Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute and chronic caffeine administration differentially alters striatal gene expression in wild‐type and adenosine A2A receptor‐deficient mice

In order to assess for the respective involvement of adenosine A1 and A2A receptors (A2A‐R) in the consequences of short‐ and long‐term caffeine exposure on gene expression, the effects of acute caffeine administration on striatal, cortical, and hippocampal expression of immediate early genes (IEG), zif‐268 and arc, and the effects of long‐term caffeine or 1,3‐dipropyl‐8‐cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX) exposure (once daily for 15 days) on striatal gene expression of substance P, enkephalin, and glutamic acid decarboxylase isoforms, GAD65 and GAD67, were evaluated in wild‐type and A2A‐R‐deficient (A2A‐R−/−) mice. In situ hybridization histochemistry was performed using oligonucleotides followed by quantitative image analysis. Our results demonstrated that a biphasic response of IEG expression to acute caffeine observed in the wild‐type striatum was resumed in a monophasic response in the mutant striatum. In the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the effect of caffeine was weak in wild‐type, whereas in mutant mice it induced a 2–3‐fold increase in the IEG expression to restore a level similar to the wild‐type basal expression. Chronic caffeine and DPCPX‐mediated regulation in neuropeptide and GADs striatal gene expression typically showed the mimicking of alterations resulting from the A2A‐R genetic deficiency in 25 mg/kg caffeine‐treated wild‐type mice as well as the dose‐dependent normalization of substance P and enkephalin expression in A2A‐R−/− mice. These results indicate that, depending on the dose, the blockade of A2A‐R or A1 receptors by caffeine is preferentially revealed leading to highly differential alterations in striatal gene expression and they also suggested the central role of these two receptors on the control of dopaminergic functions. Synapse 42:63–76, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pesticide Resistance Management Activities by the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency

S . 43 AVAILABLE PUBLICATIONS . 45 A L ETTER FROM THE COORDINATOR . 46 Pesticide Research Center Michigan State Universtiy East Lansing, MI 48824-1311 Telephone: (517) 355-1768 FAX: (517) 353-5598 Email: 22513MEW@msu.edu Resistant Pest Management A Biannual Newsletter of the Pesticide Research Center (PRC) in Cooperation with the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) , the Western Regional Coordinating Committee (WRCC-60) and the International Organization for Pest Resistance Management (IOPRM) Vol. 9, No. 1 Summer 1997 RESISTANT PEST MANAGEMENT Summer 1997 3
Efficient heterogeneous sampling for stochastic simulation with an illustration in health care applications

ABSTRACT In modeling disease transmission, contacts are assumed to have different infection rates. A proper simulation must model the heterogeneity in the transmission rates. In this article, we present a computationally efficient algorithm that can be applied to a population with heterogeneous transmission rates. We conducted a simulation study to show that the algorithm is more efficient than other algorithms for sampling the disease transmission in a subset of the heterogeneous population. We use a valid stochastic model of pandemic influenza to illustrate the algorithm and to estimate the overall infection attack rates of influenza A (H1N1) in a Canadian city.
Interaction of barnase with its polypeptide inhibitor barstar studied by protein engineering.

Barnase, an extracellular ribonuclease of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, forms a very tight complex with its intracellular polypeptide inhibitor barstar. At pH 8, the values for the rate constants k1 (association) and k-1 (dissociation) are 6.0 x 10(8) s-1 M-1 and 8.0 x 10(-6) s-1, respectively. The value of Ki, the dissociation constant of barstar and barnase, calculated from the ratio k-1/k1 is 1.3 x 10(-14) M, which corresponds to a delta G of -18.9 kcal/mol at 25 degrees C. The dissociation constant increases with decreasing pH according to the ionization of an acid in free barnase of pKa 6.4, with very weak, if any, binding to the protonated form. This pH dependence for dissociation of the complex can be attributed almost entirely to residue His102 in barnase, as determined by a His102-->Ala mutation. Analysis of the pH dependence of the kinetic constants indicates that binding is, at least, a two-step process. The first, and rate-determining, step is association at close to the diffusion-controlled rate. There is then the precise docking of the complex. The value of Ki increases to 2.4 x 10(-11) M in the presence of 500 mM NaCl, and to 1.6 x 10(-11) M at pH 5 (100 mM NaCl). The binding site of barstar on barnase was mapped by measuring the values of Ki for a broad range of site-specific mutants of barnase. Mutagenesis of residues Lys27, Arg59, Arg87, and His102 to Ala increases the values of Ki by a factor of 10(4). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Expression of transforming growth factor β-like molecules in normal and regenerating arms of the crinoid Antedon mediterranea: immunocytochemical and biochemical evidence

The phylum Echinodermata is well known for its extensive regenerative capabilities. Although there are substantial data now available that describe the histological and cellular bases of this phenomenon, little is known about the regulatory molecules involved. Here, we use an immunochemical approach to explore the potential role played by putative members of the transforming growth factor–β (TGF–β) family of secreted proteins in the arm regeneration process of the crinoid Antedon mediterranea. We show that a TGF–β–like molecule is present in normal and regenerating arms both in a propeptide form and in a mature form. During regeneration, the expression of the mature form is increased and appears to be accompanied by the appearance of an additional isoform. Immunocytochemistry indicates that TGF–β–like molecules are normally present in the nervous tissue and are specifically localized in both neural elements and non–neural migratory cells, mainly at the level of the brachial nerve. This pattern increases during regeneration, when the blastemal cells show a particularly striking expression of this molecule. Our data indicate that a TGF–β–like molecule (or molecules) is normally present in the adult nervous tissues of A. mediterranea and is upregulated significantly during regeneration. We suggest that it can play an important part in the regenerative process.
Diamond Raman Waveguide Lasers: Completely Analytical Design Optimization Incorporating Scattering Losses

We report detailed investigation of diamond-on-silica waveguides and their potential for use as Raman lasers. Large cross-sectional area rib waveguides are proposed as a dimension-scalable geometry. Finite element analysis and the beam propagation method are used to assess their guiding properties and in particular single transverse mode operation. A fully analytical model of scattering losses taking into account the interaction with all surfaces is proposed and exploited in conjunction with an analytical solution of a Raman waveguide laser to optimize the design with respect to threshold or output power of a diamond Raman waveguide laser pumped continuous-wave either at 532 nm or 1064 nm. Results show that thresholds lower than 500 mW and near quantum limit output powers can be obtained for a range of guide dimensions.
Characterizing large storage systems: error behavior and performance benchmarks

Abstract : This dissertation characterizes two causes of variability in a large storage system: soft error behavior and disk drive heterogeneity. The first half of the dissertation focuses on understanding the error behavior and component failure characteristics of a storage prototype. The prototype is a loosely coupled collection of Pentium machines; each machine acts as a storage node, hosting disk drives via the SCSI interface. Examination of long term system log data from this prototype reveals several interesting insights. In particular, the study reveals that data disk drives are among the most reliable components in the storage system and that soft errors tend to fall into a small number of well defined categories. An in-depth study of hard failures reveals data to support the notion that failing devices exhibit warning signs and investigates the effectiveness of failure prediction. The second half of the dissertation, dealing with disk drive heterogeneity, focuses on a new measurement technique to characterize disk drives. The technique, linearly increasing strides, counteracts the rotational effect that makes disk drives difficult to measure. The linearly increasing stride pattern interacts with the drive mechanism to create a latency vs. stride size graph that exposes many low level disk details. This micro-benchmark extracts a drive's minimum time to access media, rotation time, sectors/track, head switch time, cylinder switch time, number of platters, as well as several other pieces of information. The dissertation describes the read and write versions of this micro-benchmark, named Skippy, as well as analytical models explaining its behavior, results on modern SCSI and IDE disk drives, techniques for automatically extracting parameter values from the graphical output, and extensions.
Semiconductor optical amplifiers in WDM tree-net

In this paper, effectiveness of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in tree-net in terms of increase in the number of users has been investigated. In the analysis, SOAs with (i) unsaturated gain, (ii) average gain saturation, and (iii) average gain saturation with gain fluctuations have been considered. Further, the results for the tree-net are compared with those for the star network. It is observed that tree-net supports more number of users than star for a given number of SOAs.
The transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt procedure for variceal bleeding.

BACKGROUND Transjugular placement of an intrahepatic stent is a new technique to establish a portosystemic shunt for treatment of portal hypertension. A puncture needle is advanced in a catheter through the inferior vena cava into a hepatic vein; then an intrahepatic branch of the portal vein is punctured and an expandable stent of metallic mesh is implanted to establish the shunt. METHODS We attempted the stent-shunt procedure in 100 of 112 consecutive patients with variceal bleeding due to cirrhosis, who were then followed for a mean (+/- SD) of 12 +/- 6 months. Of the 100 patients, 22 had Child-Pugh class C cirrhosis, 10 were treated on an emergency basis, and 68 had alcoholic cirrhosis. The shunt was established with use of Palmaz stents expanded to 8 to 12 mm in diameter. RESULTS Technical success was achieved in 93 percent of the patients. The mean (+/- SD) time for the procedure was 1.2 +/- 0.3 hours. The shunt reduced the portal venous pressure gradient by 57 percent. Major complications were hemorrhage (intraabdominal bleeding in six patients, biliary bleeding in four, and bleeding in the liver capsule in three) and migration of the stent into the pulmonary artery (in two patients). At follow-up, stenosis of the shunt was evident in 21 patients and occlusion in 10 patients; 10 of these 31 patients had variceal rebleeding. Stenoses and occlusions of the shunt were all treated successfully by redilation, thrombolysis, or implantation of an additional stent. Hepatic encephalopathy (stages I to III) developed in 25 percent of the patients. The proportion of patients with shunts who remained free of variceal rebleeding was 92 percent at six months and 82 percent at one year. The 30-day mortality was 3 percent. The cumulative one-year survival was 85 percent. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the transjugular placement of an intrahepatic portosystemic stent is an effective and safe treatment for variceal hemorrhage in patients with portal hypertension due to cirrhosis.
A method of computing the effectiveness of an insecticide. 1925.

There are several statistical methods used in biology (entomology) for computing the effectiveness of an insecticide, based on relating the number of dead insects in the treated plat to the number of live ones in the untreated plat. In order to make experimental studies comparable and statistically meaningful, the article recommends the following formula: per cent control = 100(X - Y)/X, where X = % living in the untreated check sample and Y = % living in the treated sample. Calculation using this method eliminates errors due to deaths in the control sample which were not due to the insecticide. An example based on treatments of San Jose scale includes computation of probable errors for X and Y, and the significance of the difference between the two counts. Common biometric convention holds that when the difference between the results of two experiments is greater than three times its probable error, the results are significant and due to the treatment applied.
Some histochemical reactions of mucopolysaccharides, glycogen, lipids and other substances in teeth

The basic dyes toluidin blue and thionin stain many cells and substances of the body blue but simultaneously color certain other elements purple or red. These dyes are spoken of as being metachromatic, and the substances which are colored red or purple by them are said to stain metachromati-cally. The principal substances exhibiting metachromasia are acid mucopolysaccharidcs including mucus, the granules of mast cells, the matrix of hynlin and elastic cartilages, the vitreous humor
Autonomous Vehicle-Intersection Coordination Method in a Connected Vehicle Environment

In response to the need for developing coordinated schemes of autonomous vehicles (AVs) at an intersection. This paper presents a novel coordination method for intersection management in a connected vehicle environment. The road network is divided into three logical sections, namely, buffer area, core area and free driving area. In addition, a buffer-assignment mechanism is developed to cooperatively assign a specific crossing span for an individual AV and guide each AV to adjust its entry time and corresponding speed in the core area. A set-projection algorithm and a three-segment linear speed profile are employed to control the trajectories of the AVs in the buffer area. Furthermore, the assignment failure handling process and the crossing rule for human-driven vehicles are advanced to enhance the practicability and reliability of the buffer-assignment mechanism. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by simulating various traffic conditions on an actual urban network. The simulation experiments and sensitivity analyses demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly reduce 24.2%-77.1% of travel delays, decrease almost 99% of number of stops and improve the sustainability of the traffic system by saving 22.1%-52% of fuel consumption.
Fifth European Paediatric Motility Meeting

M.A. Benninga, B. Peeters, R.C. Hennekam, A. Smout, T.G. Wenzl, R. van der Pol, M. Smits, M.P. van Wijk, E. Hassall, M.A. Thomson, S. Nurko, Y. Vandenplas, G. Veereman-Wauters, E. De Greef, T. Devreker, B. Hauser, H.S.A. Heymans, W.O. Rohof, G.E. Boeckxstaens, A.J. Bredenoord, N. Rommel, M. van Avesaat, D. Keszthelyi, A.A.M. Masclee, T. Omari, S. Kritas, B. Systerman, S. Khurana, J.R. de Jong, H. Szajewska, D. Kelly, I.E. Mulder, S.A. van Diest, O.I. Stanisor, W.J. de Jonge, R.M. van den Wijngaard, S. Bonilla, M. Saps, D. Yacob, C. Di Lorenzo, M. van Tilburg, J.M. T.M. Rutten, A.M. Vlieger, I. Kirsch, R. Hotta, N. Thapar, Q. Aziz, S.M. Scott, P.J. Lunniss, R. Burgers, B.R. Southwell, E. Giannetti, E. Sciorio, A. Staiano, M.E. J. Bongers, W.J. de Jonge, and S.M. Mugie
Inhibition of development of Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophages by either treatment with citrate or amino acid starvation.

OBJECTIVES Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are pathogenic strains, whose virulence depends on induction of Shiga toxin-converting prophages and their subsequent lytic development. We explored which factors or conditions could inhibit development of these phages, potentially decreasing virulence of STEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS Lytic development of Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophages was monitored after mitomycin C-provoked prophage induction under various conditions. Phage DNA replication efficiency was assessed by measurement of DNA amount in cells using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS We demonstrated that the use of citrate delayed Shiga toxin-converting phage development after prophage induction. This effect was independent on efficiency of prophage induction and phage DNA replication. However, an excess of glucose reversed the effect of citrate. Amino acid starvation prevented the phage development in bacteria both able and unable to induce the stringent response. CONCLUSIONS Lytic development of Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophages can be inhibited by either the presence of citrate or amino acid starvation. We suggest that the inhibition caused by the latter condition may be due to a block in prophage induction or phage DNA replication or both. APPLICATIONS Our findings may facilitate development of procedures for treatment of STEC-infected patients.
Autophagosome Formation Depends on the Small GTPase Rab1 and Functional ER Exit Sites

Autophagy is an important cellular degradation pathway present in all eukaryotic cells. Via this pathway, portions of the cytoplasm and/or organelles are sequestered in double‐membrane structures called autophagosomes. In spite of the significant advance achieved in autophagy, the long‐standing question about the source of the autophagic membrane remains unsolved. We have investigated the role of the secretory pathway in autophagosome biogenesis. Sar1 and Rab1b are monomeric GTPases that control traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi. We present evidence indicating that the activity of both proteins is required for autophagosome formation. Overexpression of dominant‐negative mutants and the use of siRNAs impaired autophagosome generation as determined by LC3 puncta formation and light chain 3 (LC3)‐II processing. In addition, our results indicate that the autophagic and secretory pathways intersect at a level preceding the brefeldin A blockage, suggesting that the transport from the cis/medial Golgi is not necessary for autophagosome biogenesis. Our present results highlight the role of transport from the ER in the initial events of the autophagic vacuole development.
Blastocystis Legumain Is Localized on the Cell Surface, and Specific Inhibition of Its Activity Implicates a Pro-survival Role for the Enzyme*

Programmed cell death (PCD) is crucial for cellular growth and development in multicellular organisms. Although distinct PCD features have been described for unicellular eukaryotes, homology searches have failed to reveal clear PCD-related orthologues among these organisms. Our previous studies revealed that a surface-reactive monoclonal antibody (mAb) 1D5 could induce multiple PCD pathways in the protozoan Blastocystis. In this study, we identified, by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, the target of mAb 1D5 as a surface-localized legumain, an asparagine endopeptidase that is usually found in lysosomal/acidic compartments of other organisms. Recombinant Blastocystis legumain displayed biphasic pH optima in substrate assays, with peaks at pH 4 and 7.5. Activity of Blastocystis legumain was greatly inhibited by the legumain-specific inhibitor carbobenzyloxy-Ala-Ala-AAsn-epoxycarboxylate ethyl ester (APE-RR) (where AAsn is aza-asparagine) and moderately inhibited by mAb 1D5, cystatin, and caspase-1 inhibitor. Interestingly, inhibition of legumain activity induced PCD in Blastocystis, observed by increased externalization of phosphatidylserine residues and in situ DNA fragmentation. In contrast to plants, in which legumains have been shown to play a pro-death role, legumain appears to display a pro-survival role in Blastocystis.
Evaluation of hybridization characteristics of a cloned pRF106 probe for Listeria monocytogenes detection and development of a nonisotopic colony hybridization assay

An internal fragment (pRF106 fragment, ca. 500 bp) of a gene (msp) coding for a 60-kDa protein of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2a was used to develop a screening method to discriminate between L. monocytogenes and avirulent Listeria spp. on primary isolation plates. The L. monocytogenes-derived probe fragment of pRF106 hybridized to a 13-kb fragment of L. monocytogenes and a 3-kb fragment of one cheese isolate strain of Listeria seeligeri under stringent hybridization conditions (mean thermal denaturation temperature [Tm]-5 degrees C). The probe also hybridized to a 6-kb fragment of Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, and L. seeligeri under less stringent hybridization conditions (Tm-17 degrees C). The pRF106 fragment was labeled with digoxigenin-11-dUTP and used to develop a colony hybridization assay. Colonies from lithium chloride-phenylethanol-moxalactam agar were blotted onto nylon membranes. The cells were pretreated with microwaves before lysis with sodium hydroxide. DNA-DNA hybridization and posthybridization washing were done at high stringency (Tm-7 degrees C). The nonisotopic colony hybridization procedure was specific for L. monocytogenes when evaluated against pure cultures of L. monocytogenes and other Listeria species, excluding the cheese isolate of L. seeligeri. Also, it was specific for L. monocytogenes when evaluated with Listeria-negative food enrichment cultures that were inoculated in the laboratory with Listeria species.
An Ergonomic Comparison of Data Entry Work Using a Keyboard vs. Touch Screen Input Device While Standing and Sitting

Data entry is a common practice in many facilities throughout the world today. Data entry employees are required to sit at a computer, communicate on the phone, and enter data into the computer through keyboard and mouse clicks for long periods of time. The study objective was to evaluate the postures and discomfort experienced when utilizing a keyboard or a touch screen for processing call center data while in seated and standing positions. Twenty subjects completed simulated food order entry where body postures were measured by a motion capture system and body discomfort and usability were measured by questionnaire. Overall, the results indicated that two conditions resulted in more neutral postures, lower joint velocities, and lowest discomfort in the upper extremities compared to traditional keyboard condition. The best conditions were angled touch screen input device when seated at the lower work surface and standing at the high work surface. These conditions were also the preferred conditions for data entry, as indicated by usability and ordered preference. Overall, touch screens put the worker in working postures that reduced the discomfort response to short term exposure. Further, it is important to accommodate the individual with a proper height of work surface when performing data entry either standing or sitting. With call centers prevalent in many industries around the world, touch screen data entry has the potential to reduce the discomfort workers experience when performing long periods of static and relentless work activities.