Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of estradiol and progesterone withdrawal on the secretion of and the temporal correlation between pulses of oxytocin and prostaglandin F2(alpha) in ewes.

The primary objective was to examine the effects of estradiol and the progesterone receptor antagonist onapristone on the pulsatile secretion of prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) and ovarian and pituitary oxytocin. A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of estradiol and onapristone treatments was administered to groups of 5 ewes after destruction of ovarian follicles on Day 8 of the cycle. Estradiol treatments consisted of the administration of a silicone elastomer implant, either containing or not containing estradiol, on Day 8 plus 50 microg of estradiol or corn oil on Days 11 and 12. Onapristone (2 mg/kg) or its vehicle were administered on Day 13, immediately preceding the simultaneous collection of blood samples from the carotid artery, jugular vein, and vena cava at 7.5-min intervals for 7 h. Ewes were immediately killed for measurements of uterine oxytocin receptor concentrations and phosphatidylinositide turnover. More oxytocin pulses were detected in the jugular vein than in the carotid artery (p < 0.01), suggesting that the pituitary is a source of oxytocin. A similar number (p > 0.1) of PGF(2alpha) pulses were correlated with oxytocin pulses as were not. The linked PGF(2alpha) pulses were longer in duration (p = 0.01) with a tendency toward a higher amplitude (p = 0.08). The corresponding vena caval oxytocin pulses had a longer duration (p = 0.02) than those not linked to PGF(2alpha). Estradiol increased oxytocin receptor concentrations and the turnover of phosphatidylinositides (p = 0.02) without affecting PGF(2alpha) pulse characteristics. Onapristone increased (p = 0.03) PGF(2alpha) pulse amplitude. Although a lower than expected temporal correlation between oxytocin and PGF(2alpha) pulses was observed, the distinguishing characteristics of linked pulses may be indicative of their physiological significance.
Identifying Critical Positions and Rules of Antigenic Drift for Influenza A/H3N2 Viruses

Pathogenic avian and human influenza virus often cause disastrous damage to human society and economics. Understanding antigenic drift of influenza viruses is an emergent issue for prophylaxis and vaccine development. In this study, we identified antigenic critical amino acid positions on hemagglutinin (HA) gene and rules for predicting antigenic variants. The information gain (IG) is applied to calculate the degree of association between the position mutation and antigenic drift. An amino acid with high IG at a specific position implied that this position is highly correlated to antigenic type change. The decision tree is applied to build model and discover rules for predicting antigenic variants. The decision tree can identify amino acid mutation rules that lead to the antigenic drift. The predicting accuracy of this model is 91.2% which is better than related models. Most of these selected positions with high IG are located on epitope or surface on the HA structure. The position 145 with highest information gain could lead to antigenic cluster transition were verified. These results demonstrate that our approach is robust and is potential useful for vaccine development.
NBTI/PBTI tolerant arbiter PUF circuits

In this paper, we propose NBTI/PBTI (negative/positive bias temperature instability) tolerant arbiter PUF (physical unclonable function) circuits and evaluate its performance. The PUF is a technology for generating cryptographic keys and authenticating by utilizing physical characteristics, such as electronic delays, built in the devices when they were manufactured. It can perform encryption and authentication without directly holding the key, and has resistance to various eavesdropping attacks. On the other hand, its function may change due to aging degradation. To overcome this problem, we propose three types of NBTI/PBTI tolerant arbiter PUF circuits. These circuits cut off the stress voltage when it is in the standby mode. In the first type of circuit, cutoff features are added to all MOS transistors. In the second type of circuit, cutoff features are added to the MOS transistors which have a large influence on the delay. In the third type of the circuit, cutoff feature is added only to the primary input. Experiment by the SPICE simulation is carried out in order to evaluate our proposed circuits. The results show that there is a tradeoff between cost and error reduction rate, and the error rate is reduced to 1/8 in the best case.
Activation of Meiotic Maturation in Rat Oocytes After Treatment with Follicular Fluid Meiosis-Activating Sterol In Vitro and Ex Vivo

Abstract Meiosis-activating sterols (MAS) have been found to induce meiotic maturation in mouse oocytes in vitro. In the present study we have extended these observations by investigating the effects of follicular fluid MAS (FF-MAS) on rat oocyte maturation in vitro and ex vivo. Rat oocytes freed from their follicles were cultured with FF-MAS (0 μM, 1 μM, 3 μM, 10 μM, 30 μM) for 22 h in a medium containing the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX; 250 μM). A dose-dependent significant increase in germinal vesicle breakdown (GVB) was observed after adding FF-MAS to the culture medium in both cumulus-enclosed (CEO) and denuded (DO) oocytes. A time course study (0, 3, 8, 14, and 22 h) showed a significant increase in GVB after 14 h when DO and CEO were cultured in the presence of 10 μM FF-MAS + 250 μM IBMX. Furthermore immature rats were primed with eCG (20 IU) and 48 h later perfused ex vivo for 12 h in a recirculating system with either FF-MAS (0 μM, 10 μM, 30 μM, 60 μM), cholesterol (60 μM), or LH (0.2 μg/ml) in the presence of 200 μM IBMX, respectively. In addition, ovarian perfusion was carried out with FF-MAS (30 μM, 60 μM) or 0.2 μg/ml LH in the absence of IBMX. After 12 h, oocytes were freed from the ovaries and checked for GVB. By using the ex vivo perfused rat ovary, we found that FF-MAS, starting at 30 μM, was dose-dependently able to overcome IBMX-induced meiotic arrest leading to a comparable increase in GVB as was observed for LH. Furthermore, it was found that FF-MAS in the absence of IBMX was also able to induce meiotic maturation. Our data are consistent with the notion that the maturation-inducing effects of FF-MAS are mediated by different mechanisms compared to spontaneous maturation.
In situ hybridization of neuropeptide‐encoding transcripts afp‐1, afp‐3, and afp‐4 in neurons of the nematode ascaris suum

The gene transcripts encoding both the AF8 and AF2 neuropeptides of the nematode Ascaris suum have been identified, cloned, and sequenced. The AF8 transcript (afp‐3) encodes five identical copies of AF8; each peptide‐encoding region is flanked by the appropriate dibasic or monobasic cleavage processing sites. The AF2 transcript (afp‐4) encodes three identical copies of AF2 along with the appropriate cleavage sites. In contrast, the afp‐1 transcript (Edison et al. [1997] Peptides 18:929–935) encodes six different AF peptides (AF3, 4, 10, 13, 14, 20) which all share a –PGVLRFamide C‐terminus but have different N‐terminal sequences. By using in situ hybridization, gene transcript expression patterns of afp‐1, afp‐3, and afp‐4 (As‐flp‐18, As‐flp‐6, and As‐flp‐14, respectively, in the naming convention proposed by Blaxter et al. [1997] Parasitol Today 13:416–417) were determined in the adult A. suum anterior nervous system. Each gene transcript can be localized to a different subset of neurons. These subsets of neurons are different from the subsets of Caenorhabditis elegans neurons that were shown to express identical or similar peptides by the use of promoter GFP constructs (Kim and Li [2004] J Comp Neurol 475:540–550). J. Comp. Neurol. 518:896–910, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Alcohol Use and Sexual Risks: Use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Among Female Sex Workers in China

The association between alcohol use and sexual risks among female sex workers (FSWs) has been insufficiently studied. This article reports a cross-sectional study of the relationship between alcohol use risk, measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and sexual risk behaviors among 1,022 FSWs in Guangxi, China. Bivariate analysis showed that FSWs at higher AUDIT levels tended to have earlier sexual initiation, became involved in the sex trade at a younger age, and were more vulnerable to sex under the influence of alcohol. Multivariate analysis revealed an independent association of problem drinking with both unprotected sex and a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Alcohol use in commercial sex shall be considered as an occupational hazard that requires immediate intervention. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the association between alcohol use and sexual risks among this most-at-risk population.
Performance analysis of two-way amplify and forward relaying with adaptive modulation

In this paper, we study two-way amplify-and-forward relaying in conjunction with adaptive modulation over a multiple relay network. In order to keep the diversity order equal to the number of relays and maintain a low complexity, we consider the best relay selection scheme in this work. Based on the proposed selection criterion for the best relay, we analyze the average spectral efficiency by its approximated upper bound. In addition, we extend the proposed scheme to the case where a direct path between source and destination exists. Our numerical examples show that the proposed system offers a considerable gain in the spectral efficiency while satisfying the error rates requirements.
Ultra-Low Resistance Ohmic Contacts to InGaAs/InP

An extremely low in situ metal contacts can be formed to (In,Ga)As on InP. it is also possible to form ultra low resistance ex situ contacts by improved surface treatment. However, unlike in situ contacts, ex situ contacts are very sensitive to surface preparation. Similar contact resistivities to InAs on GaAs were reported by Nittono et al. This is the first time such low metal-semiconductor contacts have been demonstrated in In0.53Ga0. 47As system that does not deteriorate at least upto 500 degC. These thermally stable, extremely low resistances, ohmic contacts are an enabling technology for THz bandwidth InGaAs/InP HBTs, mm wave InGaAs HEMT technologies, and the evolving III-V MOSFET technologies.
AGE-SPECIFIC UNCERTAINITY OF THE 131I INGESTION DOSE CONVERSION FACTOR

Abstract— The production of weapons-grade nuclear materials and their by-products has resulted in a number of releases from United States Department of Energy facilities. 131I, a fission by-product, is one of the most common radionuclides generated and released to the environment. It is known that there are differences in various physiological parameters over all age groups when considering biokinetic modeling of iodine. The establishment of age-specific dose conversion factor uncertainty is necessary for accurate internal dose assessment. The 131I dose conversion factor determined herein is log-normally distributed with varying age-specific distribution characteristics. The two most important parameters for determination of the dose conversion factor, in all age groups, are thyroid mass and iodine uptake fraction. These parameters are assumed to be highly correlated with a relationship that is quite important to dose conversion factor uncertainty. Dose estimates to individuals exposed to radioiodine can be determined more accurately with an increased understanding of the correlation between thyroid mass and uptake fraction. Improved dose estimates following oral intakes of 131I can be made from the consideration of age-specific dose conversion factors and their input parameters.
Mrp4−/− mice have an impaired cytoprotective response in obstructive cholestasis

Mrp4 is a member of the multidrug resistance–associated gene family that is expressed on the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and undergoes adaptive upregulation in response to cholestatic injury or bile acid feeding. However, the relative importance of Mrp4 in a protective adaptive response to cholestatic injury is not known. To address this issue, common bile duct ligation (CBDL) was performed in wild‐type and Mrp4−/− mice and animals followed for 7 days. Histological analysis and serum aminotransferase levels revealed more severe liver injury in the absence of Mrp4 expression. Western analyses revealed that Mrp4, but not Mrp3, was significantly increased after CBDL in wild‐type mice. Serum bile acid levels were significantly lower in Mrp4−/− mice than in wild‐type CBDL mice, whereas serum bilirubin levels were the same, suggesting that Mrp4 was required to effectively extrude bile acids from the cholestatic liver. Mrp3 and Ostα‐Ostβ were upregulated in Mrp4−/− mice but were unable to compensate for the loss of Mrp4. High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis on liver extracts revealed that taurine tetrahydroxy bile acid/beta‐muricholic acid ratios were increased twofold in Mrp4−/− mice. In conclusion, hepatic Mrp4 plays a unique and essential protective role in the adaptive response to obstructive cholestatic liver injury. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:1013–1021.)
Effect of nanoparticle-rich diesel exhaust on testicular and hippocampus steroidogenesis in male rats

Background: Nanoparticle-rich diesel exhaust (NR-DE) has potentially adverse effects on testicular steroidogenesis. However, it is unclear whether NR-DE influences steroidogenic systems in the brain. Objective: To investigate the effect of NR-DE on hippocampal steroidogenesis of adult male rats in comparison with its effect on the testis. Methods: F344 male rats (8-week-old) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8 or 9 per group) and exposed to clean air with 4.6 ± 3.2 μg/m3 in mass concentration, NR-DE with 38 ± 3 μg/m3 (a level nearly equivalent to the environmental standard in Japan (low NR-DE)), NR-DE with 149 ± 8 μg/m3 (high NR-DE), or filtered diesel exhaust with 3.1 ± 1.9 μg/m3 (F-DE), for 5 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 1, 2 or 3 months. F-DE was prepared by removing only particulate matters from high NR-DE with an HEPA filter. Results: Exposures to the high NR-DE for 1 month, and low NR-DE for 2 months, significantly increased or tended to increase plasma and testicular testosterone levels compared to clean air exposure, which might have resulted from the increased expression of mRNA of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and its protein in the testes of rats. In the hippocampus, high NR-DE exposure for 1 month significantly increased the androstendione level compared to the clean air exposure, while no significant difference was observed in the steroidogenesis between fresh air exposure and any exposure to NR-DE or F-DE. Conclusion: NR-DE may influence steroidogenic enzymes in the testis, but not those in the hippocampus.
Assessing competency in nursing: a comparison of nurses prepared through degree and diploma programmes.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to investigate the competencies of qualifiers from three-year degree and three-year diploma courses in England at one, two and three years after qualification. BACKGROUND The provision of three-year preregistration nursing degrees in the UK has increased in recent years and in many colleges degrees are offered alongside the existing three-year diploma courses. Yet little is known about the relationship between these different education programmes and the competence of qualifiers. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was employed to make comparisons of both self-reported and line-manager-rated competencies of graduate and diplomate nurses who had qualified up to three years previously. INSTRUMENTS A revised version of the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire was used to measure both overall competence and also eight specific nursing competencies. A shortened version of this scale was also used to assess internal consistency across measures. Two additional competencies, research awareness and policy awareness, were also measured. RESULTS Structural equation modelling found very little difference in the overall competence and specific competencies of graduates and diplomates. Where differences were found in the self-report data, diplomates scored more highly than graduates in the constructs of planning and social participation; however, these differences became non-significant when background variables were controlled for. LIMITATIONS The findings are interpreted with caution due to the size of differences, the size of some of the samples of respondents and the developmental stage of the instrument used. CONCLUSIONS It does not appear that graduates and diplomates in England differ in their level of competence to any great extent as measured by the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire. Areas of further work are discussed in the light of the findings. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE While this may alleviate concerns about clinical disparities between the two groups, it raises questions about the proposed benefits to nursing of three-year preregistration degrees in terms of quality of care during the first three years of qualification.
Development of human centric antenna system for digital terrestrial broadcasting

In this study, a practical way of small antennas for digital terrestrial TV broadcasting can be attached to the human head has been proposed. This antenna shows a good agreement for VSWR and radiation pattern by analysis and experience. This antenna is a low effect on the human body, and realized the high gain and broadband. Using this antenna structure will be considered also apply to other frequencies or applications.
Effects of platelet-rich fibrin on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts and application for periodontal infrabony defects.

BACKGROUND Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) by Choukroun's technique is derived from an autogenous preparation of concentrated platelets. Little is known about the effects of PRF on periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) and the application of PRF for periodontal regeneration. METHODS PDLFs were derived from healthy individuals undergoing extraction for orthodontic reasons. Blood collection was carried out from healthy volunteers. PRF was obtained from a table centrifuge centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 12 minutes. The effects of PRF on PDLFs were determined by measuring the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (p-ERK), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Moreover, we retrospectively examined the feasibility and safety of reconstructing the periodontal infrabony defects with PRF in six patients. RESULTS PRF was found to increase ERK phosphorylation and OPG in PDLFs in a time-dependent manner (p < 0.05). ALP activity was also significantly upregulated by PRF (p < 0.05). Application of PRF in infrabony defects exhibited pocket reduction and clinical attachment gain after six months. Periapical radiography revealed radiographic defect filled in grafted teeth. CONCLUSIONS The enhancement of p-ERK, OPG and ALP expression by PRF may provide benefits for periodontal regeneration. Clinical and radiologic analysis showed that the use of PRF is an effective modality for periodontal infrabony defects.
Small RNA Sequencing of Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Cerebrospinal Fluid Reveals Differentially Expressed miRNAs Related to Neural and Glial Activity

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a clinical subtype of motor neurone disease (MND), a fatal neurodegenerative disease involving the loss of both the upper and lower motor neurones from the motor cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. Identifying specific disease biomarkers would help to not only improve diagnostic delay but also to classify disease subtypes, monitor response to therapeutic drugs and track disease progression. miRNAs are small non-coding RNA responsible for regulating gene expression and ultimately protein expression and have been used as biomarkers for many cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. Investigating the detection of miRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that bathes the central nervous system (CNS) is a prime target for identifying potential biomarkers for ALS. This is the first study to investigate the expression of miRNAs in the CSF of ALS patients using small RNA sequencing. We detected 11 differentially expressed miRNAs in the CSF of sporadic ALS (sALS) patients related to neural and glial activity. Additionally, miRNAs involved in glucose metabolism and the regulation of oxidative stress were also identified. Detecting the presence of potential CSF derived miRNA biomarkers in sALS could open up a whole new area of knowledge to help gain a better understanding of disease pathophysiology. Additionally, with further investigation, the tracking of CSF miRNA over the disease course could be used to follow the disease progression and monitor the effect of novel therapeutics that could be personalized to an individual disease phenotype.
High-selectivity frequency selective surfaces at millimeter-wave and terahertz frequencies

Aperture-coupled resonators (ACRs) are applied to realize high frequency-selectivity bandpass frequency selective surfaces (FSSs). In the ACR FSS structures, identical patch resonators on the top and bottom layers are coupled through coupling apertures etched on a conducting plane in between. Multiple coupling paths between the resonators result in two transmission zeros on either side of the narrow passband, thereby realizing high frequency selectivity and suppressing the sidebands. Due to the symmetric structures and low profiles, the ACR FSSs exhibit superior stability to various incident angles and polarization states. For demonstration and potential applications, two ACR FSSs were designed at millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) frequencies respectively. The standard printed circuit board (PCB) processing technology and the microfabrication technology were adopted to fabricate the proposed FSS structures. The measured results agree well with the simulated ones, thus verifying the proposed design.
Orientation of tryptophan-26 in coat protein subunits of the filamentous virus Ff by polarized Raman microspectroscopy.

The Ff filamentous virus, which includes the closely related strains fd, fl and M13, serves as a model for membrane protein assembly and is employed extensively as a cloning vector and vehicle for peptide display. The threadlike virion (approximately 6 x 880 nm) comprises a single-stranded DNA genome sheathed by approximately 2700 copies of a 50-residue alpha-helical subunit, the product of viral gene VIII. The pVIII subunit contains a single tryptophan residue (tryptophan-26) which is essential for assembly. We have employed polarized Raman microspectroscopy to determine the orientation of tryptophan-26 in pVIII subunits of oriented fd fibers. The present application is based upon the transfer of tryptophan Raman tensors from a recent study of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan single crystals [Tsuboi et al. (1996) J. Mol. Struct. 379, 43-50]. The polarized Raman spectra of fd indicate that the plane of the indole ring in each pVIII subunit is close to parallel to the virion axis. In this orientation, the line connecting indole ring atoms N1 and C2 is nearly perpendicular to the virion axis, while the indole pseudo-2-fold axis (a line connecting atom C2 to the midpoint of the C5-C6 bond) is approximately 36 degrees from the virion axis. We have used the present results in combination with preferred tryptophan side-chain torsions [chi 1 (C3-C beta-C alpha-N) and chi 2.1 (C2-C3-C beta-C alpha)] in other proteins and a previously determined experimental value of chi 2.1 in fd [Aubrey. K. L. , & Thomas, G. J., Jr. (1991) Biophys, J. 60, 1337-1349] to propose a detailed molecular model for the orientation of the tryptophan-26 side chain in the native virus.