Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phosphorylation of the Bloom's Syndrome Helicase and Its Role in Recovery from S-Phase Arrest

ABSTRACT Bloom's syndrome (BS) is a human genetic disorder associated with cancer predisposition. The BS gene product, BLM, is a member of the RecQ helicase family, which is required for the maintenance of genome stability in all organisms. In budding and fission yeasts, loss of RecQ helicase function confers sensitivity to inhibitors of DNA replication, such as hydroxyurea (HU), by failure to execute normal cell cycle progression following recovery from such an S-phase arrest. We have examined the role of the human BLM protein in recovery from S-phase arrest mediated by HU and have probed whether the stress-activated ATR kinase, which functions in checkpoint signaling during S-phase arrest, plays a role in the regulation of BLM function. We show that, consistent with a role for BLM in protection of human cells against the toxicity associated with arrest of DNA replication, BS cells are hypersensitive to HU. BLM physically associates with ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and rad3+ related) protein and is phosphorylated on two residues in the N-terminal domain, Thr-99 and Thr-122, by this kinase. Moreover, BS cells ectopically expressing a BLM protein containing phosphorylation-resistant T99A/T122A substitutions fail to adequately recover from an HU-induced replication blockade, and the cells subsequently arrest at a caffeine-sensitive G2/M checkpoint. These abnormalities are not associated with a failure of the BLM-T99A/T122A protein to localize to replication foci or to colocalize either with ATR itself or with other proteins that are required for response to DNA damage, such as phosphorylated histone H2AX and RAD51. Our data indicate that RecQ helicases play a conserved role in recovery from perturbations in DNA replication and are consistent with a model in which RecQ helicases act to restore productive DNA replication following S-phase arrest and hence prevent subsequent genomic instability.
WHO Pilot Study on the Validity of Imipramine Platelet Receptor Binding Sites as a Biological Marker of Endogenous Depression

1 The views expressed in this paper are the authors' own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of other investigators in the WHO Collaborating Centers for Research and Training in Biological Psychiatry nor of the World Health Organization 2 The collaborating investigators in this study are: Athens: C. Stefanis, B. Alevisos; Basle: P. Kielholz, M. Gastpar, C. Gentsch; Brussels: J. Mendlewicz, M. van der Eist, F. Charon, A. Schoutens; Copenhagen: O. J. Rafaelsen, P. Bech, L. Eplov, E. T. Mellerup; Irvine: W. E. Bunney, S. Potkin; Lucknow: B. B. Sethi; Moscow: M. E. Vartanian, N. Mazaeva; Munich: H. Hippius, B. Bondy, N. Matussek; Naples: D. Kemali, M. Maj; Tokyo: R. Takhashi, S. Yoshimoto; WHO: P. Morozov, T. Ngo Khac, L. L. Prilipko
Determination and Cell Interactions in Reproductive Meristems.

The plant body develops from groups of dividing cells, the meristems, that function as permanent stem cell populations and enable the plant to increase in size continuously throughout its lifetime. Although all meristems function as sources of new cells for differentiation, each type of meristem is capable of producing only certain structures; for example, the shoot meristem gives rise to leaves, axillary buds, internodes, and flowers, whereas the root meristem produces only roots. The choice between shoot and root identity occurs very early in the establishment of a new meristem (Christianson and Warnick, 1983), but how a particular meristem acquires and maintains its identity is unknown. Although meristem identity can be stable for long periods of time, it is capable of changing in some circumstances. One easily observed change in meristem identity occurs when plants shift from vegetative to reproductive growth. Before this transition, cells derived from the shoot meristem differentiate as leaves, internodes, and axillary buds. After the transition to reproductive growth, floral bracts, inflorescence branches, and flowers are formed. By studying the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth, we hope to understand how a meristem acquires and stably propagates an identity and what role a meristem plays in the developmental fate of its derivative cells.
Linear and Non-linear Dimension Reduction Applied to Gene Expression Data of Cancer Tissue Samples

In computational biology and medicine, gene expression data are a very useful and important piece of the puzzle as they are one of the main source from which are derived gene functions and various disease mechanisms. Unfortunately, the analysis, classification and visualization of gene expression data is not an easy task due to the high dimension of the data generated from high-density microarrays. In this project, we will be interested in two methods developed to carry dimension reduction on such data so that they will become better suited for further analysis. It is our belief that a non-linear approach to dimension reduction would perform better than a linear approach in preserving the internal structure of the data. The goal of this project is to be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of non-linear versus linear dimension reduction algorithm in capturing biologically relevant structures in cancer cell expression dataset. In particular we will be working with Laplacian Eigenmaps and Principal Components Analysis as our non-linear and linear dimension reduction methods respectively and the NCI60 as our cancer cell expression dataset.
Power consumption in refrigeration systems - Modeling for optimization

Refrigeration systems consume a substantial amount of energy. Taking for instance supermarket refrigeration systems as an example they can account for up to 50–80% of the total energy consumption in the supermarket. Due to the thermal capacity made up by the refrigerated goods in the system there is a possibility for optimizing the power consumption by utilizing load shifting strategies. This paper describes the dynamics and the modeling of a vapor compression refrigeration system needed for sufficiently realistic estimation of the power consumption and its minimization. This leads to a non-convex function with possibly multiple extrema. Such a function can not directly be optimized by standard methods and a qualitative analysis of the system's constraints is presented. The description of power consumption contains nonlinear terms which are approximated by linear functions in the control variables and the error by doing so is investigated. Finally a minimization procedure for the presented problem is suggested.
New Shrimps ( Families Procarididae and Atyidae ) from a Submerged Lava Tube on Hawaii

A new genus and species of procaridid shrimp, Vetericaris chaceorum, and a new atyid species, Halocaridina palahemo, are described from the island of Hawaii. The new genus, regarded as more primitive than Procaris, is characterized by the possession of a larger number of gills than Procaris, including arthrobranchs and pleurobranchs on the third maxilliped and pereiopods 1-4, elongate pleopodal endopods, appendices internae on pleopods 3-5, and elongate dactyls on pereiopods 1-5. Reexamination of the two genera of procaridids would seem to indicate a greater affinity with the caridean shrimps than with the dendrobranchiate shrimps. The new Halocaridina differs from its only congener in several features, including a shorter rostrum, a more inflated carapace, and less inflated chelae. Reference to Pleistocene geological history, and present-day hydrological conditions strengthen the argument for relatively deep anchialine refugia from which dispersal took place, to explain the distribution of anchialine shrimps. During a 1985 survey of anchialine and marine caves of the Pacific by Dr. Thomas M. Iliffe and the second author, several sites in the Hawaiian archipelago were investigated by diving with SCUBA. In the course of working in the cave called Lua o Palahemo on Hawaii Island, several crustaceans, including shrimps, isopods, and copepods were collected. These were passed on to the first author for evaluation. The discovery of an undescribed procaridid and atyid shrimp in this material revealed further problems in the relationships of the major taxa of decapod shrimps. These problems are explored in the present paper.
Regulatory Forum Opinion Piece*: Imaging Applications in Toxicologic Pathology—Recommendations for Use in Regulated Nonclinical Toxicity Studies

Available imaging systems for use in preclinical toxicology studies increasingly show utility as important tools in the toxicologic pathologist’s armamentarium, permit longitudinal evaluation of functional and morphological changes in tissues, and provide important information such as organ and lesion volume not obtained by conventional toxicology study parameters. Representative examples of practical imaging applications in toxicology research and preclinical studies are presented for ultrasound, positron emission tomography/single-photon emission computed tomography, optical, magnetic resonance imaging, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—imaging mass spectrometry imaging. Some of the challenges for making imaging systems good laboratory practice–compliant for regulatory submission are presented. Use of imaging data on a case-by-case basis as part of safety evaluation in regulatory submissions is encouraged.
Confined crystallization of fenofibrate in nanoporous silica Citation

Producing stable nanocrystals confined to porous excipient media is a desirable way to increase the dissolution rate and improve the bioavailability of poorly water soluble pharmaceuticals. The poorly soluble pharmaceutical fenofibrate was crystallized in controlled pore glass (CPG) of 10 different pore sizes between 12 nm and 300 nm. High drug loadings of greater than 20 wt% were achieved across all pore sizes greater than 20 nm. Nanocrystalline fenofibrate was formed in pore sizes greater than 20 nm and showed characteristic melting point depressions following a GibbsThomson relationship as well as enhanced dissolution rates. Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was employed to characterize the crystallinity of the confined molecules. These results help to advance the fundamental understanding of nanocrystallization in confined pores.
Dexamethasone Does Not Inhibit Sugammadex Reversal After Rocuronium-Induced Neuromuscular Block

BACKGROUND:Sugammadex is a relatively new molecule that reverses neuromuscular block induced by rocuronium. The particular structure of sugammadex traps the cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring of rocuronium in its hydrophobic cavity. Dexamethasone shares the same steroidal structure with rocuronium. Studies in vitro have demonstrated that dexamethasone interacts with sugammadex, reducing its efficacy. In this study, we investigated the clinical relevance of this interaction and its influence on neuromuscular reversal. METHODS:In this retrospective case-control study, we analyzed data from 45 patients divided into 3 groups: dexamethasone after induction group (15 patients) treated with 8 mg dexamethasone as an antiemetic drug shortly after induction of anesthesia; dexamethasone before reversal group (15 patients) treated with dexamethasone just before sugammadex injection; and control group (15 patients) treated with 8 mg ondansetron. All groups received 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium at induction, 0.15 mg/kg rocuronium at train-of-four ratio (TOF) 2 for neuromuscular relaxation, and 2 mg/kg sugammadex for reversal at the end of the procedure at TOF2. Neuromuscular relaxation was monitored with a TOF-Watch® system. RESULTS:The control group had a recovery time of 154 ± 54 seconds (mean ± SD), the dexamethasone after induction group 134 ± 55 seconds, and the dexamethasone before reversal group 131 ± 68 seconds. The differences among groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.5141). CONCLUSIONS:Our results show that the use of dexamethasone as an antiemetic drug for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting does not interfere with reversal of neuromuscular blockade with sugammadex in patients undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia in contrast to in vitro studies that support this hypothesis.
Decentralized control of a microgrid

Microgrid systems provide benefits to strong, weak and remote power grids. Using multiple sources with differing characteristics and native constraints makes it a challenge to control the microgrid. Compared to the traditional central controller approach, a decentralized microgrid controller architecture has benefits including resiliency to asset and communication failures, which are experimentally verified in the paper. A reactive power proportional sharing algorithm is presented and experimentally proven.
Inhibition of the mevalonate pathway in C. elegans: Consequences and implications

The mevalonate pathway in human is responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol and other important biomolecules such as coenzyme Q (a component of the electron transport chain in mitochondria), dolichols (important for N-linked glycosylation of proteins) and isoprenoids (important for the membrane association of small GTPases). This thesis concerns novel findings about the effect of statin on the mevalonate pathway using C. elegans as a model organism. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, hence limiting the synthesis of cholesterol and other products from this pathway. C. elegans is a particularly powerful model to study the effect of statin on the non-cholesterol outputs of the mevalonate pathway because this pathway is well conserved in worms except for the key fact that the enzymes required for the synthesis of cholesterol are absent. We characterized a hmgr-1(tm4368) mutant, which lacks HMG-CoA reductase, and showed that its phenotypes recapitulate the effect of statin on C. elegans but in a more severe form. We also showed that inhibition of protein prenylation is a critical consequence of mevalonate pathway inhibition in C. elegans. Since inhibition of the mevalonate pathway via statins or hmgr-1 mutation, causes growth arrest and sterility, it is relatively easy to screen for resistant mutant. We screened ∼150 000 mutagenized haploid genomes and isolated four statin-resistant mutants that carried gain-of-function mutations in atfs-1, a positive regulator of the mitochondrial-unfolded protein response (UPR). Interestingly, preinduction of this response using ethidium bromide or paraquat in wild type worms or mammalian cells also conferred resistance to statin. Our observations suggest that statin resistance through maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis is conserved among species, and that the lethal effects of statins in C. elegans are caused primarily through impaired protein prenylation leading to mitochondria dysfunction. We also isolated an additional statin-resistant mutant that carried a partial loss-offunction mutation in nduf-7, which encodes a key component of the mitochondrial transport chain complex1 (ETC-1). This mutation also activates the UPR and prolonged life span through production of ROS. Interestingly, the gene ced-4 is required for lifespan extension in the nduf-7(et19) mutant but not for UPR induction or resistance to statin.
Nutritional enrichment of fresh apple (Royal Gala) by vacuum impregnation

This study evaluates the use of vacuum impregnation (VI) for developing nutritionally fortified fresh cut apples (Royal Gala). Cut apples were immersed in diluted high fructose corn syrup (20% w/w or 50% w/w) containing calcium or zinc. A vacuum pressure of 50 mmHg was applied for 15 min following atmospheric pressure restoration for 30 min while samples remained in the VI solution. Nutraceutical content and physicochemical properties of the apples immediately after VI were determined. Storability of VI apples at 6°C and 90% relative humidity was also studied based on the color and texture of apples. Results indicated that 15-20% of the Daily Reference Intake of calcium and above 40% of the Daily Reference Intake of zinc could be obtained in 200 g fresh cut apples. VI treatments in 20% w/w high fructose corn syrup solutions had little effects on the physicochemical properties of apples. Storage study showed that VI with zinc significantly improved color stability, and calcium enhanced the firmness of the apples.
POPULATION BALANCE EQUATIONS FOR PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS IN SEMIBATCH EMULSION POLYMERIZATIONS

In a previous work of this group, theoretical studies and stability measurements were performed in order to describe the particle coagula- tion provoked by electrolytes. The work of the cur- rent paper concerns the development of mathemati- cal models based on the DLVO theory and on popu- lation balance equations (PBE), which involve highly complex integro-differential equations. This model includes particle coagulation, particle nucleation, the polymerization kinetics and monomer partitioning among the many phases of the system. The model ensured a proper description of butyl acry- late/methyl methacrylate emulsion copolymeriza- tions reactions, and related phenomena such as co- agulation and particle nucleation in the presence of large seed particles. These latter systems are very important to the multimodal latexes production. Fi- nally, simulation studies were performed in order to test the model ability to follow the competitive growth of polymer particles during semibatch opera- tions.
Myostatin expression during human muscle hypertrophy and subsequent atrophy: increased myostatin with detraining

Myostatin is a potent negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass, but its role in human skeletal muscle hypertrophy and atrophy is sparsely described. Muscle biopsies were obtained from young male subjects before and after 30 and 90 days of resistance training as well as after 3, 10, 30, 60 and 90 days of subsequent detraining. Myostatin mRNA increased significantly with detraining. We observed a 28 kDa myostatin immunoreactive protein, which, however, was also present in myostatin knock out mice skeletal muscle. As a novel finding we consistently detected a 10 kDa band, which may represent a mature myostatin monomer under reducing conditions or a novel, unknown myostatin form. Further, we observed a significant increase in this 10 kDa band after 3 days of detraining preceding the rapid type II fiber atrophy, in which almost half of the acquired fiber area was lost after only 10 days of detraining. Accordingly, an increase in the level of the 10 kDa protein is associated with rapid type II fiber atrophy, suggesting myostatin‐mediated specific type II fiber atrophy, which in combination with our mRNA data support a role for myostatin in the negative regulation of adult human skeletal muscle mass.
Efficacy and safety of intraoperative peritoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer patients with serosal invasion. A long-term follow-up study.

AIMS This study was undertaken to investigate the clinical effects and safety of intraoperative peritoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients. METHODS A total of 118 AGC patients with serosal invasion were enrolled in this study from 1998 to 2001, 52 underwent IPHC after gastrectomy and 66 were treated with gastrectomy only. Among these cases, 96 patients without macroscopic peritoneal metastases were selected for the prophylactic study, 22 with peritoneal metastases were selected for the therapeutic study. Postoperative survival, recurrence pattern and incidences of postoperative complications between patients with and without IPHC were analyzed and compared. RESULTS For the prophylactic study, the IPHC procedure improves postoperative survival rate and decrease the incidence of peritoneal recurrence, and is an independent prognostic factor for these patients. For the therapeutic study, postoperative survival times were longer if IPHC was undertaken. No surgery-related death occurred. The incidence of renal dysfunction was higher in the IPHC group, but all patients recovered without hemodialysis. CONCLUSION IPHC is a safe procedure that improves the survival prognosis for AGC patients with serosal invasion. It is especially beneficial for patients without peritoneal metastasis due to the reduction of postoperative peritoneal recurrence.
Correlative data based sparse denoising auto-encoder for feature learning

Feature learning based on deep learning is now widely used in various fields. When dealing with data missing or data noise, auto-encoder-based methods are proposed to learn more robust features. However, the existing methods based on deep learning which aim to deal with missing data or noise depend on the kind of signals itself. In order to enhance the fault-tolerant mechanism and improve the anti-noise ability and learn more robust features, this paper proposes a correlative data based Sparse Denoising Auto-Encoder which uses the cooperative mechanism among signals. We correlate the electromyography and the electromyogram signals to evaluate the validity of this model and compare the results with the Sparse Denoising Auto-Encoder. The experimental results show that our model has better performance in feature learning than the traditional models, which means that our model has better fault-tolerant mechanism and stronger anti-noise ability.
Building a Resilience Index in Northern Ghana Context

Natural disasters, economic crisis, human-induced disasters and scarcity of resources are realities that people face on a daily basis. It is under these circumstances that the term resilience becomes important, especially, in areas where food insecurity and poverty prevail such as northern Ghana. The present study uses FAO’s Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) model to measure the Resilience Level of northern Ghana and determine the main factors contributing to that level. Results show that the latent variable, Resilience, is representative of the five pillars used to denote resilience. Basic Services, Adaptive Capacity, and Income and Food Access indicators are pillars associated with improved resilience in northern Ghana. Assets, and Social Safety Nets are pillars negatively associated with the latent resilience level.
Comparison of Antibacterial Activity of Natural and Hydroformylated Essential Oil of Thymus capitatus Growing Wild in North Sardinia with Commercial Thymus Essential Oils

Thymus capitatus growing wild in Sardinia showed different essential oil composition if grown surrounding Cagliari than in north Sardinia. Here we verify the composition and antimicrobial activity of the oil to make it suitable for the cosmetic and confectionery industries. With the aim of improving the scent and the antimicrobical activity of T. capitatus essential oil, a hydroformylation reaction was carried out to transform the unsaturated components of the oil into the corresponding aldehydes. The essential oil of T. capitatus exhibited a significant antibacterial activity (MIC 0.125-0.5 mg/mL), and was also found effective on C. albicans (MIC 0.125 mg/mL). After hydroformylation, several new irregular terpenoid aldehydes were detected. The perfume of the new terpenic-like aldehydes is very agreeable and, therefore, the acceptability of the aroma is remarkably improved, but the antimicrobial activity was not increased.
Source-Imposed Instability and Performance Degradation in a Regulated Converter

The paper investigates the validity of the input-side minor-loop-gain-based design rules given usually as a certain forbidden region in a complex plane out of which the minor-loop gain should stay in order to ensure stability and sufficient transient dynamics of the converter. The prevailing forbidden-region-based design rules would ensure the stability but do not ensure the sufficient transient dynamics. The design rules developed by Middlebrook are usually considered too conservative but, as shown in this paper, those are the most appropriate but needing refinement. Experimental evidence is presented to support the theoretical predictions and findings.