Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of local contractile activity and muscle fiber type on LPL regulation during exercise.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of local contractile activity on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) regulation in skeletal muscle. Short-term voluntary run training increased LPL mRNA concentration and LPL immunoreactive mass about threefold in white skeletal muscles of the rat hindlimb (all P < 0.01). Training also increased total and heparin-releasable LPL enzyme activity in white hindlimb muscles and in postheparin plasma ( P< 0.05). Training did not enhance LPL regulation in a white muscle that was not recruited during running (masseter). LPL levels were already high in red skeletal muscles of control rats, and training did not result in a further rise. In resting rats, local electrical stimulation of a motor nerve to a predominantly white muscle caused a significant rise in LPL mRNA, immunoreactive mass, and enzyme activity relative to the contralateral control muscle of the same animals (all P < 0.01). Finally, LPL expression was several times greater in a red muscle (soleus) of rats with normal postural activity than rats with immobilized hindlimbs ( P < 0.01). In summary, these studies support the hypothesis that local contractile activity is required for increasing LPL expression during exercise training and for maintaining a high level of LPL expression in postural muscles.
Key data for outbreak evaluation: building on the Ebola experience

Following the detection of an infectious disease outbreak, rapid epidemiological assessment is critical for guiding an effective public health response. To understand the transmission dynamics and potential impact of an outbreak, several types of data are necessary. Here we build on experience gained in the West African Ebola epidemic and prior emerging infectious disease outbreaks to set out a checklist of data needed to: (1) quantify severity and transmissibility; (2) characterize heterogeneities in transmission and their determinants; and (3) assess the effectiveness of different interventions. We differentiate data needs into individual-level data (e.g. a detailed list of reported cases), exposure data (e.g. identifying where/how cases may have been infected) and population-level data (e.g. size/demographics of the population(s) affected and when/where interventions were implemented). A remarkable amount of individual-level and exposure data was collected during the West African Ebola epidemic, which allowed the assessment of (1) and (2). However, gaps in population-level data (particularly around which interventions were applied when and where) posed challenges to the assessment of (3). Here we highlight recurrent data issues, give practical suggestions for addressing these issues and discuss priorities for improvements in data collection in future outbreaks. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.
Cyclic loading tests of high strength steel under large inelastic strains

In order to realize the cyclic loading tests on coupon specimen of high strength structural steel with large inelastic strains,and avoid buckling,the small gage coupon specimen with length-to-diameter ratio of 1. 13 was adopted. Finite element analysis shows that the stress and strain within the gage length can keep uniform after yielding. For elimination of the effect of area change caused by very large strain,it is proved necessary and valid to express the stress-strain curve in true stress and true strain by the comparison of the monotonic tensile tests with standard coupon and small gage coupon specimens. A total of four different loading protocols,including cyclic tensile, cyclic ascending,cyclic descending and cyclic alternating,with maximum strain amplitude up to ± 10%,were adopted for the homemade high-strength structural steel with yield strengh of 510MPa. The obtained hysteretic stressstrain curves show that the stress hardening is mitigated,and the feature is obviously different from the commonly used bi-linear model.
PDGF-A expression correlates with blood pressure and remodeling in 1K1C hypertensive rat arteries.

We previously demonstrated remodeling of large and small arteries in angiotensin II-treated rats, paralleled by an increased expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A chain mRNA in large arteries. Both remodeling and PDGF-A expression were associated with elevation of blood pressure rather than a direct effect of angiotensin II. To further delineate the role of PDGF-A and elevated blood pressure, we assessed the level of PDGF-A and -B mRNA and protein in the wall of large as well as small arteries in the one-kidney, one-clip (1K1C) hypertensive rat, a non-renin-dependent model of hypertension. Fourteen days after renal artery stenosis, the thoracic aorta and both femoral arteries were collected from 1K1C rats ( n = 8) and uninephrectomized controls ( n = 8) and immediately processed for morphological measurement, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and Western blotting. Systolic blood pressure was significantly elevated in hypertensive rats (202 ± 26 mmHg) compared with control rats (122 ± 7.9 mmHg) and was accompanied by arterial hypertrophy in both aorta and femoral arteries. The mRNA for PDGF-A chain was increased threefold in the thoracic aorta ( P < 0.05) of 1K1C rats, whereas the message for PDGF-B was not significantly changed in hypertensive versus control animals. A higher staining of the intima-media was observed by using an anti-PDGF-A chain polyclonal antibody on paraffin-embedded sections. Western blot results indicated an ∼2-fold increase in PDGF-A protein in aortic and femoral wall of the 1K1C rats. The results showed that both the mRNA and protein for PDGF-A chain are increased and well correlated with the blood pressure and wall area, suggesting a direct effect of elevated pressure on PDGF synthesis, which, in turn, may affect the onset and progression of vascular hypertrophy.
Differential Expression of c-fos Proto-Oncogene in Normal Oral Mucosa versus Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: The c-Fos nuclear protein dimerizes with Jun family proteins to form the transcription factor AP-1 complex which participates in signal transduction and regulation of normal cellular processes. In tumorigenesis, c-Fos promotes invasive growth through down-regulation of tumor suppressor genes but its role in oral carcinogenesis is not clear. Objectives: This study concerned c-fos gene expression in normal and malignant tissues of the oral cavity, with attention to associations between expression status and clinico-pathological profiles of OSCC patients. Method: A total of 65 histopathologically confirmed OSCC tissue samples were included in case group along with an equal number of age and sex-matched normal tissue samples of oral cavity for the control group. c-Fos protein and m-RNA expressions were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR, respectively. Results: A significant low expression of c-Fos protein was observed in OSCC cases than normal control subjects (p= <0.001). The mean percent positivity of c-Fos protein in cases vs. controls was 24.91± 2.7 vs. 49.68± 2.2 (p= <0.001). Most OSCC tissue samples showed weak or moderate c-Fos expression whereas 53.8% of normal tissue sections presented with strong immunostaining. Moreover, the relative m-RNA expression for the c-fos gene was significantly decreased in case group (0.93± 0.48) as compared to the control group (1.22± 0.87). Majority of c-Fos positive cases were diagnosed with well developed tumor. The mean percent positivity of c-Fos protein was significantly lower in higher grade tumor as compared with normal oral mucosa (p= < 0.001). Conclusion: The present study suggested that the c-fos gene is downregulated in oral carcinomas. The disparity of c-Fos protein levels in different pathological grades of tumor and normal oral tissue samples may indicate that loss of c-Fos expression is related with the progression of OSCC.
Oxygen Concentration and Oxidative Stress Modulate the Influence of Alzheimer's Disease Aβ 1–42 Peptide on Human Cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated after exposure to ionizing radiation and toxic peptides, in mitochondrial metabolism and during aging contribute to damage of cell's structural and functional components and can lead to diseases. Monomers and small oligomers of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide, players in Alzheimer's disease, are recently suggested to be involved in damaging of neurons, instead of extracellular Aβ plaques. We demonstrate that externally applied disaggregated Aβ 1–42 peptide interacts preferentially with acidic compartments (lysosomes). We compared standard cell cultivation (21% O2) to more physiological cell cultivation (5% O2). Cells did not exhibit a dramatic increase in ROS and change in glutathione level upon 4 μM Aβ peptide treatment, whereas exposure to 2 Gy X-rays increased ROS and changed glutathione level and ATP concentration. The occurrence of the 4977 bp deletion in mtDNA and significant protein carbonylation were specific effects of IR and more pronounced at 21% O2. An increase in cell death after Aβ peptide treatment or irradiation was unexpectedly restored to the control level or below when both were combined, particularly at 5% O2. Therefore, Aβ peptide at low concentration can trigger neuroprotective mechanisms in cells exposed to radiation. Oxygen concentration is an important modulator of cellular responses to stress.
c-Ha-rasEJ transfection in vascular smooth muscle cells circumvents PKC requirement during mitogenic signaling.

In view of the prominent role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) growth and differentiation, the present studies were conducted to assess the impact of c-Ha-rasEJ transfection on PKC-dependent growth programming. PKC activity was elevated in the cytosolic and particulate compartments of c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC, relative to naive or pSV2neo vector controls. Constitutive and 12- O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-inducible binding to a TPA-responsive element (TRE) was also enhanced in c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) did not increase TRE-binding activity in serum-starved c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC but increased TRE-binding activity in pSV2neo VSMC. FBS-mediated TRE-binding activity was dramatically decreased in serum-starved pSV2neo VSMC pretreated with 100 ng/ml TPA for 24 h to downregulate PKC activity. c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC exhibited a marked proliferative advantage over controls under both restrictive and growth-permissive serum conditions. PKC downregulation did not influence the mitogenic response to serum in c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC but ablated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in naive or pSV2neo vector counterparts. Western blot analysis demonstrated increased expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2), but not ERK1, in c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC, relative to pSV2neo control. Immunoblots of serum-starved and PKC-depleted c-Ha-rasEJ VSMC demonstrated a dramatic increase in the phosphorylated form of ERK2, relative to pSV2neo controls. These data suggest that oncogenic c-Ha-rasEJ circumvents a requirement for a TPA-responsive PKC isoform(s) during mitogenic stimulation of VSMC.
Functional demonstration of Na+-K+-2Cl-cotransporter activity in isolated, polarized choroid plexus cells.

The function of the apical Na+-K+-2Cl-cotransporter in mammalian choroid plexus (CP) is uncertain and controversial. To investigate cotransporter function, we developed a novel dissociated rat CP cell preparation in which single, isolated cells maintain normal polarized morphology. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that in isolated cells the Na+-K+-ATPase, Na+-K+-2Cl-cotransporter, and aquaporin 1 water channel remained localized to the brush border, whereas the Cl-/[Formula: see text](anion) exchanger type 2 was confined to the basolateral membrane. We utilized video-enhanced microscopy and cell volume measurement techniques to investigate cotransporter function. Application of 100 μM bumetanide caused CP cells to shrink rapidly. Elevation of extracellular K+ from 3 to 6 or 25 mM caused CP cells to swell 18 and 33%, respectively. Swelling was blocked completely by Na+ removal or by addition of 100 μM bumetanide. Exposure of CP cells to 5 mM BaCl2 induced rapid swelling that was inhibited by 100 μM bumetanide. We conclude that the CP cotransporter is constitutively active and propose that it functions in series with Ba2+-sensitive K+ channels to reabsorb K+ from cerebrospinal fluid to blood.
Renal responses of trout to chronic respiratory and metabolic acidoses and metabolic alkalosis.

Exposure to hyperoxia (500-600 torr) or low pH (4.5) for 72 h or NaHCO3 infusion for 48 h were used to create chronic respiratory (RA) or metabolic acidosis (MA) or metabolic alkalosis in freshwater rainbow trout. During alkalosis, urine pH increased, and [titratable acidity (TA) -[Formula: see text]] and net H+ excretion became negative (net base excretion) with unchanged [Formula: see text] efflux. During RA, urine pH did not change, but net H+ excretion increased as a result of a modest rise in [Formula: see text] and substantial elevation in [TA -[Formula: see text]] efflux accompanied by a large increase in inorganic phosphate excretion. However, during MA, urine pH fell, and net H+excretion was 3.3-fold greater than during RA, reflecting a similar increase in [TA -[Formula: see text]] and a smaller elevation in phosphate but a sevenfold greater increase in[Formula: see text] efflux. In urine samples of the same pH, [TA - [Formula: see text]] was greater during RA (reflecting phosphate secretion), and[Formula: see text] was greater during MA (reflecting renal ammoniagenesis). Renal activities of potential ammoniagenic enzymes (phosphate-dependent glutaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, phospho enolpyruvate carboxykinase) and plasma levels of cortisol, phosphate, ammonia, and most amino acids (including glutamine and alanine) increased during MA but not during RA, when only alanine aminotransferase increased. The differential responses to RA vs. MA parallel those in mammals; in fish they may be keyed to activation of phosphate secretion by RA and cortisol mobilization by MA.
Pre-Processing Tools and Intelligent Systems Applied to Power Quality Analysis

In the last few years the power quality has become the target of many researches carried out either by academic or by utility companies. Moreover, a desired good power quality is essential for the Power Distribution System (PDS). The PDS can have (or impose) inherent operational conditions, that affect frequency and three-phase voltage signals. Among the main disturbances that indicate a poor power quality, the following can be highlighted: voltage sag/swell, overvoltage, undervoltage, interruption, oscillatory transient, noise, flicker and harmonic distortion (Dugan et al., 2003). Actually, in literature, a diversity of papers can be found concerning detection and identification of power quality disturbances by applying intelligent systems, such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) (Janik & Lobos, 2006; Oleskovicz et. al., 2009; Jayasree, Devaraj & Sukanesh, 2010) and Fuzzy Inference Systems (Zhu, Tso & Lo, 2004; Hooshmand & Enshaee, 2010; Meher & Pradhan, 2010; Behera, Dash & Biswal, 2010). However, only some papers use data pre-processing tools before the application of intelligent systems. Among these papers, the use of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) (Zhu, Tso & Lo, 2004; Uyar, Yildirim & Gencoglu, 2008; Oleskovicz et. al., 2009) and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) (Zhang, Li & Hu, 2011) can be highlighted in the pre-processing stage. According to the literature, it should also be mentioned that the pre-processing tools help to ensure a better detection and identification of disturbances in the power quality context. In Hooshmand & Enshaee (2010), the authors propose a new method for detecting and classifying power quality disturbances. However, this method can be used both for the occurrence of one and multiple disturbances. This is a method that uses techniques for data pre-processing combined with intelligent systems. In this case, the authors extracted features of a time-varying voltage signal, such as: • Fundamental component; • Phase angle shift; • Total harmonic distortion; • Number of the maximums of the absolute value of wavelet coefficients; • Calculation of energy of the wavelet coefficients;
Stein Variational Policy Gradient

Policy gradient methods have been successfully applied to many complex reinforcement learning problems. However, policy gradient methods suffer from high variance, slow convergence, and inefficient exploration. In this work, we introduce a maximum entropy policy optimization framework which explicitly encourages parameter exploration, and show that this framework can be reduced to a Bayesian inference problem. We then propose a novel Stein variational policy gradient method (SVPG) which combines existing policy gradient methods and a repulsive functional to generate a set of diverse but well-behaved policies. SVPG is robust to initialization and can easily be implemented in a parallel manner. On continuous control problems, we find that implementing SVPG on top of REINFORCE and advantage actor-critic algorithms improves both average return and data efficiency.
Roles and mechanisms of TRPC3 and the PLCγ/PKC/CPI-17 signaling pathway in regulating parturition

The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of phospholipase C (PLC)γ/protein kinase C (PKC)/C-kinase-activated protein phosphatase-1 (CPI-17) signaling pathways in uterine smooth muscle during parturition. Samples of uterine tissue were collected from pregnant patients who underwent a caesarean section for preterm delivery, full-term delivery with labor onset, full-term delivery without labor onset, and from a non-pregnant control group undergoing surgery for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III. Immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were used to assess the association between TRPC3 levels and parturition and the influence of calcium ion channels. In addition, pregnant mice were used to explore the effect of uterine canonical transient receptor potential 3 (TRPC3) expression on the parturition-triggering mechanism and PLCγ/PKC/CPI-17 signaling pathways. Pregnant mouse uterine smooth muscle cells were cultivated, with and without TRPC3 silencing, and the expression levels of PLCγ, PKC and CPI-17, the upstream and downstream factors of the TRPC3 pathway, were measured in pregnant mouse uterine smooth muscle cells, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of premature labor. In the preterm and full-term without labor onset patient groups, the TRPC3 gene expression in the mSMCs was significantly overexpressed when compared with the non-pregnant group (P<0.05); however, TRPC3 expression was not elevated in the full-term with labor onset group, exhibiting no significant difference compared with the non-pregnant group (P>0.05). During pregnancy, compared with the non-pregnant controls, Cav1.2, Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 gene expression levels were markedly increased (P<0.05) in mSMCs from the preterm delivery group and the full-term with labor onset group, however were non-significantly increased in the full-term without labor onset group. The level of TRPC3 was highest in the preterm group, while the levels of Cav1.2, Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 were highest in the full-term with labor onset group. In the preterm, LPS-treated preterm and full-term groups, TRPC3, MAPK, ERK1/2, P-ERK, Cav3.2, Cav3.1 and Cav1.2 were all expressed at higher levels than in the unfertilized group. In the LPS-treated preterm group, the levels of TRPC3, MAPK, ERK1/2, P-ERK, Cav3.2, Cav3.1 and Cav1.2 were increased compared with the preterm group. Furthermore, following transfection of small interfering TRPC3 (siTRPC3) into cells, it was demonstrated that the levels of TRPC3, PLCγ, PKC, CPI-17, P-CPI-17, Cav1.2, Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 expression were lower in the LPS siTRPC3 group when compared with that of the LPS-treated untransfected control group.
Comparison of Overnight Pooled and Standard Sputum Collection Method for Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Northern Tanzania

In Tanzania sputum culture for tuberculosis (TB) is resource intensive and available only at zonal facilities. In this study overnight pooled sputum collection technique was compared with standard spot morning collection among pulmonary TB suspects at Kibong'oto National TB Hospital in Tanzania. A spot sputum specimen performed at enrollment, an overnight pooled sputum, and single morning specimen were collected from 50 subjects and analyzed for quality, quantity, and time to detection in Bactec MGIT system. Forty-six (92%) subjects' overnight pooled specimens had a volume ≥5 mls compared to 37 (37%) for the combination of spot and single morning specimens (P < 0.001). Median time to detection was 96 hours (IQR 87–131) for the overnight pooled specimens compared to 110.5 hours (IQR is 137 right 137–180) for the combination of both spot and single morning specimens (P = 0.001). In our setting of limited TB culture capacity, we recommend a single pooled sputum to maximize yield and speed time to diagnosis.
An optimized image analysis algorithm for detecting nuclear signals in digital whole slides for histopathology

Nuclear estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Ki‐67 protein positive tumor cell fractions are semiquantitatively assessed in breast cancer for prognostic and predictive purposes. These biomarkers are usually revealed using immunoperoxidase methods resulting in diverse signal intensity and frequent inhomogeneity in tumor cell nuclei, which are routinely scored and interpreted by a pathologist during conventional light‐microscopic examination. In the last decade digital pathology‐based whole slide scanning and image analysis algorithms have shown tremendous development to support pathologists in this diagnostic process, which can directly influence patient selection for targeted‐ and chemotherapy. We have developed an image analysis algorithm optimized for whole slide quantification of nuclear immunostaining signals of ER, PR, and Ki‐67 proteins in breast cancers. In this study, we tested the consistency and reliability of this system both in a series of brightfield and DAPI stained fluorescent samples. Our method allows the separation of overlapping cells and signals, reliable detection of vesicular nuclei and background compensation, especially in FISH stained slides. Detection accuracy and the processing speeds were validated in routinely immunostained breast cancer samples of varying reaction intensities and image qualities. Our technique supported automated nuclear signal detection with excellent efficacy: Precision Rate/Positive Predictive Value was 90.23 ± 4.29%, while Recall Rate/Sensitivity was 88.23 ± 4.84%. These factors and average counting speed of our algorithm were compared with two other open source applications (QuPath and CellProfiler) and resulted in 6–7% higher Recall Rate, while 4‐ to 30‐fold higher processing speed. In conclusion, our image analysis algorithm can reliably detect and count nuclear signals in digital whole slides or any selected large areas i.e. hot spots, thus can support pathologists in assessing clinically important nuclear biomarkers with less intra‐ and interlaboratory bias inherent of empirical scoring. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Research on high temperature resistant anaerobic adhesive modified with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

Using epoxyacrylates as the monomers,unsaturated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(POSS) and N-p-tolylmaleimide(NPTMI) as the high temperature resistant modifier and selecting a suitable redox initiating system and some other auxiliaries,the high temperature resistant anaerobic adhesive was prepared.The correlated properties of these adhesives were measured.The results showed that the maximum shear strength of the anaerobic adhesive is 20 MPa,and is conserved about 75% compared with room temperature at 200 ℃. This anaerobic adhesive has well high temperature resistant property.