Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxaphene‐induced mouse liver tumorigenesis is mediated by the constitutive androstane receptor

Toxaphene was shown to increase liver tumor incidence in B6C3F1 mice following chronic dietary exposure. Preliminary evidence supported a role for the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) in the mode of action of toxaphene‐induced mouse liver tumors. However, these results could not rule out a role for the pregnane X receptor (PXR) in liver tumor formation. To define further the nuclear receptors involved in this study, we utilized CAR, PXR and PXR/CAR knockout mice (CAR−/−, PXR−/− and PXR−/−/CAR−/−) along with the wild‐type C57BL/6. In this study CAR‐responsive genes Cyp3a11 and Cyp2b10 were induced in the liver of C57BL/6 (wild‐type) mice by toxaphene (30–570‐fold) (at the carcinogenic dose 320 ppm) and phenobarbital (positive control) (16–420‐fold) following 14 days' dietary treatment. In contrast, in CAR−/− mice, no induction of these genes was seen following treatment with either chemical. Cyp3a11 and Cyp2b10 were also induced in PXR−/− mice with toxaphene and phenobarbital but were not changed in treated PXR−/−/CAR−/− mice. Similarly, induction of liver pentoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase (CAR activation) activity by toxaphene and phenobarbital was absent in CAR−/− and PXR−/−/CAR−/− mice treated with phenobarbital or toxaphene. Ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase (EROD, represents aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation) activity in CAR−/− mice treated with toxaphene or phenobarbital was increased compared with untreated control, but lower overall in activity in comparison to the wild‐type mouse. Liver EROD activity was also induced by both phenobarbital and toxaphene in the PXR−/− mice but not in the PXR−/−/CAR−/− mice. Toxaphene treatment increased 7‐benzyloxyquinoline activity (a marker for PXR activation) in a similar pattern to that seen with pentoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase. These observations indicate that EROD and PXR activation are evidence, as expected, of secondary overlap to primary CAR receptor activation. Together, these results definitively show that activation of the CAR nuclear receptor is the mode of action of toxaphene‐induced mouse liver tumors. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantization of electronic states on metal

An electron in front of a metal surface experi- ences an attractive force due to the induced image charge. Band gaps in the band structure can prevent a penetration into the metal along certain directions. The Coulomb-like potential supports bound states in front of the surface which correspond to a hydrogen atom in one dimension. These image states can be measured with high resolution by two- photon photoemission. The adsorption of metals modifies the states. If the electrons can penetrate into the metal, quantum- well states can develop corresponding to standing waves in the overlayer. Image states on small islands show the quanti- zation effects due to the lateral localization. The spectrosopy of image states by two-photon photoemission permits the investigation of growth and morphology of deposited metal layers, a well as the illustration of fundamental quantum- mechanical effects.
Mechanical design of a dual-cryostat instrument for a high-field pulsed magnet

The engineering of a dual-cryostat for a pulsed-magnet instrument at the Advanced Photon Source is presented. The dual-cryostat independently cools the magnet coil (using liquid-nitrogen) and the sample (using a closed-cycle refrigerator). Liquid-nitrogen cooling may allow a repetition rate of a few minutes for peak fields near 30 T. The system is unique in that the liquid-nitrogen cryostat incorporates a double-funnel vacuum tube passing through the solenoid's bore in order to preserve the entire angular range allowed by the magnet bore for scattering studies. Second, the use of a separate refrigerator for the sample allows precise positioning of samples in the bore while minimizing magnet vibrations propagating to the sample during pulsed-field generation.
An analysis of radon levels in the basements of UK workplaces and review of when employers should test

Radon is a recognised lung carcinogen. The main source of radon in UK buildings is the ground. As basements have more ground contact than other parts of a building, and often limited ventilation, there is increased potential for high radon levels to occur. Regulations are in place in the UK to control radon exposure at work, to prompt employers to undertake risk assessments, test where necessary and take action if levels exceed certain thresholds. Both Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) currently advise employers to test routinely occupied basements for radon, irrespective of geographical location; the minimum annual occupancy threshold has been established as one hour per week (approximately 50 h per year). PHE operates a routine measurement service for employers and holds the measurement data for radon levels in the basements of more than 3500 workplaces. Typically, radon concentrations follow a lognormal distribution over a wide range, when corrections are made for seasonal variations and the contribution of outside air. Statistical tests on these data show good correspondence in most cases for the workplace basements of seven different occupational sectors. Radon should be included in the risk assessments of basements of all workplace types irrespective of the radon-affected area status (i.e. whether they are located in a geographical unit where higher proportions of houses or workplaces are likely to exceed their reference levels). As a consequence of this analysis, however, evidence is presented that supports a change in the existing protocols on when to test the radon levels in basements, if a more sophisticated approach were to be adopted taking into account the affected area status.
Neuropeptide S precursor knockout mice display memory and arousal deficits

Activation of neuropeptide S (NPS) signaling has been found to produce arousal, wakefulness, anxiolytic‐like behaviors, and enhanced memory formation. In order to further study physiological functions of the NPS system, we generated NPS precursor knockout mice by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. NPS−/− mice were viable, fertile, and anatomically normal, when compared to their wild‐type and heterozygous littermates. The total number of NPS neurons—although no longer synthesizing the peptide – was not affected by the knockout, as analyzed in NPS−/−/NPSEGFP double transgenic mice. Analysis of behavioral phenotypes revealed significant deficits in exploratory activity in NPS−/− mice. NPS precursor knockout mice displayed attenuated arousal in the hole board test, visible as reduced total nose pokes and number of holes inspected, that was not confounded by increased repetitive or stereotypic behavior. Importantly, long‐term memory was significantly impaired in NPS−/− mice in the inhibitory avoidance paradigm. NPS precursor knockout mice displayed mildly increased anxiety‐like behaviors in three different tests measuring responses to stress and novelty. Interestingly, heterozygous littermates often presented behavioral deficits similar to NPS−/− mice or displayed intermediate phenotype. These observations may suggest limited ligand availability in critical neural circuits. Overall, phenotypical changes in NPS−/− mice are similar to those observed in NPS receptor knockout mice and support earlier findings that suggest major functions of the NPS system in arousal, regulation of anxiety and stress, and memory formation.
Dietary Intervention by Phytochemicals and Their Role in Modulating Coding and Non-Coding Genes in Cancer

Phytochemicals are natural compounds synthesized as secondary metabolites in plants, representing an important source of molecules with a wide range of therapeutic applications. These natural agents are important regulators of key pathological processes/conditions, including cancer, as they are able to modulate the expression of coding and non-coding transcripts with an oncogenic or tumour suppressor role. These natural agents are currently exploited for the development of therapeutic strategies alone or in tandem with conventional treatments for cancer. The aim of this paper is to review the recent studies regarding the role of these natural phytochemicals in different processes related to cancer inhibition, including apoptosis activation, angiogenesis and metastasis suppression. From the large palette of phytochemicals we selected epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), genistein, morin and kaempferol, due to their increased activity in modulating multiple coding and non-coding genes, targeting the main hallmarks of cancer.
The influence of high-altitude and hypoxia on implant osseointegration

Objective: To compare the bone formation and the retention of the implant at different altitude.Methods: Implants were inserted in the tibia of rabbits in three different altitude areas:Guangzhou-42 m,Xining-2,275 m and Guoluo-3 780 m above the sea level(n=8),the bone-implant osseointegration was examined by roentgenocopy,biomechanical test and ponceau staining 4 and 12 weeks after implantation respectively.Results: X-ray films showed higher bone density around the implants in Guangzhou group than that in the other two groups 4 weeks after implantation.The Max biomechanical pull-out forces(N) were 194.5±4.5,176.3±6.7,165.6±2.71 four weeks after and 206.7±6.5,180.5±4.8,168.3±5.2 twelve weeks after implantation respectively in Guangzhou,Xining and Guoluo groups respectively(P0.05). Ponceau staining showed that the bone-implant-contact(%) were 48.85±3.3,40.76±2.4 and 36.87±4.13 four weeks after(P0.05),and 50.34±5.1,41.62±2.8 and 39.78±3.7 twelve weeks after implantation respectively(P0.05). Conclusion: Higher altitude with lower oxygen may decrease bone-implant osseointegration.
Algorithmic Solutions for Envy-Free Cake Cutting

We study the problem of finding an envy-free allocation of a cake to d + 1 players using d cuts. Two models are considered, namely, the oracle-function model and the polynomial-time function model. In the oracle-function model, we are interested in the number of times an algorithm has to query the players about their preferences to find an allocation with the envy less than e. We derive a matching lower and upper bound of θ1/ed-1 for players with Lipschitz utilities and any d > 1. In the polynomial-time function model, where the utility functions are given explicitly by polynomial-time algorithms, we show that the envy-free cake-cutting problem has the same complexity as finding a Brouwer's fixed point, or, more formally, it is PPAD-complete. On the flip side, for monotone utility functions, we propose a fully polynomial-time algorithm FPTAS to find an approximate envy-free allocation of a cake among three people using two cuts.
Planning and Tracking in Image Space for Image-Based Visual Servoing of a Quadrotor

A method is proposed to solve the image-based control of a quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) by directly planning and tracking in image space. First, by adopting the virtual camera approach and choosing image moments, which are defined in the virtual image plane, as image features, we design the trajectories of the image features in image space to perform the image-based visual control task of the quadrotor. Then, a feature's trajectory tracking controller is proposed to track the designed trajectories. The stability of the proposed tracking controller is analyzed and proved by means of Lyapunov analysis. In addition, improved visibility during the image-based visual servoing process is achieved with this method. Simulation results are provided to show the feature's trajectory tracking performance. Finally, real-world experiments are conducted to validate this method.
An Energy Consumption Model for Enterprise Applications

In this paper an energy consumption model for enterprise applications is proposed. Based on the model, a commercially available application is chosen as a case study. The results show that the proposed model can correctly reflect the application¡¦s energy consumption. The study also shows when an organization¡¦s daily operations are highly depending on an application, the energy consumed by the application is not negligible. In fact, the proposed model can provide a new angle for an organization to understand its energy consumption caused by using ICT. In the mean time, with the proposed model a software company can obtain better understanding of how to implement low energy consumption applications which helping reducing organization¡¦s energy consumption.
Digestive cell lysosomes as main targets for Ag accumulation and toxicity in marine mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, exposed to maltose-stabilised Ag nanoparticles of different sizes

Abstract Bioavailability and toxicity of maltose-stabilised AgNPs of different sizes (20, 40 and 100 nm) in mussels were compared with bulk and aqueous forms of the metal through a two-tier experimental approach. In the first tier, mussels were exposed for 3 d to a range of concentrations (0.75, 75, 750 μg Ag/l) in the form of Ag20-Mal, Ag40-Mal, Ag100-Mal, bulk Ag and aqueous Ag (as AgNO3), as well as to the concentrations of maltose used in the formulation of NPs. Mortality, bioaccumulation, tissue and cell distribution and lysosomal responses were investigated. In the second tier, mussels were exposed for 21 d to Ag20-Mal, Ag100-Mal, bulk Ag and aqueous Ag at the lowest effective concentration selected after Tier 1 (0.75 μg Ag/l), biomarkers and toxicopathic effects were investigated. Aqueous Ag was lethal within 3 d at 75 μg Ag/l; Ag NPs or bulk Ag did not produce significant mortality at 750 μg Ag/l. Ag accumulation was limited and metallothionein gene transcription was not regulated although metal accumulation occurred in digestive, brown and stomach epithelial cells and in gut lumen after exposure to AgNPs and aqueous Ag starting at low concentrations after 1 d. Electrondense particles (<10 nm) in lysosomes and residual bodies after exposure to AgNPs contained Ag and S (X-ray). Intralysosomal metal accumulation and lysosomal membrane destabilisation were enhanced after exposure to all the forms of Ag and more marked after exposure to Ag20-Mal than to larger NPs. 21 d exposure to AgNPs provoked digestive cell loss and loss of digestive gland integrity, resulting in atrophy-necrosis in digestive alveoli and oedema/hyperplasia in gills (Ag NP), vacuolisation in digestive cells (aqueous Ag) and haemocyte infiltration of connective tissue (all treatments). Intralysosomal metal accumulation, lysosomal responses and toxicopathic effects are enhanced at decreasing sizes and appear to be caused by Ag+ ions released from NPs, although the metal was not substantially accumulated.
Mouse Models That Enhanced Our Understanding of Adult T Cell Leukemia

Adult T cell Leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative malignancy secondary to infection by the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and is associated with a dismal prognosis. ATL leukemogenesis remains enigmatic. In the era of precision medicine in oncology, mouse models offer one of the most efficient in vivo tools for the understanding of the disease biology and developing novel targeted therapies. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of mouse models developed in the context of ATL and HTLV-I infection. Murine ATL models include transgenic animals for the viral proteins Tax and HBZ, knock-outs for key cellular regulators, xenografts and humanized immune-deficient mice. The first two groups provide a key understanding of the role of viral and host genes in the development of ATL, as well as their relationship with the immunopathogenic processes. The third group represents a valuable platform to test new targeted therapies against ATL.
Effects of a group circuit progressive resistance training program compared with a treadmill training program for adolescents with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine whether goal-directed group circuit progressive resistance exercise training (GT) can improve motor function in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and to compare outcomes with a treadmill training (TT) intervention. Methods: In a multi-centered matched pairs study, 95 adolescents with spastic CP (GMFCS II-III) were allocated to GT or TT interventions for 30 bi-weekly one hour training. Outcome measures of GMFM-66, GMFM-D%, GMFM-E%, TUG, 10 meter walk test (10 MWT), and 6 minute walk test (6 MWT) were made at baseline (T1), after interventions (T2) and 6 months post training (T3). Results: Both training programs induced significant improvement in all outcome measures (T2–T1) that were mostly retained at T3. At the end of the intervention, the GT group showed an advantage in all measured changes compared to the TT group and in percentage changes. Differences were significant (p < 0.02) for GMFM-66, GMFM-D%, GMFM-E% and TUG. The advantage trend for the GT group was less apparent at follow up (T3–T1). Conclusion: Both programs were effective in improving motor function in adolescents with cerebral palsy. The GT program had generally greater benefits based on the functional measures.
Building a poly(epoxy propylimidazolium ionic liquid)/graphene hybrid through πcation–π interaction for fabricating high-k polymer composites with low dielectric loss and percolation threshold

Sustainability urgently asks for low dielectric loss and a low percolation threshold (fc) while developing high dielectric constant (Hi-k) conductor/polymer composites. In this work, a novel hybridized graphene (PIL–TrGO) was first reported using a two-step process, including the decoration of an epoxy functionalized ionic liquid (IL) on the surface of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TrGO) through πcation–π interaction, followed by in situ polymerization of the IL. The DC conductivity of the PIL–TrGO hybrid is as good as that of TrGO. Then, different loadings of PIL–TrGO were added into cyanate ester (CE) to prepare a series of composites; the TrGO/CE composites were also prepared for comparison. Different from TrGO, the PIL has a large amount of epoxy groups, which guarantees good dispersion of the hybridized graphene in CE matrix, and thus provides the base for transferring the outstanding electrical properties of graphene to the composites. When the loading of fillers approaches the percolation threshold (fc), the dielectric constant and loss at 100 Hz of PIL–TrGO/CE composites are about 13 and 0.57 times that of TrGO/CE composites, respectively, while the fc of PIL–TrGO/CE composites is still as low as 0.94 wt%. The dielectric mechanism was studied by discussing and simulating impedance spectra, and the results show that PIL–TrGO/CE composites possess more micro-capacitor structures than TrGO/CE composites; moreover, the cation–anion charge layers on TrGO surfaces enhance the Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization between PIL–TrGO hybrid and the CE matrix, and then markedly increase the dielectric constant of composites. PILs coated on graphene surfaces act as electron insulative layers and thus decrease dielectric loss induced by the leakage current between conductive carbon layers.
Segmentation of 3D Point Clouds using a New Spectral Clustering Algorithm Without a-priori Knowledge

For many applications like pose estimation it is important to obtain good segmentation results as a preprocessing step. Spectral clustering is an efficient method to achieve high quality results without a priori knowledge about the scene. Among other methods, it is either the k-means based spectral clustering approach or the bi-spectral clustering approach, which are suitable for 3D point clouds. In this paper, a new method is introduced and the results are compared to these well-known spectral clustering algorithms. When implementing the spectral clustering methods key issues are: how to define similarity, how to build the graph Laplacian and how to choose the number of clusters without any or less a-priori knowledge. The suggested spectral clustering approach is described and evaluated with 3D point clouds. The advantage of this approach is that no a-priori knowledge about the number of clusters is necessary and not even the number of clusters or the number of objects need to be known. With this approach high quality segmentation results are achieved.
Porous chitosan sca!olds for tissue engineering

The wide array of tissue engineering applications exacerbates the need for biodegradable materials with broad potential. Chitosan, the partially deacetylated derivative of chitin, may be one such material. In this study, we examined the use of chitosan for formation of porous sca! olds of controlled microstructure in several tissue-relevant geometries. Porous chitosan materials were prepared by controlled freezing and lyophilization of chitosan solutions and gels. The materials were characterized via light and scanning electron microscopy as well as tensile testing. The sca! olds formed included porous membranes, blocks, tubes and beads. Mean pore diameters could be controlled within the range 1}250 lm, by varying the freezing conditions. Freshly lyophilized chitosan sca! olds could be treated with glycosaminoglycans to form ionic complex materials which retained the original pore structure. Chitosan sca! olds could be rehydrated via an ethanol series to avoid the sti! ening caused by rehydration in basic solutions. Hydrated porous chitosan membranes were at least twice as extensible as non-porous chitosan membranes, but their elastic moduli and tensile strengths were about tenfold lower than non-porous controls. The methods and structures described here provide a starting point for the design and fabrication of a family of polysaccharide based sca! old materials with potentially broad applicability. ( 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
The feasibility of assessing speech and non-speech function of the speech apparatus in adults with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT This short note reports on observations concerning the feasibility of a set of speech and non-speech assessment tasks in an investigation of dysarthria in 21 adults (15 males/6 females; median 23 years) with cerebral palsy and concomitant cognitive impairment. The participants were assessed with nine tasks representing standard components of clinical dysarthria assessment (i.e. six speech and three non-speech tasks). The tasks were evaluated for their feasibility on the basis of common clinical criteria. Our results indicated that, overall, speech tasks were more feasible than non-speech tasks. Several participants showed signs of dysexecutive behaviour on some of the non-speech tasks, but not on the speech tasks. The current note provides tentative clues regarding the impact of cognitive deficits on the feasibility of assessment tasks in the diagnosis of dysarthria.