Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trans-resveratrol simultaneously increases cytoplasmic Ca(2+) levels and nitric oxide release in human endothelial cells.

SCOPE The aim of this study was to investigate whether the dietary polyphenol trans-resveratrol (t-Resv) increases [Ca(2+)](c) in endothelial cells, leading to a simultaneous augmentation of nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis. METHODS AND RESULTS We have separately and simultaneously measured [Ca(2+)](c) and NO in human endothelial cells using the Ca(2+) indicator fura-2 and the NO-sensitive fluorescent probe 4,5-diaminofluorescein. In ∼30% of cells, t-Resv (30 μM) induced an increase in [Ca(2+)](c) with a transient as well as sustained component and a simultaneous increase in NO biosynthesis. This effect was reduced by non-selective Ca(2+) channel blockers, inhibition of intracellular Ca(2+) release, inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and, to a lesser extent, inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) or 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). t-Resv did not modify in vitro eNOS activity, suggesting that the observed stimulation of NO generation proceeds via mobilisation of Ca(2+) and not through direct effects on eNOS. CONCLUSION We therefore show, for the first time, that t-Resv induces a concentration-dependent, simultaneous increase in [Ca(2+)](c) and NO biosynthesis that could be linked to its endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effect. Under the assumption that t-Resv exhibits similar behaviour in human blood vessels in vivo, the pharmacological properties described here may contribute to the beneficial cardiovascular effects of this polyphenol by improving endothelial function.
Salmonella Shedding in Racing Sled Dogs

many studies have found that the prevalence was approximately 1‐4%. Previous studies found a prevalence of 1.2% in rural dogs in eastern Washington in 1951. 6 In another large-scale survey, a Salmonella prevalence of 3.45% in feces was reported in Germany from 1975 to 1994. 14 In Nigeria, a prevalence of 1.0% was reported, 8 and in Italy, a prevalence of 2.4%. 10 In a study of 1,626 asymptomatic dogs in Florida in 1951, Salmonella was isolated from 15%. 5,9 In contrast to these studies, a markedly higher prevalence in normal, asymptomatic Alaskan sled dogs is reported here. The Salmonella prevalence was similar in diarrheic dogs during a long-distance sled dog race and was not significantly different from the prevalence in asymptomatic dogs during the race. Feces from 26 normal, asymptomatic dogs (2 dogs from 13 teams) were collected before the 1996 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. During the race, fecal samples from 30 diarrheic dogs and 23 nondiarrheic dogs were obtained. The diarrheic samples came from 21 different teams, with a maximum of 3 dogs per team sampled. The nondiarrheic samples were obtained from 14 teams; again, feces were collected from a maximum of 3 dogs per team. Samples were collected at 4 different checkpoints, located at the beginning and midportions of the route. Specimens were procured from freshly defecated feces if available, or by rectal insertion of a gloved, lubricated finger, and were deposited into sterile Whirl-Pak t bags. The condition of the diarrheic feces was recorded as mild, mucoid, bloody, or liquid. Samples were kept cool but were not allowed to freeze during shipment to the diagnostic laboratories. Fecal samples were tested for a panel of enteropathogens, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringenstype A enterotoxin, rota, co
Embracing Change

As the world changes financially, the healthcare architectural design world is following suit. Gone are the straightforward days of designing a hospital based solely on the programming and function of the space. Now, architects must evolve not only to understand healthcare financing and its availability to clients, but to work in a more collaborative way to design projects. Today, fewer projects are moving forward, creating increased competition among architects. This is also generating more scrutiny in regard to cost control and risk management, which has forced architects to consider alternatives to contractual relationships and design/delivery methods. New ways of thinking about bringing a hospital to life foster creativity in both the design and delivery processes. Although these changes can be somewhat uncomfortable, they foster learning, collaboration, and ultimately, benefits for all who participate in the process.
Intra- and interspecific competition between biotypes B and Q of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Spain

Abstract Biotypes B and Q of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), collected from the islands of Tenerife and Majorca respectively, were exposed to competition conditions on tomato cv. Marmande in the laboratory. Both biotypes were established in single and mixed cultures at different densities. Increased mortality of biotype Q females and immature instars was observed together with a lower rate of fecundity and progeny size compared to biotype B, when reared in single or mixed cultures. The female:male sex ratio of F1 individuals of biotype Q was higher in single than in mixed cultures. However, the sex ratio of F1 individuals of biotype B was the same in single and mixed cultures, suggesting reproductive interference. Whitefly density did not affect interspecific interactions. It had a moderate effect on developmental rate of both biotypes, and on mortality of immature instars and progeny size of biotype B only. The results indicate that under laboratory conditions the studied biotype B should displace biotype Q.
Mechanical confinement triggers glioma linear migration dependent on formin FHOD3

Glioma linear migration on brain blood vessels is recapitulated in vitro. This migration is characterized by a two-phase process activated by laminin, confinement, and linear topology. It requires a unique balance of actin polymerization systems emphasizing formins and not Arp2/3 and is a powerful tool for identifying new targets such as the formin FHOD3.
A Discharge-Based Pulse Technique for Probing the Energy Distribution of Positive Charges in Gate Dielectric

Characterizing positive charges and its energy distribution in gate dielectric is useful for process qualification. A discharge-based technique is introduced to extract their energy distribution both within and beyond substrate band-gap. This paper investigates the difficulties in its implementation on typical industrial parameter analyzer and provides solutions. For the first time, we demonstrate the technique's applicability to the advanced 22-nm fabrication process and its capability in evaluating the impact of different strains on the energy distribution. The test time is within several hours. This, together with its implementation on industrial parameter analyzer, makes it a useful tool in the semiconductor manufacturing foundries for process monitoring and optimization.
Sexual differences in physiological integration in the dioecious shrub Lindera triloba: a field experiment using girdling manipulation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS It is important to consider the modular level when verifying sexual dimorphism in dioecious plants. Nevertheless, between-sex differences in resource translocation among modules (i.e. physiological integration) have not been tested at the whole-plant level. In this study, sexual differences in physiological integration were examined among ramets, within a genet in the dioecious sprouting shrub Lindera triloba, by a field experiment with girdling manipulation. METHODS Female and male genets were randomly assigned to girdled or intact groups. Girdling of the main ramets was conducted in May 2009 by removing a ring of bark and cambium approx. 1 cm wide at a height of 80-100 cm. The effects of treatment and sex on ramet dynamics (mortality, recruitment and diameter growth) and inflorescence production during 1 year after girdling were examined. KEY RESULTS The diameter growth rate of main ramets of both sexes was lower at ground level (D(0)) but higher at breast height (dbh) in girdled than in intact groups. In sprouted ramets with a dbh of 0-2 cm, males in girdled groups had lower growth rates at D(0) than those of intact groups, whereas no girdling effect was found for females. The main ramets in girdled groups produced more inflorescences than intact groups, irrespective of sex, but male ramets showed a greater response to the treatment than females. CONCLUSIONS In L. triloba, physiological integration exists at the whole-plant level, and sprouted ramets are dependent on assimilates translocated from main ramets, but this dependence weakens as sprouted ramets get larger. Female sprouted ramets can grow in a physiologically independent manner from the main ramet earlier than those of males. This study highlights the importance of considering modular structures and physiological integration when evaluating sexual differences in demographic patterns of clonal plants.
Narrow-band plasmonic thermal emitter using plasmonic nanochannel structure

A plasmonic nanochannel structure consisting of periodic vertical Au/Si/Au nanochannels connected by U-shaped gold layers is demonstrated as a narrow-band plasmonic thermal emitter. Due to coupling of localized surface plasmons in the channels and propagating surface plasmons under the U-shaped gold layers, a narrow-band emission peak is observed.
New Regulators of Drug Sensitivity in the Family of Yeast Zinc Cluster Proteins*

The Gal4p family of yeast zinc cluster proteins comprises over 50 members that are putative transcriptional regulators. For example, Pdr1p and Pdr3p activate multidrug resistance genes by binding to pleiotropic drug response elements (PDREs) found in promoters of target genes such as PDR5, encoding a drug efflux pump involved in resistance to cycloheximide. However, the role of many zinc cluster proteins is unknown. We tested a panel of strains carrying deletions of zinc cluster genes in the presence of various drugs. One deletion strain (Δrdr1) was resistant to cycloheximide, whereas eight strains showed sensitivity to the antifungal ketoconazole or cycloheximide. Unnamed zinc cluster genes identified in our screen were called RDS for regulators of drug sensitivity. RNA levels of multidrug resistance genes such asPDR16, SNQ2, and PDR5 were decreased in many deletion strains. For example, cycloheximide sensitivity of a Δstb5 strain was correlated with decreased RNA levels and promoter activity of the PDR5gene. We tested if activation of PDR5 is mediated via a PDRE by inserting this DNA element in front of a minimal promoter linked to the lacZ gene. Strikingly, activity of the reporter was decreased in a Δstb5 strain. The purified DNA binding domain of Stb5p bound to a PDRE in vitro. Mutations in the PDRE known to affect binding of Pdr1p/Pdr3p showed similar effects when assayed with Stb5p. These results strongly suggest that Stb5p is a transcriptional activator of multidrug resistance genes. Thus, we have identified new regulators of drug sensitivity in the family of zinc cluster proteins.
On Small Terminal MIMO Antennas, Harmonizing Characteristic Modes With Ground Plane Geometry

multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) antenna systems are defined by fundamental figure of merits (FoM), such as branch imbalance, total efficiency, mean effective gain (MEG), and the correlation coefficient. Those FoM requirements are challenging, specially when applied to electrically small mobile devices, i.e., smart-phones, due to the form factor-reduced dimensions and multiplicity of adjacent frequency bands of operation. Uncorrelated antennas are especially important for MIMO antenna systems; other than few exceptional cases, the reduction of magnitude of complex correlation coefficient will increase the system capacity and data throughput. This work proposes an MIMO antenna system for mobile terminals, based on a realistic form factor and packaging implementation, with a very low magnitude of the complex correlation coefficient and an impressive isolation. An isolation better than 20 dB has been achieved using a folded monopole and a commonly adopted planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) on a platform with a very small form factor (100 × 50 × 10 mm). The proposed implementation is based on the synergy of two known techniques that consists in the: 1) reference ground plane geometry manipulation and 2) in the application of the characteristic mode theory to obtain orthogonal radiation modes. Since MIMO antenna systems at frequencies higher than 1.7 GHz are naturally proper isolated and decorreleated, this work demonstrates the proposed antenna topology enabling higher isolation and uncorrelated antenna system at 750 MHz, which is more difficult to achieve in form factors smaller than 1λ, while maintaining high total efficiency and adequate gain imbalance. In this paper, a simulation model and prototype (1/4λ long) measurement results are presented, demonstrating the implementation feasibility of such antenna system in realistic mobile device embodiment.
Convergence analysis of chip- and fractionally spaced LMS adaptive multiuser CDMA detectors

This paper analyzes the convergence behavior of the least mean square (LMS) filter when used in an adaptive code division multiple access (CDMA) detector consisting of a tapped delay line with adjustable tap weights. The sampling rate may be equal to or higher than the chip rate, and these correspond to chip-spaced (CS) and fractionally spaced (FS) detection, respectively. It is shown that CS and FS detectors with the same time-span exhibit identical convergence behavior if the baseband received signal is strictly bandlimited to half the chip rate. Even in the practical case when this condition is not met, deviations from this observation are imperceptible unless the initial tap-weight vector gives an extremely large mean squared error (MSE). This phenomenon is carefully explained with reference to the eigenvalues of the correlation matrix when the input signal is not perfectly bandlimited. The inadequacy of the eigenvalue spread of the tap-input correlation matrix as an indicator of the transient behavior and the influence of the initial tap weight vector on convergence speed are highlighted. Specifically, a initialization within the signal subspace or to the origin leads to very much faster convergence compared with initialization in the a noise subspace.
Incorporating Translation Quality-Oriented Features into Log-Linear Models of Machine Translation

The current state-of-the-art approach to Machine Translation (MT) has limitations which could be alleviated by the use of syntax-based models. Although the benefits of syntax use in MT are becoming clear with the ongoing improvements in string-to-tree and tree-to-string systems, tree-to-tree systems such as Data Oriented Translation (DOT) have, until recently, suffered from lack of training resources, and as a consequence are currently immature, lacking key features compared to Phrase-Based Statistical MT (PB-SMT) systems. In this thesis we propose avenues to bridge the gap between our syntax-based DOT model and state-of-the-art PB-SMT systems. Noting that both types of systems score translations using probabilities not necessarily related to the quality of the translations they produce, we introduce a training mechanism which takes translation quality into account by averaging the edit distance between a translation unit and translation units used in oracle translations. This training mechanism could in principle be adapted to a very broad class of MT systems. In particular, we show how when translating Spanish sentences into English, it leads to improvements in the translation quality of both PB-SMT and DOT. In addition, we show how our method leads to a PB-SMT system which uses significantly less resources and translates significantly faster than the original, while maintaining the improvements in translation quality. We then address the issue of the limited feature set in DOT by defining a new DOT model which is able to exploit features of the complete source sentence. We introduce a feature into this new model which conditions each target word to the source-context it is associated with, and we also make the first attempt at incorporating a language model (LM) to a DOT system. We investigate different estimation methods for our lexical feature (namely Maximum Entropy and improved Kneser-Ney), reporting on their empirical performance. After describing methods which enable us to improve the efficiency of our system, and which allows us to scale to larger training data sizes, we evaluate the performance of our new model on English-to-Spanish translation, obtaining significant translation quality improvements compared to the original DOT system.
Maternal Regulation of Milk Composition, Milk Production, and Pouch Young Development During Lactation in the Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii )1

Abstract Specific changes in milk composition during lactation in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) were correlated with the ages of the developing pouch young (PY). The present experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that the sucking pattern of the PY determines the course of mammary development in the tammar wallaby. To test this hypothesis, groups of 60-day-old PY were fostered repeatedly onto one group of host mothers so that a constant sucking stimulus on the mammary gland was maintained for 56 days to allow the lactational stage to progress 42 days ahead of the age of the young. Analysis of the milk in fostered and control groups showed the timing of changes in the concentration of protein and carbohydrate were essentially unaffected by altering the sucking regime. The only change in milk protein secretion was a small delay in the timing of down-regulation of the secretion of whey acidic protein and early lactation protein in the host tammars. In addition, the rates of growth and development of the foster PY were significantly increased relative to those of the control PY because of ingesting more milk with a higher energy content and different composition than normal for their age. The present study demonstrates that the lactating tammar wallaby regulates both milk composition and the rate of milk production and that these determine the rates of PY growth and development, irrespective of the age of the PY.
Swimming with multiple propulsors: measurement and comparison of swimming gaits in three species of neotropical cichlids

ABSTRACT Comparative studies of fish swimming have been limited by the lack of quantitative definitions of fish gaits. Traditionally, steady swimming gaits have been defined categorically by the fin or region of the body that is used as the main propulsor and named after major fish clades (e.g. carangiform, anguilliform, balistiform, labriform). This method of categorization is limited by the lack of explicit measurements, the inability to incorporate contributions of multiple propulsors and the inability to compare gaits across different categories. I propose an alternative framework for the definition and comparison of fish gaits based on the propulsive contribution of each structure (body and/or fin) being used as a propulsor relative to locomotor output, and demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework by comparing three species of neotropical cichlids with different body shapes. This approach is modular with respect to the number of propulsors considered, flexible with respect to the definition of the propulsive inputs and the locomotor output of interest, and designed explicitly to handle combinations of propulsors. Using this approach, gait can be defined as a trajectory through propulsive space, and gait transitions can be defined as discontinuities in the gait trajectory. By measuring and defining gait in this way, patterns of clustering corresponding to existing categorical definitions of gait may emerge, and gaits can be rigorously compared across categories. Summary: Differently shaped fish species use varying combinations of body–caudal fin and pectoral fin propulsion at different speeds. Gait is characterized as a trajectory through propulsive parameter space for analysis and comparison.
Predominant Role of Gluconeogenesis in Increased Hepatic Glucose Production in NIDDM

Excessive hepatic glucose output is an important factor in the fasting hyperglycemia of non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). To determine the relative contributions of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in a quantitative manner, we applied a new isotopic approach, using infusions of [6-3H]glucose and [2-14C]acetate to trace overall hepatic glucose output and phosphoenolpyruvate gluconeogenesis in 14 postabsorptive NIDDM subjects and in 9 nondiabetic volunteers of similar age and weight. Overall hepatic glucose output was increased nearly twofold in the NIDDM subjects (22.7 ± 1.0 vs. 12.0 ± 0.6 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 in the nondiabetic volunteers, P < .001); phosphoenolpyruvate gluconeogenesis was increased more than threefold in the NIDDM subjects (12.7 ± 1.4 vs. 3.6 ± 0.4 μmol kg−1 min−1 in the nondiabetic subjects, P < .001) and was accompanied by increased plasma lactate, alanine, and glucagon concentrations (all P < .05). The increased phosphoenolpyruvate gluconeogenesis accounted for 89 ± 6% of the increase in overall hepatic glucose output in the NIDDM subjects and was significantly correlated with the fasting plasma glucose concentrations (r = .67, P < .01). Glycogenolysis, calculated as the difference between overall hepatic glucose output and phosphoenolpyruvate gluconeogenesis, was not significantly different in the NIDDM subjects (9.9 ± 0.06 μmol · kg−1 · min−1) and the nondiabetic volunteers (8.4 ± 0.3 μmol kg−1 · min−1). We conclude that increased gluconeogenesis is the predominant mechanism responsible for increased hepatic glucose output in NIDDM.
Rescue of dystrophin expression in mdx mouse muscle by RNA/DNA oligonucleotides.

Chimeric RNA/DNA oligonucleotides ("chimeraplasts") have been shown to induce single base alterations in genomic DNA both in vitro and in vivo. The mdx mouse strain has a point mutation in the dystrophin gene, the consequence of which is a muscular dystrophy resulting from deficiency of the dystrophin protein in skeletal muscle. To test the feasibility of chimeraplast-mediated gene therapy for muscular dystrophies, we used a chimeraplast (designated "MDX1") designed to correct the point mutation in the dystrophin gene in mdx mice. After direct injection of MDX1 into muscles of mdx mice, immunohistochemical analysis revealed dystrophin-positive fibers clustered around the injection site. Two weeks after single injections into tibialis anterior muscles, the maximum number of dystrophin-positive fibers (approximately 30) in any muscle represented 1-2% of the total number of fibers in that muscle. Ten weeks after single injections, the range of the number of dystrophin-positive fibers was similar to that seen after 2 wk, suggesting that the expression was stable, as would be predicted for a gene-conversion event. Staining with exon-specific antibodies showed that none of these were "revertant fibers. " Furthermore, dystrophin from MDX1-injected muscles was full length by immunoblot analysis. No dystrophin was detectable by immunohistochemical or immunoblot analysis after control chimeraplast injections. Finally, reverse transcription-PCR analysis demonstrated the presence of transcripts with the wild-type dystrophin sequence only in mdx muscles injected with MDX1 chimeraplasts. These results provide the foundation for further studies of chimeraplast-mediated gene therapy as a therapeutic approach to muscular dystrophies and other genetic disorders of muscle.