic pathway in which reversal of the Polycomb pathway of repressive histone methylation is required for activation of a significant number of injury-induced genes.
Plant Water Stress Effects on Stylet Probing Behaviors of Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Associated with Acquisition and Inoculation of the Bacterium &khgr;ylella fastidiosa

ABSTRACT The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is a xylem fluid-ingesting leafhopper that transmits &khgr;ylella fastidiosa Wells et al., a plant-infecting bacterium that causes several plant diseases in the Americas. Although the role of plant water stress on the population density and dispersal of H. vitripennis has been studied, nothing isknown about the effects of plant water stress on the transmission of &khgr;. fastidiosa by H. vitripennis.Alaboratory study was conducted to determine the influence of plant water stress on the sharpshooter stylet probing behaviors associated with the acquisition and inoculation of &khgr;. fastidiosa. Electrical penetration graph was used to monitor H. vitripennis feeding behaviors for 20-h periods on citrus [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] and almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb] plants subjected to levels of water stress. Adult H. vitripennis successfully located xylem vessels, then performed behaviors related to the evaluation of the xylem cell and fluid, and finally ingested xylem fluid from citrus and almond plants under the tested fluid tensions ranging from -5.5 to -33.0 bars and -6.0 to -24.5 bars, respectively. In general, long and frequent feeding events associated with the acquisition and inoculation of &khgr;. fastidiosa were observed only in fully irrigated plants (i.e., >-10 bars), which suggests that even low levels of plant water stress may reduce the spread of &khgr;. fastidiosa. Results provided insights to disease epidemiology and support the hypothesis that application of regulated deficit irrigation has the potential to reduce the incidence of diseases caused by &khgr;. fastidiosa by reducing the number of vectors and by decreasing pathogen transmission efficiency.
Sulfate incorporation by articular chondrocytes in monolayer culture.

Articular chondrocytes in primary monolayers or subcultures synthesize sulfated macromolecules, presumably mucopolysaccharides. Intracellular 35SO4 incorporation by postnatal rabbit chondrocytes reached a steady level by 24 hr of incubation; the nondialyzable extracellular (centrifuged medium + trypsin digest) counts increased over 72 hr, when they were up to 100 times the intracellular value. Cell for cell, radiosulfate counts in each fraction were higher in chondrocytes than fibroblasts. Data from a 3-year-old rabbit were comparable to those from recently weaned animals. Secretion of sulfated mucopolysaccharide was also found in cultures of adult human and bovine articular chondrocytes. Although Ham's F12 medium is advantageous in establishing a primary culture of chondrocytes, sulfate incorporation was greater when Dulbecco-Eagle medium, with or without supplemental L-proline, was used for subcultures. Ascorbic acid (5 mg/100 ml) added to an already confluent monolayer had no consistent effect.
Structure and Function of LGP2, a DEX(D/H) Helicase That Regulates the Innate Immunity Response*

RNA recognition receptors are important for detection of and response to viral infections. RIG-I and MDA5 are cytoplasmic DEX(D/H) helicase proteins that can induce signaling in response to RNA ligands, including those from viral infections. LGP2, a homolog of RIG-I and MDA5 without the caspase recruitment domain required for signaling, plays an important role in modulating signaling by MDA5 and RIG-I, presumably through heterocomplex formation and/or by serving as a sink for RNAs. Here we demonstrate that LGP2 can be coexpressed with RIG-I to inhibit activation of the NF-κB reporter expression and that LGP2 protein produced in insect cells can bind both single- and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), with higher affinity and cooperativity for dsRNA. Electron microscopy and image reconstruction were used to determine the shape of the LGP2 monomer in the absence of dsRNA and of the dimer complexed to a 27-bp dsRNA. LGP2 has striking structural similarity to the helicase domain of the superfamily 2 DNA helicase, Hef.
Mosaic construction from side-scan sonar: A comparison of two approaches for beam interpolation

This paper presents a unified methodology for the mosaic construction of the seafloor from side-scan sonar (SSS) imagery. This methodology applies techniques in SSS data correction to compensate the sonar beam pattern and the motion of the vehicle transporting the sonar that is doing the data acquisition. The vehicle motion is estimated through an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The EKF reduces the error propagation in the mosaic alignment by using the information on the past trajectory for predicting the new position of the vehicle. This process not only improves the navigation accuracy but also allows producing georeferenced mosaics. These georeferenced mosaics are enhanced using Nearest-Neighbor and Bilinear interpolation classic methods. The experimental data were acquired in the Atlantic Ocean near South Portugal utilizing an L-3 Klein System 3000 Digital SSS.
Serum Group A Anticapsular Antibodies in a Sudanese Population Immunized with Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine During a Group A Epidemic

Background: Vaccination during group A meningococcal epidemics is reported to decrease the number of new cases of disease. However, implementing mass vaccination is often delayed, and little information is available on whether immunity increases in a population vaccinated during an epidemic when exposure to the epidemic strain is common. Methods: A convenience sample of 134 previously unimmunized persons, ages 3–49 years, were immunized with a meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Their serum group A antibody responses were compared with those of 26 adults immunized in California with no known group A exposure. Results: Before immunization, serum anticapsular antibody concentrations were 10-fold higher in Sudanese adults and 4-fold higher in Sudanese, ages 3–17 years, than in North American adults (geometric means, 29 and 13 μg/ml, respectively, versus 3 μg/ml, P < 0.001). Seventy-five percent of the Sudanese had serum bactericidal titers that correlate with protection (≥1/128). Nearly all Sudanese with low bactericidal titers before vaccination developed protective bactericidal antibody responses after vaccination, and the magnitude of the anticapsular antibody responses of the Sudanese was similar to that of the immunized North Americans. Interpretation: The high titers of naturally acquired antibody in the Sudanese may reflect widespread exposure to the epidemic strain and underscore difficulties of instituting immunization before exposure occurs. Also epidemics in sub-Saharan Africans may not abate even if 75% of the population is immune to disease as long as the organism is transmitted widely among both immune and susceptible persons.
The Communication Constitution of Law Enforcement in North Carolina’s Efforts Against Human Trafficking

Over the past 20 years, human trafficking has gained international attention and resulted in the creation of anti-trafficking laws in the United States. Politicians, scholars, and organizations have called for more professional efforts against human trafficking and advocated for better education and awareness to identify victims and prosecute traffickers. Local law enforcement is recognized for its ideal position in communities to combat this crime. In 2011, North Carolina implemented a statewide human trafficking training program for law enforcement. This research study examines the communication constitution of law enforcement and the use of power through this training program and as officers work trafficking cases. I position this research study within the literature of interorganizational collaboration (ICO), highreliability organizations (HROs), and the Four Flows Model – a communication constitution of organizations (CCO) theory. I then provide a comprehensive methodical review of this research, which includes organizational documents and ethnographic data collected over a two-year period. The research results are divided into two discussions of law enforcement’s organizational constitution. First, I discuss law enforcement’s communication constitution through its human trafficking opposition and traffickers’ power to control victims. Second, I discuss law enforcement’s communication constitution through roles and partnerships in antitrafficking efforts and power through government sanctioned authority. Finally, I conclude with a review of the research, contributions to the field, and recommendations.
Activating KIR Copy Number Variation Is Associated with Granzyme B Release by NK Cells during Primary Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Rhesus Monkeys

ABSTRACT Here we show that the number of activating killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) copies in rhesus monkeys is associated with the extent of release of cytotoxic granules by cytolytic NK cells during primary simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac251 infection. These findings suggest that NK cells expressing high levels of activating KIRs efficiently kill SIVmac251-infected cells, and this efficient killing contributes to the NK cell-mediated control of replication of this virus during early infection.
Variation of Liver SUV on 18FDG-PET/CT Studies in Women With Breast Cancer

Purpose It has been proposed to use liver as reference organ when assessing tumor response with PET. We investigated whether liver 18FDG uptake is dependent on clinical, biological, or technical factors. Methods Sixty-one women with breast carcinoma had 18FDG-PET/CT imaging at baseline and then after the second course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SUV values were measured over the primary breast tumor and in a region of interest of 30-mm diameter within the liver. Results Liver SUVmean values for the 61 women were not different before and after the 2 courses of chemotherapy (2.27 vs 2.35; P = 0.18). No significant correlation was found between the delay postinjection and liver SUV. Liver SUVmean increased with blood glucose level (P = 0.007 on baseline PET studies, and P = 0.067 on postchemotherapy studies). Liver SUVmean increased significantly with increasing patient age, which was observed on baseline (P = < 0.001) and postchemotherapy studies (P = 0.002). Again, liver SUVmean increased with body weight (P = 0.037 on baseline studies and 0.003 on postchemotherapy studies). On multivariate analysis, 2 independent variables remained correlated to liver SUV, namely, age and weight. We found no statistically significant correlation between the studied physiological variables and breast tumor SUVmax. However, there was a trend for lower SUVmax with increasing blood glucose level or age. Conclusions 18FDG liver uptake depends on many factors such as age, weight, and blood glucose level. Some of these variables seem to have an opposite impact on tumor SUVmax. These findings challenge the usefulness of liver as reference.
TL1A-induced NF-κB Activation and c-IAP2 Production Prevent DR3-mediated Apoptosis in TF-1 Cells*

We recently identified TL1A, an endothelium-derived T cell costimulator and a ligand for tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily members DR3 and decoy receptor 3 (1). To elucidate the signaling events triggered by TL1A-DR3 interaction and to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating DR3-mediated apoptosis, we have studied the effect of TL1A and an agonistic DR3 monoclonal antibody in human erythroleukemic TF-1 cells, which express DR3 endogenously. TL1A induced the formation of a DR3 signaling complex containing TRADD, TRAF2, and RIP and activated the NF-κB and the ERK, JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. However, TL1A or an agonistic DR3 monoclonal antibody did not induce apoptosis in these cells nor were there detectable levels of FADD or procaspase-8 seen in the signaling complex. Interestingly, DR3-mediated apoptosis was induced in TF-1 cells in the presence of a NF-κB pathway-specific inhibitor but not in the presence of mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, either alone or in combination, suggesting that DR3-induced NF-κB activation was responsible for resistance to apoptosis in these cells. Consistent with this, we found that TL1A significantly increased the production of c-IAP2, a known NF-κB-dependent anti-apoptotic protein, and that the NF-κB inhibitor or cycloheximide prevented its synthesis. Furthermore, inhibition of c-IAP2 production by RNA interference significantly sensitized TF-1 cells to TL1A-induced apoptosis. Our study identifies a molecular mechanism by which TL1A and DR3 regulate cell fate in TF-1 cells.
Effect of irrigation, intercrop, and cultivar on agronomic and nutritional characteristics of quinoa

ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of three irrigation regimes and three intercrop treatments on emergence, plant height, seed yield, protein, and mineral concentration of two quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) varieties. The experiment was carried out using a strip plot, randomized complete block design in 2012 and 2013 on an organic farm in Pullman, WA. Irrigation significantly increased quinoa yield compared to dry land production. The fescue/clover intercrop produced higher biomass compared to clover/medic intercrop. Neither intercrop affected quinoa yield. The cultivar “Oro de Valle” had higher mineral concentration than “Cherry Vanilla” for Cu, Fe, and P concentration, but lower seed yield each year. An interaction was found between Mn seed concentration and intercrop treatment; however, different intercrop treatments did not seem to greatly affect other seed mineral concentrations. The intercrop provided cover in the field during the winter months, thus, decreasing soil erosion and providing green manure the following season. The fescue grass clover mix created more winter cover compared to the clover/medic intercrop whereas the clover and medic mixture increased quinoa seed protein.
Effect of pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation on acid demineralization of enamel and dentin.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on the acid demineralization of enamel and dentin by spectrophotometry. A mechanism of acquired acid resistance is also proposed. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA The ability of Nd:YAG laser irradiation to the enhanced resistance to artificial caries formation is still controversial. METHODS A pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 1.064-micron wavelength was used to irradiate the human enamel and dentin samples from 20 extracted human molars at the parameters of 1, 2, and 3 W and 20 pps for a total of 9 sec after painting with black ink. Samples were then subjected to 2 microliters of 0.1 M lactic acid solution (pH 4.8) for 24 h at 36 degrees C. The parts per million (ppm) of calcium ion (Ca2+) dissolved in each solution was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and the morphological changes were also investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS The lowest mean Ca2+ ppm was recorded in the samples irradiated at 3 W, in those by irradiated at 2 W and 1 W. The unlased samples showed the highest Ca2+ ppm. SEM observation showed that in the lased areas, the smear layer was partially melted and the underlying primary enamel or dentin seemed to be thermally degenerated. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggested that melted smear layer and underlying enamel or dentin degenerated thermally by the heat treatment of Nd:YAG laser might play a major role to enhance resistance to artificial caries-like formation.
Death and Dependence: Current Controversies over the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Recent years have seen a considerable media interest in the adverse effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This has led to claims that these antidepressants may lead to suicide and homicide and that they cause dependence or even addiction. Such claims have caused great concerns to many patients and have confused doctors in both primary care and psychiatric practice. In this article I review the basis of these claims and show that many seem to emerge from the misinterpretation of evidence and the use of imprecise definitions. Although the SSRIs are not free of problems they compare very favourably with other antidepressants and other classes of psychotropic drugs. There is no evidence they are addictive in the formal sense of leading to a drug dependence syndrome. Some suggestions on the way these issues can be more precisely defined and studied in future are given.
Current-Mode Analog Adaptive Mechanism for Ultra-Low-Power Neural Networks

Neural networks (NNs) implemented at the transistor level are powerful adaptive systems. They can perform hundreds of operations in parallel but at the expense of a large number of building blocks. In the case of analog realization, an extremely low chip area and low power dissipation can be achieved. To accomplish this, the building blocks should be simple. This brief presents a new current-mode low-complexity flexible adaptive mechanism (ADM) with a strongly reduced leakage in analog memory. Input signals ranging from 0.5 to 20 μA are held for 10-50 ms, with the leakage rate from 0.2%/ms to 0.04%/ms, respectively, depending on temperature. A small storage capacitor of 200 fF enables a short write time ( <; 100 ns). A single ADM cell occupies 1400 μm2 when realized in the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. CMOS 0.18-μm technology. The potential application of this NN is envisioned in a mobile platform based on a wireless sensor network to be used for online analysis of electrocardiography signals.
Delta toxin activity in coagulase-negative staphylococci from the bowels of neonates

Coagulase-negative staphylococci are prominent in stools of neonates in some intensive care units and have been associated with necrotizing enterocolitis. A plausible mediator of bowel damage is delta-like toxin, which is produced in vitro by most coagulase-negative staphylococci, but factors influencing the expression of toxin in the bowel are unknown. We examined 105 coagulase-negative staphylococcus isolates from stools of neonates by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and detected delta toxin production by 92 isolates (88%). The amount present in 18-h broth cultures varied over 100-fold, from 933 to 125,000 ng/ml. All broths positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay except one caused hemolysis of human erythrocytes. The threshold concentration for consistent cytotoxicity to fibroblasts was greater than or equal to 24,000 ng/ml. Only 56% of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates were capable of producing this much toxin, and these were more often obtained from premature infants in intensive care than from healthy full-term infants (P = 0.003) and were more often resistant to multiple antibiotics (P less than 0.001). Cultures grown anaerobically seldom caused hemolysis (4 positive of 29 tested; P less than 0.001) because potency of the toxin was decreased (at least ninefold for S. epidermidis isolates). We conclude that only a portion of the fecal coagulase-negative staphylococci tested produced enough delta toxin in vitro to be cytotoxic, that such isolates have accumulated in our intensive care nursery, and that development of toxin-mediated bowel injury may also require a favorable redox potential within the host bowel.
Analysis of Eligibility Criteria Complexity in Clinical Trials

Formal, computer-interpretable representations of eligibility criteria would allow computers to better support key clinical research and care use cases such as eligibility determination. To inform the development of such formal representations for eligibility criteria, we conducted this study to characterize and quantify the complexity present in 1000 eligibility criteria randomly selected from studies in ClinicalTrials.gov. We classified the criteria by their complexity, semantic patterns, clinical content, and data sources. Our analyses revealed significant semantic and clinical content variability. We found that 93% of criteria were comprehensible, with 85% of these criteria having significant semantic complexity, including 40% relying on temporal data. We also identified several domains of clinical content. Using the findings of the study as requirements for computer-interpretable representations of eligibility, we discuss the challenges for creating such representations for use in clinical research and practice.