Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intermittent hypoxia causes a suppressed pituitary growth hormone through somatostatin.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the response of the growth hormone (GH) in rat anterior pituitary to intermittent hypoxia (IH) and its modulation by hypothalamic somatostatin (SS). SETTING AND DESIGN To observe the hypoxic response, rats were exposed to simulated altitude hypoxia (2 km or 5 km) in a hypobaric chamber for various days (4 h/d); to clarify SS-involvement, rats were pretreated with SS antagonist (cysteamine, CSH, 200 mg/kg/d, s.c.) then exposed to IH (5 km) for 2d. The GH mRNA and immunostaining GH in pituitary as well as immunostaining SS in median eminence (ME) of hypothalamus were assayed by RT-PCR and immuno-histochemistry, respectively. RESULTS IH of 5 km altitude (IH5) markedly suppressed the body weight gain (BWG) of rats from 1d to 10d, and it was returned to control level henceforth, while no significant influence was showed in the group of IH of 2 km altitude (IH2). IH5 for 2 and 5d significantly decreased GH mRNA expression in the pituitary. The pituitary immunostaining GH was remarkably increased in groups of IH2 for 5, 10, and 15 d, and in groups of IH5 for 2, 5, and 10d. Immunostaining SS in ME was significantly reduced in group of IH2 for 5d, and in groups of IH5 for 2d and 5d. Pretreatments (s.c.) with SS antagonist (CSH) significantly reversed IH5-caused increase of immunostaining GH and reduction of mRNA levels in pituitary. CONCLUSIONS IH may cause a short-term and recoverable suppression of GH release, and reduce GH mRNA expression in anterior pituitary, which may depend on the intensity and duration of the hypoxia. This suppression may be due to a modulation of hypoxia-activated SS.
The ancient and divergent origins of the human pathogenic trypanosomes, Trypanosoma brucei and T. cruzi

This study presents new findings concerning the evolution of the human pathogens, Trypanosoma brucei and T. cruzi, which suggest that these parasites have divergent origins and fundamentally different patterns of evolution. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences places T. brucei in a clade comprising exclusively mammalian trypanosomes of African origin, suggesting an evolutionary history confined to Africa. T. cruzi (from humans and sylvatic mammals) clusters with trypanosomes specific to Old and New World bats, T. rangeli and a trypanosome species isolated from an Australian kangaroo. The origins of parasites within this clade, other than some of those from bats, lie in South America and Australia suggesting an ancient southern super-continent origin for T. cruzi, possibly in marsupials; the only trypanosomes from this clade to have spread to the Old World are those infecting bats, doubtless by virtue of the mobility of their hosts. Viewed in the context of palaeogeographical evidence, the results date the divergence of T. brucei and T. cruzi to the mid-Cretaceous, around 100 million years before present, following the separation of Africa, South America and Euramerica. The inclusion in this study of a broad range of trypanosome species from various different hosts has allowed long phylogenetic branches to be resolved, overcoming the limitations of many previous studies. Moreover, T. brucei and the other mammalian tsetse-transmitted trypanosomes appear, from these data, to be evolving several times faster than T. cruzi and its relatives.
Castration modulates singing patterns and electrophysiological properties of RA projection neurons in adult male zebra finches

Castration can change levels of plasma testosterone. Androgens such as testosterone play an important role in stabilizing birdsong. The robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) is an important premotor nucleus critical for singing. In this study, we investigated the effect of castration on singing patterns and electrophysiological properties of projection neurons (PNs) in the RA of adult male zebra finches. Adult male zebra finches were castrated and the changes in bird song assessed. We also recorded the electrophysiological changes from RA PNs using patch clamp recording. We found that the plasma levels of testosterone were significantly decreased, song syllable’s entropy was increased and the similarity of motif was decreased after castration. Spontaneous and evoked firing rates, membrane time constants, and membrane capacitance of RA PNs in the castration group were lower than those of the control and the sham groups. Afterhyperpolarization AHP time to peak of spontaneous action potential (AP) was prolonged after castration.These findings suggest that castration decreases song stereotypy and excitability of RA PNs in male zebra finches.
Chemical Profiling of Jatropha Tissues under Different Torrefaction Conditions: Application to Biomass Waste Recovery

Gradual depletion of the world petroleum reserves and the impact of environmental pollution highlight the importance of developing alternative energy resources such as plant biomass. To address these issues, intensive research has focused on the plant Jatropha curcas, which serves as a rich source of biodiesel because of its high seed oil content. However, producing biodiesel from Jatropha generates large amounts of biomass waste that are difficult to use. Therefore, the objective of our research was to analyze the effects of different conditions of torrefaction on Jatropha biomass. Six different types of Jatropha tissues (seed coat, kernel, stem, xylem, bark, and leaf) were torrefied at four different temperature conditions (200°C, 250°C, 300°C, and 350°C), and changes in the metabolite composition of the torrefied products were determined by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. Cellulose was gradually converted to oligosaccharides in the temperature range of 200°C–300°C and completely degraded at 350°C. Hemicellulose residues showed different degradation patterns depending on the tissue, whereas glucuronoxylan efficiently decomposed between 300°C and 350°C. Heat-induced depolymerization of starch to maltodextrin started between 200°C and 250°C, and oligomer sugar structure degradation occurred at higher temperatures. Lignin degraded at each temperature, e.g., syringyl (S) degraded at lower temperatures than guaiacyl (G). Finally, the toxic compound phorbol ester degraded gradually starting at 235°C and efficiently just below 300°C. These results suggest that torrefaction is a feasible treatment for further processing of residual biomass to biorefinery stock or fertilizer.
Robust sliding mode based impedance control

Industrial robots are confronted with performing tasks where a contact with their environment occurs. Therefore, a need for control algorithms with position tracking performance and force control ability appears. Many algorithms have been proposed which deal with robot motion and force control. They could be mainly separated into two classes, namely: hybrid control, where constrained and unconstrained DOFs of the robot are observed separately based on the principle of the orthogonality; and impedance control where the robot should adopt some physical properties such as mass, damping and stiffness in order to assure stable dynamic interaction with the environment. In this paper the robust impedance control law based on the attractive theory of sliding mode is proposed. The control law guarantees a robot predefined impedance and therefore force regulation based on impedance properties is discussed. Experimental results on a simple 1 DOF mechanism is shown to verify theoretical statements.
Adiposity Suppression Effect in Mice Due to Black Pepper and Its Main Pungent Component, Piperine

We investigated energy metabolism enhancement by pepper by examining suppression of body fat accumulation in mice due to piperine (PIP) and black pepper (BP) intake. To induce adiposity, mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose (HFS) diet as a control diet for 4 weeks. Visceral fat weights decreased significantly in the mice fed diets of 0.03% and of 0.05% PIP. Body weight in the 0.05% PIP group also decreased significantly. In the mice fed a diet of 1.0% BP, body weight and visceral fat weights decreased significantly. For all parameters tested, the 1.0% BP group tended to show values slightly lower than those of the 0.03% PIP group. Expression of thermogenic protein uncoupling protein 1 tended to increase in the mice on the 1.0% BP diet. These results indicate that BP suppresses the effect of body fat accumulation mainly through the action of PIP.
Development of dual-wavelength pumped mid-infrared fibre laser

Faculty of Science School of Physical Sciences Doctor of Philosophy by Ori Henderson-Sapir T here is an urgent need for efficient and compact sources of coherent mid-infrared wavelength radiation (3-5 μm). Cost-effective and bright mid-infrared sources will lead to exciting new sensing applications, ranging from the remote sensing of greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, to analysis of trace gases in exhaled breath for disease marker identification. The last decade has seen a continuing increase in the output power of various types of mid-infrared sources, such as optical parametric oscillators and amplifiers, quantum cascade lasers and fibre lasers. However, advances in brightness, efficiency, peak power and tunability are still necessary for many applications. In this thesis, we describe a new concept for a fibre laser based on Er3+ doped ZBLAN glass that operates in the mid-infrared with lasing centred around 3.5 μm. We used a novel dual-wavelength pumping (DWP) scheme to achieve world-leading efficiency for this material and an output power of 260 mW . The DWP technique uses long-lived excited states in our Er3+ ion doped ZBLAN glass gain medium to improve the Stokes efficiency. A low power, 985 nm pump source excites ions from the I15/2 ground state to the long lived I11/2 state. A large fraction of the ion population can be stored in this level because of its long lifetime, creating a “virtual ground state. ” A concurrent 1973 nm pump source is then used as the main pump source. This pump excites the ions further to the upper laser level F9/2. Post lasing, the 1973 nm pump cycles the ions between the “virtual ground state” at I11/2 and the F9/2 level. The first pump at 985 nm maintains the population in the “virtual ground” as this population is diminished by spontaneous emission and energy-transfer processes, which eject ions from the lasing cycle. vii In this thesis, we review the literature and the current state-of-the-art in mid-infrared fibre lasers. An overview of the spectroscopic properties of Er3+:ZBLAN relevant to mid-infrared operation is presented. The difficulties and issues associated with the creation of mid-infrared radiation are discussed and our spectroscopic investigations of ZBLAN glass and glass fibres are summarised. Multiple wavelengths were used as pump sources for our DWP laser. Our investigation of the optimal wavelength for the DWP technique and the development of suitable sources is described as well. The 3.5 μm laser system is discussed, including the full characterisation of the laser. The thesis is concluded with a summary of the results and an outlook for the future.
Development of substrates for the ex vivo expansion of conjunctival epithelium

The conjunctiva is a mucous membrane lining the ocular surface and is crucial to ocular surface homeostasis. Ocular surface diseases lead to a poor tear film, irreversible conjunctival scarring and continual corneal desiccation that may result in painful loss of vision. Conjunctival integrity and a tear film with appropriate consituents are crucial to the survival of corneal and limbal stem cell transplants. I hypothesised that two novel substrates could be developed for the ex vivo expansion of conjunctival epithelium to address a range of transplantation requirements: 1) a degradable biological substrate from the decellularisation of human conjunctiva and 2) a synthetic non-degradable substrate from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). This study demonstrated that conjunctival epithelial cells (HCjE-Gi cell line) were supported at a greater cell density on ePTFE subjected to ammonia gas plasma treatment. Flow cytometry determined the phenotype of conjunctival epithelium developed on treated ePTFE was similar to that developed on an established cell culture product; Thincert, a chemically modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane. Primary conjunctival epithelium was also expanded ex vivo on ammonia plasma treated ePTFE, however, the cell density declined after 14 days in culture. No significant differences were found in terms of intracellular marker expression between primary conjunctival epithelium developed on ammonia plasma treated ePTFE and the positive control (PET membrane). Human conjunctiva was successfully decellularised (99% DNA removal). There was no demonstrable cytotoxicity, evidence of collagen denaturation, change in tensile strength or change in the qualitative detection of extracellular matrix proteins collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin. The development of stratified conjunctival epithelium of an appropriate phenotype was also demonstrated following explant culture on a freshly decellularised conjunctival tissue substrate. This is the first study to develop decellularised conjunctiva and plasma modified ePTFE as substrates for the ex vivo expansion of conjunctival epithelium. Novel conjunctival constructs developed from both substrates may be further developed to address a range of transplantation requirements.
Compact triple-mode bandpass filter using short- and open-stub loaded spiral resonator

A novel high-selectivity triple-mode microstrip bandpass filter (BPF) using short- and open-stub loaded spiral resonator is presented. Because of the spiral structure, the size of designed BPF is reduced greatly. Then the odd- and even-mode method is used to analyze resonant frequencies of the resonator. Based on the analysis, a prototype of the proposed BPF with good selectivity is designed whose center frequency is at 4.3 GHz. Finally, the measured results are shown, which are in good agreement with simulations.
In Vitro Assembly and Recognition of Lys-63 Polyubiquitin Chains*

Polyubiquitin chains assembled through lysine 48 (Lys-48) of ubiquitin act as a signal for substrate proteolysis by 26 S proteasomes, whereas chains assembled through Lys-63 play a mechanistically undefined role in post-replicative DNA repair. We showed previously that the products of the UBC13 andMMS2 genes function in error-free post-replicative DNA repair in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and form a complex that assembles Lys-63-linked polyubiquitin chains in vitro. Here we confirm that the Mms2·Ubc13 complex functions as a high affinity heterodimer in the chain assembly reaction in vitro and report the results of a kinetic characterization of the polyubiquitin chain assembly reaction. To test whether a Lys-63-linked polyubiquitin chain can signal degradation, we conjugated Lys-63-linked tetra-ubiquitin to a model substrate of 26 S proteasomes. Although the noncanonical chain effectively signaled substrate degradation, the results of new genetic epistasis studies agree with previous genetic data in suggesting that the proteolytic activity of proteasomes is not required for error-free post-replicative repair.
State of the Art in Hand and Finger Modeling and Animation

The human hand is a complex biological system able to perform numerous tasks with impressive accuracy and dexterity. Gestures furthermore play an important role in our daily interactions, and humans are particularly skilled at perceiving and interpreting detailed signals in communications. Creating believable hand motions for virtual characters is an important and challenging task. Many new methods have been proposed in the Computer Graphics community within the last years, and significant progress has been made towards creating convincing, detailed hand and finger motions. This state of the art report presents a review of the research in the area of hand and finger modeling and animation. Starting with the biological structure of the hand and its implications for how the hand moves, we discuss current methods in motion capturing hands, data‐driven and physics‐based algorithms to synthesize their motions, and techniques to make the appearance of the hand model surface more realistic. We then focus on areas in which detailed hand motions are crucial such as manipulation and communication. Our report concludes by describing emerging trends and applications for virtual hand animation.
Preliminary Investigation of Provability of Li-Ion Macroscale Models Subject to Capacity Fade

Estimating the remaining useful life of lithium-ion batteries is crucial for their application as energy storage devices in sta-tionary and automotive applications. It is therefore important to understand battery degradation based on chemistry, usage pat-terns, and operating environment. Different degradation mechanisms that affect performance and durability of lithium-ion batteries have been identiﬁed over the past decades. Amongst them, the solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) layer growth has been observed to be the most inﬂuential cause of capacity fading. In this paper, we introduce for the very ﬁrst time, a framework that eval-uates the predictive ability of physics-based macroscopic models in capturing battery dynamics as function of their state-of-health (SoH). Using data from accelerated aging experiments, we identify the applicability conditions of classical electrochemical models. This analysis is performed using a phase diagram approach that involves parameters controlling the micro-scale dynamics inside the lithium-ion cell.
Corrosion behaviour of stainless steel exposed to highly concentrated chloride solutions

The characteristics of pitting corrosion of Type 304L stainless steel (SS) exposed to highly concentrated chloride solutions were studied through the evaluation of the corrosion potential, the pitting potential, the structure of the passive layer and the statistics of pitting depth and density. Both as-received and weld metal samples were studied. The weld metal sample was machined from the welding zone of a butt weld of Type 304L SS. The results showed an accelerated anodic dissolution and depressed film resistance at the welding zone, but no dramatic change on pitting corrosion was observed from the statistics of pitting during the test duration up to 720 h. The pitting corrosion resistance was significantly affected by the chloride concentration and slightly affected by the temperature under the investigated conditions.
Lung Cancer in a Rural Area of China: Rapid Rise in Incidence and Poor Improvement in Survival.

BACKGROUND Lung cancer has been a major health problem in developed countries for several decades, and has emerged recently as the leading cause of cancer death in many developing countries. The incidence of lung cancer appears to be increasing more rapidly in rural than in urban areas of China. This paper presents the trends of lung cancer incidence and survival derived from a 40-year population-based cancer monitoring program in a rural area, Qidong, China. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Qidong cancer registration data of 1972- 2011 were used to calculate the crude rate, age-standardized rate by Chinese population (CASR) and by world population (WASR), birth cohort rates, and other descriptive features. Active and passive methods were used to construct the data set, with a deadline of the latest follow-up of April 30, 2012. RESULTS The total number of lung cancer cases was 15,340, accounting for 16.5% of all sites combined. The crude incidence rate, CASR and WASR of this cancer were 34.1, 15.7 and 25.4 per 100,000, respectively. Males had higher crude rates than females (49.7 vs 19.0). Rapidly increasing trends were found in annual percent change resulting in lung cancer being a number one cancer site after year 2010 in Qidong. Birth cohort analysis showed incidence rates have increased for all age groups over 24 years old. The 5 year observed survival rates were 3.55% in 1973-1977, 3.92 in 1983-1987, 3.69% in 1993-1997, and 6.32% in 2003-2007. Males experienced poorer survival than did females. CONCLUSIONS Lung cancer has become a major cancer-related health problem in this rural area. The rapid increases in incidence likely result from an increased cigarette smoking rate and evolving environmental risk factors. Lung cancer survival, while showing some improvement in prognosis, still remains well below that observed in the developed areas of the world.
Color-weak correction by discrimination threshold matching

The correction of the effects of color-weakness is difficult if not impossible. One of the reasons is that are no objective criterions available to evaluate corrections since it is difficult to quantify the color perception of an individual. Also the degree and the character of color-weakness vary widely among individuals and different color stimuli. In this paper, we use Riemann geometry to construct a new method for color-weakness correction. The basic mechanism is the matching between the discrimination thresholds of color-weak and of color-normal observers. The goal is to provide the same color perception of color-normal observers to the color-weak observer: it takes into account the individual differences between observers and since it defines a global deformation of the whole color space it is applicable for correction of complex visual inputs such as natural images.
Dynamic stem cell heterogeneity

Recent lineage-tracing studies based on inducible genetic labelling have emphasized a crucial role for stochasticity in the maintenance and regeneration of cycling adult tissues. These studies have revealed that stem cells are frequently lost through differentiation and that this is compensated for by the duplication of neighbours, leading to the consolidation of clonal diversity. Through the combination of long-term lineage-tracing assays with short-term in vivo live imaging, the cellular basis of this stochastic stem cell loss and replacement has begun to be resolved. With a focus on mammalian spermatogenesis, intestinal maintenance and the hair cycle, we review the role of dynamic heterogeneity in the regulation of adult stem cell populations. SUMMARY: This Review highlights the role of dynamic heterogeneity and stochasticity in the regulation of adult stem cell populations.