Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engineering Complex Tissues

Advances in tissue engineering technologies will enable regeneration of complex tissues and organs. Tissue engineering has emerged at the intersection of numerous disciplines to meet a global clinical need for technologies to promote the regeneration of functional living tissues and organs. The complexity of many tissues and organs, coupled with confounding factors that may be associated with the injury or disease underlying the need for repair, is a challenge to traditional engineering approaches. Biomaterials, cells, and other factors are needed to design these constructs, but not all tissues are created equal. Flat tissues (skin); tubular structures (urethra); hollow, nontubular, viscus organs (vagina); and complex solid organs (liver) all present unique challenges in tissue engineering. This review highlights advances in tissue engineering technologies to enable regeneration of complex tissues and organs and to discuss how such innovative, engineered tissues can affect the clinic.
Expression patterns of connective tissue growth factor and of TGF-β isoforms during glomerular injury recapitulate glomerulogenesis

TGFβ1, -β2, and -β3 are involved in control of wound repair and development of fibrosis. Connective tissue growth factor expression is stimulated by all TGFβ isoforms and is abundant in glomerulosclerosis and other fibrotic disorders. CTGF is hypothesized to mediate profibrotic effects of TGFβ1 or to facilitate interaction of TGFβ1 with its receptor, but its interactions with TGFβ isoforms in nonpathological conditions are unexplored sofar. Tissue repair and remodeling may recapitulate gene transcription at play in organogenesis. To further delineate the relationship between CTGF and TGFβ, we compared expression patterns of CTGF and TGFβ isoforms in rat and human glomerulogenesis, and in various human glomerulopathies. CTGF mRNA was present in the immediate precursors of glomerular visceral and parietal epithelial cells in the commaand S-shaped stages, but not in earlier stages of nephron development. During the capillary loop and maturing glomerular stages and simultaneous with the presence of TGFβ1, -β2 and -β3 protein, CTGF mRNA expression was maximal and present only in differentiating glomerular epithelial cells. CTGF protein was also present on precursors of mesangium and glomerular endothelium, suggesting possible paracrine interaction. Concomitant with the presence of TGFβ2 and -β3 protein, and in absence of TGFβ1, CTGF mRNA and protein expression was restricted to podocytes in normal adult glomeruli. However, TGFβ1 and CTGF were again coexpressed, often with TGFβ2 and -β3, in particular in podocytes in proliferative glomerulonephritis and also in mesangial cells in diabetic nephropathy and IgA nephropathy. Coordinated expression of TGFβ isoforms and of CTGF may be involved in normal glomerulogenesis and possibly in maintenance of glomerular structure and function at adult age. Prolonged overexpression of TGFβ1 and CTGF is associated with development of severe glomerulonephritis and
Carbapenem Resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains from India: Evidence for Nationwide Endemicity of Multiple Metallo- (cid:2) -Lactamase Clones (VIM-2, -5, -6, and -11 and the Newly Characterized VIM-18) (cid:1)

Among 57 metallo- (cid:1) -lactamase (M (cid:1) L)-producing Pseudomonas spp. detected in India during 2006, ﬁve bla VIM genes were found, including a newly characterized bla VIM gene. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were clustered in 33 ribotypes with clones found in multiple hospitals. Several types of bla VIM-2 -carrying integrons were detected. The newly characterized variant VIM-18 showed a 4-amino-acid deletion compared to other VIM variants. In this study, we show that VIM-producing Pseudomonas spp. were highly prevalent in India with a great diversity of bla VIM types and M (cid:1) L-carrying integrons. Among the types of metallo- (cid:2) -lactamases (M (cid:2) Ls) reported IMP and VIM variants are the and
Diversity of HLA-A2-Restricted and Immunodominant Epitope Repertoire of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax Protein: Novel Insights among N-Terminal, Central and C-Terminal Regions

The present study sought to search for the immunodominance related to the N-terminal, Central and C-terminal regions of HTLV-1 Tax using novel, cutting-edge peptide microarray analysis. In addition, in silico predictions were performed to verify the presence of nine amino acid peptides present along Tax restricted to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2.02*01 haplotype, as well as to verify the ability to induce pro-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ and IL-4, respectively. Our results indicated abundant dose-dependent reactivity for HLA-A*02:01 in all regions (N-terminal, Central and C-terminal), but with specific hotspots. Furthermore, the results of fold-change over the Tax11–19 reactivity obtained at lower concentrations of HLA-A*02:01 reveal that peptides from the three regions contain sequences that react 100 times more than Tax11–19. On the other hand, Tax11–19 has similar or superior HLA-A*02:01 reactivity at higher concentrations of this haplotype. The in silico analysis showed a higher frequency of IFN-γ-inducing peptides in the N-terminal portion, while the C-terminal portion showed a higher frequency of IL-4 inducers. Taken together, these results shed light on the search for new Tax immunodominant epitopes, in addition to the canonic Tax11–19, for the rational design of immunomodulatory strategies for HTLV-1 chronic diseases.
Mapping Alzheimer's Disease Progression in 1309 Mri Scans: Power Estimates for Different Inter-scan Intervals ☆ ⁎ and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

a r t i c l e i n f o Neuroimaging centers and pharmaceutical companies are working together to evaluate treatments that might slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a common but devastating late-life neuropathology. Recently, automated brain mapping methods, such as tensor-based morphometry (TBM) of structural MRI, have outperformed cognitive measures in their precision and power to track disease progression, greatly reducing sample size estimates for drug trials. In the largest TBM study to date, we studied how sample size estimates for tracking structural brain changes depend on the time interval between the scans (6– 24 months). We analyzed 1309 brain scans from 91 probable AD patients (age at baseline: 75.4 ± 7.5 years) and 189 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 74.6 ± 7.1 years), scanned at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Statistical maps revealed 3D patterns of brain atrophy at each follow-up scan relative to the baseline; numerical summaries were used to quantify temporal lobe atrophy within a statistically-defined region-of-interest. Power analyses revealed superior sample size estimates over traditional clinical measures. Only 80, 46, and 39 AD patients were required for a hypothetical clinical trial, at 6, 12, and 24 months respectively, to detect a 25% reduction in average change using a two-sided test (α = 0.05, power = 80%). Correspondingly, 106, 79, and 67 subjects were needed for an equivalent MCI trial aiming for earlier intervention. A 24-month trial provides most power, except when patient attrition exceeds 15–16%/year, in which case a 12-month trial is optimal. These statistics may facilitate clinical trial design using voxel-based brain mapping methods such as TBM. Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a pathological condition associated with aging. It affects over 24 million individuals worldwide according to a Delphi consensus study in 2005 (Ferri et al., 2005), and the incidence doubles every 5 years after age 60 years (Brookmeyer et al. AD has been described as the most feared illness in the elderly population (Harris and Interactive, 2006), even more so than cancer and cardiovascular diseases, mainly due to the lack of effective treatment or prevention methods. The databasing and image analysis. Data used in the preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (www.loni.ucla. edu/ADNI). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing …
Promicromonospora kermanensis sp. nov., a new actinobacterium isolated from soil

A novel Promicromonospora strain, designated HM 533, was isolated from soil in Kerman Province, Iran. It produced long and branched hyphae on ISP 2 medium that developed into a large number of irregular shaped spores. It showed optimal growth at 25-30 °C and pH 5.0-8.0 with 0-4% (w/v) NaCl. The peptidoglycan type of strain HM 533 is A4α L-Lys – L-Ala – D-Glu. Whole cell hydrolyzates of strain HM 533 contained the sugars ribose, glucose and galactose. The main phospholipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, two unknown glycolipids and an unknown phospholipid. MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H2) were the predominant menaquinones. The fattyacid pattern was mainly composed of the saturated branched-chain acids anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed the highest pairwise sequence identity (99.5-97.1 %) with the members of the genus Promicromonospora. Based on phenotypic and genotypic features, strain HM 533 was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Promicromonospora, for which the name Promicromonospora kermanensis is proposed with strain HM 533 (DSM 45485 = UTMC 00533 = CECT 8709) as the type strain. The family Promicromonosporaceae (Stackebrandt et al., 1997, emend. Zhi et al., 2009) comprises seven genera including Cellulosimicrobium (Schumann et al., 2001, emend Brown et al., 2006, emend. Yoon et al., 2007), Isoptericola (Stackebrandt et al., 2004), Myceligenerans (Cui et al., 2004, emend. Wang et al., 2011), Xiangella (Wang et al., 2013), Xylanibacterium (Rivas et al., 2004), Xylanimicrobium (Stackebrandt & Schumann, 2004), Xylanimonas (Rivas et al., 2003) and Promicromonospora (Krasil’nikov et al., 1961) as the type genus. At current, the genus Promicromonospora includes 13 species (Euzeby, 2016) 2 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Estimation of seismic moment and slip distribution of the April 1

The 1946 Aleutian earthquake produced a tsunami of tsunami magnitude Mt=9.3, but the surface wave magnitude is only Ms=7.4, making it a tsunami earthquake. The discrepancy between the apparent size of the earthquake based on the seismic data and the size of the tsunami has been explained by several mechanisms, including a landslide and a slow earthquake, but there are few seismic data available to determine the correct mechanism. We study the generating mechanism of the tsunami using tsunami waveforms recorded on tide gauges. We have modeled the source of the 1946 Aleutian tsunami as the result of an underthrusting earthquake. We performed both forward and inverse modeling of the data using a finite difference calculation to compute synthetic tsunamis. We include both vertical and horizontal deformation of the ocean bottom due to faulting in the computation. The results of the inversion of the tsunami waveforms show that the slip on the fault is mainly concentrated in the shallow section of the fault near the epicenter. There is little slip in the area of the aftershocks, indicating that the aftershocks may represent an area of afterslip or triggered seismicity. The moment estimate of the earthquake is 23×1020 N m, or Mw=8.2. The majority of the waveforms are well-explained by this fault model and slip distribution, including the Honolulu waveform, but the Hawaiian data also suggest that other effects, such as a landslide, may be necessary for explaining the abnormal tsunami amplitudes in Hawaii. The 1946 earthquake is similar to other tsunami earthquakes, such as the 1896 Sanriku and 1992 Nicaragua earthquakes, indicating that slow, shallow rupture may explain the disproportionally large tsunamis.
G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Modulation of Striatal CaV1.3 L-Type Ca Channels Is Dependent on a Shank-Binding Domain

Patricia A. Olson,1 Tatiana Tkatch,1 Salvador Hernandez-Lopez,1 Sasha Ulrich,1 Ema Ilijic,3 Enrico Mugnaini,2,3 Hua Zhang,4 Ilya Bezprozvanny,4 and D. James Surmeier1,3 Departments of 1Physiology and 2Cell and Molecular Biology, and 3Institute for Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, and 4Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390
Saharan dust event over Bucharest observed by an elastic backscatter lidar

A lidar measurements campaign took in Magurele Platform, southwestern part of Bucharest, during on June 25th, 26th and 28th of 2007 and was intended for aerosol loading characteristics over the urban area. An event of long-range Saharan dust transport to Eastern Europe (Romania) observed during this time is presented in here. We have used an elastic backscattering lidar, based on an Nd:YAG laser, at 1064nm sounding wavelength. It can detect in real time aerosols density profiles up to 10 Km high with a spatial resolution of 12 m. Origin of lidar sampled air masses arriving at various heights over Bucharest have been determined by the analytical back-trajectories from NOAA HYSPLIT model. Saharan dust layers reached the southern part of Romania predominantly by cyclonic circulation due to the strong through observed at all the levels from a cyclonic system located in northwestern part of Africa. Analysis of cloud cover and dust load was estimated by the Dust Regional Atmospheric Modeling (Dream model). The dust event presented highlights how the synergy of Lidar data together with 3-D back trajectories analysis and model calculations can improve our ability to determine accurately the source of high aerosol loading.
University of Groningen Unilateral and Bilateral Adrenalectomy for Pheochromocytoma Requires Adjustment of Urinary and Plasma Metanephrine Reference Ranges

Citation for published version (APA): Osinga, T. E. , van den Eijnden, M. H. A. , Kema, I. P., Kerstens, M. N. , Dullaart, R. P. F. , de Jong, W. H. A. , Sluiter, W. J., Links, T. P., & van der Horst-Schrivers, A. N. A. (2013). Unilateral and Bilateral Adrenalectomy for Pheochromocytoma Requires Adjustment of Urinary and Plasma Metanephrine Reference Ranges. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 98(3), 1076-1083. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2012-3418
Immunosuppressive Therapy and Interferon-1b in Acute Myocarditis Miocarditis aguda: experiencia con tratamiento inmunosupresor e interferón-1b

Acute myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium with a variable presentation and clinical course. Although the symptoms spontaneously resolve in between 50% and 60% of patients, 20% to 40% die or require heart transplantation. Most patients with a favorable course improve during the first 2 to 4 weeks. A worse clinical course has been associated with the presence of ventricular dysfunction. From July 2008 to March 2016, 32 infants and children (016 years) with acute myocarditis were admitted to our center. Of these, 53% (17 of 32) had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)
Employers’ Implicit Attitudes About the Competence of People Who Are Blind

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an implicit measure of attitudes about the competence of people who are blind, to be used with employers, and to report on these implicit attitudes with a national sample of employers. Method: A sample of 343 employers (i.e., business professionals responsible for making hiring decisions) participated in an online survey that involved answering questions and completing formal instruments, including explicit and implicit attitude measures about blind employees and a knowledge measure about how blind people can perform typical work tasks. The implicit measure was an Implicit Association Test-Blind/Visually Impaired (the IAT-BVI) that was developed for this study. Results: Employers have strong negative implicit attitudes about the competence of people who are blind, with results indicating a very large IAT effect. These implicit attitudes were not associated with personal characteristics, exposure to people who are blind, or explicit attitudes. Implicit attitudes were significantly associated with knowledge about how blind people perform work tasks and, for employers who had hired a blind person, performance ratings of those employees. Conclusions: Employers’ implicit attitudes about the competence of blind people were mostly unrelated to other measures, as expected, with the exception of knowledge and performance ratings of blind employees. These findings provide support for the validity of the IAT-BVI, and indicate the importance of rehabilitation professionals working with employers to provide education about how blind people perform work tasks as a potential avenue to improve employment opportunities for people who are blind.
The Influence of Light Pollution and Light-at-Night on the Circadian Clock

Humans have largely supplanted natural light cycles with a variety of artificial light sources and schedules misaligned with day-night cycles. Circadian disruption has been linked to a number of disease processes, but the extent of circadian disruption among the population is unknown. We measured light exposure and wrist temperature among residents of New York City for a full week during each of the four seasons, as well as light illuminance in nearby outdoor locations. Daily light exposure was significantly lower for individuals, compared to outdoor light sensors, for all four seasons. There was also little seasonal variation in the realized photoperiod experienced by individuals, with the only significant difference between winter and summer. We tested the hypothesis that differential light exposure impacts circadian rhythms, detected via the wrist temperature rhythm. To determine the influence of light exposure on circadian rhythms, we modeled the impact of morning, afternoon, and nighttime light exposure on the midline-estimating statistic of rhythm (MESOR). We found that morning light exposure and nighttime light exposure had a significant but opposing impact on MESOR timing. Our results demonstrate that nighttime light can shift/alter circadian rhythms to delay the morning transition from nighttime to daytime physiology, while morning light can lead to earlier onset. Our results demonstrate that circadian shifts and disruptions may be a more regular occurrence in the general population than is currently recognized. Due to the impact of circadian rhythms on health, this is convincing evidence that real-world monitoring of light exposure and circadian rhythms could lead to new advances in personalized medicine.
Understanding yield reduction in rice due to leaf blast

The study described in this thesis focuses on a quantitative understanding of the effect of leaf blast on growth and production of a rice crop, based on insight in the physiological processes underlying damage. For this purpose, experimental research was conducted at two levels of integration: plant and crop. Research was first conducted at the plant level and focused on the effects of the disease on photosynthesis and respiration. To determine the consequences of these physiological disturbances for crop growth and production, submodels for the effects of leaf blast on photosynthesis and respiration were constructed and introduced in a mechanistic model for crop growth. Experimental research at the crop level was used to validate and improve the extended crop growth model. At the same time the model was used to analyse the results of the field experiments. This interaction resulted in a better understanding of yield reduction in rice due to leaf blast and in a model that can be used to estimate yield reduction due to leaf blast for various epidemics under variable environmental conditions.
Response of peatland carbon dioxide and methane fluxes to a water table drawdown experiment

Northern peatlands play an important role in the global carbon cycle representing a significant stock of soil carbon and a substantial natural source of atmospheric methane (CH4). Peatland carbon cycling is affected by water table position which is predicted to be lowered by climate change. Therefore we compared carbon fluxes along a natural peatland microtopographic gradient (control) to an adjacent microtopographic gradient with an experimentally lowered water table (experimental) during three growing seasons to assess the impact of water table drawdown on peatland‐atmosphere carbon exchange. Water table drawdown induced peat subsidence and a change in the vegetation community at the experimental site. This limited differences in carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange between the control and experimental sites resulting in no significant differences between sites after three seasons. However, there was a trend to higher respiration rates and increased productivity in low‐lying zones (hollows) and this was coincident with increased vegetation cover at these plots. In general, CH4 efflux was reduced at the experimental site, although CH4 efflux from control and experimental hollows remained similar throughout the study. The differential response of carbon cycling to the water table drawdown along the microtopographic gradient resulted in local topographic high zones (hummocks) experiencing a relative increase in global warming potential (GWP) of 152%, while a 70% reduction in GWP was observed at hollows. Thus the distribution and composition of microtopographic elements, or microforms, within a peatland is important for determining how peatland carbon cycling will respond to climate change.
P‐wave arrival time inversion by using the τ‐p method: Application to the Mt. Vesuvius Volcano, southern Italy

In this paper we have applied a τ‐p inversion method based on a non linear approach to a set of first P‐arrival times from a 2‐D active seismic experiment performed at Mt. Vesuvius in 1994. The initial seismic investigation is devoted to the study of the shallow structure and the τ‐p method has been used for modelling velocity variations of a spherically concentric medium which is a better approximation than a flat layer of the Vesuvius geometry. We are able to obtain detailed 1‐D velocity models along different specified sections of the recorded seismic, line. These sections span different depth ranges and indicate strong lateral and vertical P‐velocity variations in the first 1 km of the volcano structure with values ranging from about 1.5 km/s at the surface to 3.5–4.0 km/s at depth. The average 1‐D concentric model obtained in this study can be used as a reasonable starting model for iterative high‐resolution tomographies of Vesuvius velocity structures.