Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of AT2 Receptor on Expression of AT1 and TGF-&bgr; Receptors in VSMCs from SHR

Abstract—We recently reported that overexpression of the angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor downregulates the AT1a receptor through the bradykinin/NO pathway in a ligand-independent manner in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In the present study, we investigated the effect of AT2 receptor overexpression on the expression of the AT1a receptor and transforming growth factor-&bgr; (TGF-&bgr;) receptor subtypes in VSMCs from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Transfection of the AT2 receptor gene downregulated expression of the AT1a receptor in VSMCs from WKY, but did not affect expression of the AT1a receptor in VSMCs from SHR. Transfection of the AT2 receptor abolished DNA synthesis in response to angiotensin II in VSMCs from WKY; in VSMCs from SHR, basal DNA synthesis was suppressed, but DNA synthesis in response to Ang II was not altered. The NO substrate l-arginine augmented downregulation of the AT1a receptor in VSMCs from WKY, whereas it did not affect expression of the AT1a receptor in VSMCs from SHR. In response to AT2 receptor transfection, expression of TGF-&bgr; type I receptor mRNA was suppressed significantly in VSMCs from WKY, whereas expression of TGF-&bgr; type I receptor was not altered in VSMCs from SHR. These results suggest that the AT2 receptor downregulates AT1a and TGF-&bgr; type I receptors in normal VSMCs, but not in SHR-derived VSMCs. The lack of downregulation of the AT1a receptor may contribute, in part, to the exaggerated growth of VSMCs from SHR.
Fuzzy Versus Neuro-fuzzy Identification of Active Front Steering of a Vehicle on Slippery Roads

Due to the high rate changes in the handling of cars, the use of an auxiliary identification process to design efficient controllers is of importance. Many identification algorithms have been proposed in the literature, which generally performs well under normal situations, but does not show acceptable performance in uncertain conditions. In this article, due to the nature of the neuro-fuzzy networks in identifying and predicting uncertain conditions, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy identification algorithm is proposed to steer vehicles at the uncertain slippery condition of roads. A set of data for three well-known manoeuvres of vehicle dynamics at conventional conditions was collected to train the algorithm using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system of MATLAB. Using back propagation of error as the learning algorithm, the parameters of the algorithm were modified regarding uncertain conditions. Making an analogy, the performance of the proposed identification scheme was compared to the untrained fuzzy one. In regular situations, the results were almost identical, but in uncertain ones such as slippery roads, the performance of the proposed neuro-fuzzy algorithm was much better.
Quail breeder's production performance in response to selection for higher three weeks body weight.

The present study was executed to compare breeder performance parameters (feed intake, Age at 1st egg, egg weight, hen day & hen house production %, FCR /kg and/dozen eggs) in mass selected (MS), pedigree based selected (PS) and random bred controls (RBC), in three consecutive generations of Japanese quail. In generation1 (G1), 11000 quail chicks were randomly distributed into 22 sub-groups. After 3 weeks, birds were weighed and sexed; the higher body weight birds were selected as the parents of next generation. Out of 22 groups, first group was maintained with fully pedigree record, in second group birds were picked randomly without following any selection procedure, rest 20 groups were subjected to mass selection. Pedigree selection significantly improved egg weight, egg mass and FCR/ kg egg mass in higher body weight selected birds with the advancement in generations. Hence, it can be concluded that short term selection for higher 3-week body weight in quails exhibited little or no deterioration, rather improved subsequent production performance with the advancement of generations.
Utility of biotechnology based decision making tools in postharvest grain pest management: An Australian case study

A major concern for the Australian grain industry in recent years is the constant threat of resistance to the key disinfectant phosphine in a range of stored grain pests. The need to maintain the usefulness of phosphine and to contain the development of resistance are critical to international market access for Australian grain. Strong levels of resistance have already been established in major pests including the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and most recently in the rusty grain beetle Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). As a proactive integrated resistance management strategy, new fumigation protocols are being developed in the laboratory and verified in large-scale field trials in collaboration with industry partners. To aid this development, we have deployed advanced molecular diagnostic tools to accurately determine the strength and frequency of key phosphine resistant insect pests and their movement within a typical Australian grain value chain. For example, two major bulk storage facilities based at Brookstead and Millmerran in southeast Queensland, Australia, were selected as main nodes and several farms and feed mills located in and around these two sites at a scale of 25 to 100 km radius were selected and surveyed. We determined the type, pattern, frequency as well as the distribution of resistance alleles accurately for two major pests, R. dominica and T. castaneum. Overall, this information along with the phenotypic data, provide a basis for designing key intervention strategies in managing resistance problems in the study area.
Insight into Genotype-Phenotype Associations through eQTL Mapping in Multiple Cell Types in Health and Immune-Mediated Disease

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have transformed our understanding of the genetics of complex traits such as autoimmune diseases, but how risk variants contribute to pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Identifying genetic variants that affect gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci, or eQTLs) is crucial to addressing this. eQTLs vary between tissues and following in vitro cellular activation, but have not been examined in the context of human inflammatory diseases. We performed eQTL mapping in five primary immune cell types from patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (n = 91), anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (n = 46) and healthy controls (n = 43), revealing eQTLs present only in the context of active inflammatory disease. Moreover, we show that following treatment a proportion of these eQTLs disappear. Through joint analysis of expression data from multiple cell types, we reveal that previous estimates of eQTL immune cell-type specificity are likely to have been exaggerated. Finally, by analysing gene expression data from multiple cell types, we find eQTLs not previously identified by database mining at 34 inflammatory bowel disease-associated loci. In summary, this parallel eQTL analysis in multiple leucocyte subsets from patients with active disease provides new insights into the genetic basis of immune-mediated diseases.
Serum Vitamin D Status and Its Relationship to Metabolic Parameters in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The potential relationship between vitamin D (VitD) status and metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) warrants further study. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level and various parameters in patients with T2DM. We analyzed retrospectively data from 276 Korean patients with T2DM whose serum 25(OH)D level was measured in our hospital. Nondiabetic healthy subjects who visited the hospital for health screening were selected as the control group (Non-DM, n=160). Compared with control subjects, patients with T2DM had a lower serum 25(OH)D level (15.4±0.5 vs. 12.9±0.4 ng/ml, p<0.01). Eleven percent of T2DM patients were VitD "insufficient" (20-29 ng/ml) and 87% of the patients were VitD "deficient" (<20 ng/ml). The serum 25(OH)D level was significantly related to serum fibrinogen, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), ferritin, the urine albumin creatinine ratio, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, high levels of HbA1C, TG, and LDL-C were independently associated with VitD deficiency in T2DM patients. The results of the present study show that the majority of Koreans with T2DM are VitD deficient, and the serum 25(OH)D level in patients with T2DM is related to lipid and glucose parameters. Further studies are required of the relationship of VitD with fibrinogen and other related parameters.
Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction

Objective: To educate healthcare professionals on the historical aspects, clinical diagnosis, and current treatment methods of psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Method: A topic review of current literature was performed. Chief sources included primarily mainstream journals in the fields of urology, psychiatry/psychology, impotence/erectile dysfunction, epidemiology, and internal medicine. MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were utilized. Data extraction: Data from clinical studies, trials, and review articles concerned primarily with psychological aspects of the arousal (erectile function) phase of the male sexual response cycle were collected, analyzed, and summarized in this review article. Results: There has been a shift in how erectile dysfunction has been perceived and treated over the past 30 years. With the current focus now on the very prevalent organic causes of ED, psychological factors are increasingly overlooked, though they remain important to the treatment of the patient as a whole. This article provides a complete, concise review of the interplay between psychological components and erectile function, reviews the work-up and diagnosis of psychogenic ED, and discusses treatment methods. Conclusions: Erectile dysfunction is a prevalent problem that can affect, and can be affected by, psychosocial aspects of a man's life. Medical or pharmacological interventions are often appropriate to treat ED, but the psychosocial aspects should not be ignored. It has become easier for practitioners to put aside patients' psychosocial and interpersonal concerns regarding sexual health. Clinicians provide the best possible treatment if they recognize that erectile dysfunction is a complex, multifactorial disorder, and treat accordingly.
Migradollars and Development: A Reconsideration of the Mexican Case

Economic arguments, quantitative data, and ethnographic case studies are presented to counter popular misconceptions about international labor migration and its economic consequences in Mexico. The prevailing view is that Mexico-U.S. migration discourages autonomous economic growth within Mexico, at both the local and national levels, and that it promotes economic dependency. However, results estimated from a multiplier model suggest that the inflow of migradollars stimulates economic activity, both directly and indirectly, and that it leads to significantly higher levels of employment, investment, and income within specific communities and the nation as a whole. The annual arrival of around $2 billion migradollars generates economic activity that accounts for 10 percent of Mexico's output and 3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product.
Euro Mix: Current European Energy Developments and Policy Alternatives for 2030 and Beyond

When it was adopted in 2009, the energy and climate policy package created by the European Union (EU)? which consisted of targets for renewable energy consumption (20%), greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions reductions (20%), and energy savings (20%), all to be met by 2020? was hailed as some of the world? s most advanced legislation for moving toward a more sustainable and secure energy system. Although Europe seems on track to hit the GHG reduction and renewable energy targets, the current policy framework has also led to some blurred investment signals and a decrease in the profitability of utilities.
Plasma quality after whole‐blood filtration depends on storage temperature and filter type

Summary. The study evaluated the quality of plasma obtained after whole‐blood filtration with four different polyester filters and one polyurethane filter. The activities of coagulation factors and proteinase inhibitors were not or only negligibly affected by filtration, in all experiments. Filtration did not increase markers of clotting and fibrinolysis. Only a strong neutrophil and complement activation was observed, which depended on the type of filter and whole‐blood storage conditions. However, as neutrophil elastase‐specific degradation products did not increase and the complement‐derived anaphylatoxin C3a was found in its inactivated form, C3a‐desArg, these filtration‐dependent changes apparently have little impact on the therapeutic quality of whole‐blood‐filtered fresh frozen plasma for transfusion.
Towards Fine-grained Smartphone Localization via Low-complexity Anchors

To enable indoor location-based services (ILBS), there are several stringent requirements for an indoor localization system: highly accurate that can differentiate massive users’ locations without site-survey; no additional hardware components or extensions on users’ smartphones; scalable to massive concurrent users. In this paper, we propose a practical and accurate smartphone localization solution via lowcomplexity anchor nodes. Specifically, we design and implement a low-complexity anchor network with a coordination protocol to transmit modulated localization beacons using high-band acoustic signals, a realtime processing app in a smartphone, and a backend server for indoor contexts and location-based services. Our prototype shows high accurate localization accuracy via off-the-shelf smartphones. Such practical and accurate solution is expected to add real values to ILBS and our daily activities.
Commentary (Malkowicz): Organ Preservation in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

The most effective form of therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer is radical surgery and urinary diversion. Numerous clinical series demonstrate stage-for-stage 5- and 10-year survival data that are better than that seen for other treatment modalities. [1] The widespread application of continent urinary diversion over the past 2 decades has furthered the acceptance of radical surgery, as it provides for the lost function of volitional storage and emptying of urine. Even patients who undergo a standard ileal loop diversion generally tolerate it well and adapt to the altered body image. [2]
Confinement Induced Deviation in Ultra-thin Photoresist Films

With the advent of shorter wavelengths in deep UV lithography, the thickness of the photoactive polymeric films must decrease significantly. In this work we address the issue of confinement induced deviations of the physical properties for thin films of poly(hydroxystryrene) (PHS), a common lithographic polymer. Using specular X-ray reflectivity to measure a thin film thermal expansion coefficient, we report that significant confinement induced deviations in the glass transition temperature are not observed, irrespective of substrate surface energy. However, it is likely that the PHS films were thermally cross-linked and it remains to be seen if this overshadows any subtle confinement effects. Despite the possibility of cross-links, we demonstrate that the substrate surface energy can have a profound effect on the polymer’s dynamics within films as thick as 100 nm, which may have relevance for the transport mechanisms requisite for photolithography. We also evidence a curious negative coefficient of thermal expansion deep within the glassy PHS films and speculate that this may be a signature kinetically hindered or arrested spinodal dewetting.
Measurement of a coastal area by a hyperspectral imager using an optical fiber bundle, a swing mirror and compact spectrometers

The development of monitoring and conservation technology of coastal regions is a key subject to protect the Earth's ecosystem. In the project of “Development of three dimensional mapping system of marine macrophyte beds using hyper- and multispectral remote sensing from air and seasurface” that is supported by JST CREST [1], we develop two mapping systems, i.e., (1) acoustic sensors for measuring water, bottom sediments and the depth of water and (2) hyperspectral imagers for detecting marine macrophytes. In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of remotely sensed hyperspectral images of the north coast of the Izu Oshima, Japan. The hyperspectral images were measured under different illumination condition, i.e., under cloudy and sunny skies, baed on a whiskbroom hyperspectral imager [2].
A new type of cohesin domain that specifically binds the dockerin domain of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome-integrating protein CipA

The cellulosome-integrating protein CipA, which serves as a scaffolding protein for the cellulolytic complex produced by Clostridium thermocellum, comprises a COOH-terminal duplicated segment termed the dockerin domain. This paper reports the cloning and sequencing of a gene, termed sdbA (for scaffoldin dockerin binding), encoding a protein which specifically binds the dockerin domain of CipA. The sequenced fragment comprises an open reading frame of 1,893 nucleotides encoding a 631-amino-acid polypeptide, termed SdbA, with a calculated molecular mass of 68,577 kDa. SAA comprises an NH2-terminal leader peptide followed by three distinct regions. The NH2-terminal region is similar to the NH2-terminal repeats of C. thermocellum OlpB and ORF2p. The central region is rich in lysine and harbors a motif present in Streptococcus M proteins. The COOH-terminal region consists of a triplicated sequence present in several bacterial cell surface proteins. The NH2-terminal region of SdbA and a fusion protein carrying the first NH2-terminal repeat of OlpB were shown to bind the dockerin domain of CipA. Thus, a new type of cohesin domain, which is present in one, two, and four copies in SdbA, ORF2p, and OlpB, respectively, can be defined. Since OlpB and most likely SdbA and ORF2p are located in the cell envelope, the three proteins probably participate in anchoring CipA (and the cellulosome) to the cell surface.
Low-dose inhaled corticosteroids and the prevention of death from asthma.

BACKGROUND Although inhaled corticosteroids are effective for the treatment of asthma, it is uncertain whether their use can prevent death from asthma. METHODS We used the Saskatchewan Health data bases to form a population-based cohort of all subjects from 5 through 44 years of age who were using antiasthma drugs during the period from 1975 through 1991. We followed subjects until the end of 1997, their 55th birthday, death, emigration, or termination of health insurance coverage; whichever came first. We conducted a nested case-control study in which subjects who died of asthma were matched with controls within the cohort according to the length of follow-up at the time of death of the case patient (the index date), the date of study entry, and the severity of asthma. We calculated rate ratios after adjustment for the subject's age and sex; the number of prescriptions of theophylline, nebulized and oral beta-adrenergic agonists, and oral corticosteroids in the year before the index date; the number of canisters of inhaled beta-adrenergic agonists used in the year before the index date; and the number of hospitalizations for asthma in the two years before the index date. RESULTS The cohort consisted of 30,569 subjects. Of the 562 deaths, 77 were classified as due to asthma. We matched the 66 subjects who died of asthma for whom there were complete data with 2681 controls. Fifty-three percent of the case patients and 46 percent of the control patients had used inhaled corticosteroids in the previous year, most commonly low-dose beclomethasone. The mean number of canisters was 1.18 for the patients who died and 1.57 for the controls. On the basis of a continuous dose-response analysis, we calculated that the rate of death from asthma decreased by 21 percent with each additional canister of inhaled corticosteroids used in the previous year (adjusted rate ratio, 0.79; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.65 to 0.97). The rate of death from asthma during the first three months after discontinuation of inhaled corticosteroids was higher than the rate among patients who continued to use the drugs. CONCLUSIONS The regular use of low-dose inhaled corticosteroids is associated with a decreased risk of death from asthma.
In Vitro Assessment of Attachment Pattern and Replication Efficiency of H5N1 Influenza A Viruses with Altered Receptor Specificity

ABSTRACT The continuous circulation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus has been a cause of great concern. The possibility of this virus acquiring specificity for the human influenza A virus receptor, α2,6-linked sialic acids (SA), and being able to transmit efficiently among humans is a constant threat to human health. Different studies have described amino acid substitutions in hemagglutinin (HA) of clinical HPAI H5N1 isolates or that were introduced experimentally that resulted in an increased, but not exclusive, binding of these virus strains to α2,6-linked SA. We introduced all previously described amino acid substitutions and combinations thereof into a single genetic background, influenza virus A/Indonesia/5/05 HA, and tested the receptor specificity of these 27 mutant viruses. The attachment pattern to ferret and human tissues of the upper and lower respiratory tract of viruses with α2,6-linked SA receptor preference was then determined and compared to the attachment pattern of a human influenza A virus (H3N2). At least three mutant viruses showed an attachment pattern to the human respiratory tract similar to that of the human H3N2 virus. Next, the replication efficiencies of these mutant viruses and the effects of three different neuraminidases on virus replication were determined. These data show that influenza virus A/Indonesia/5/05 potentially requires only a single amino acid substitution to acquire human receptor specificity, while at the same time remaining replication competent, thus suggesting that the pandemic threat posed by HPAI H5N1 is far from diminished.
Assessing the Test Suite of a Large System Based on Code Coverage, Efficiency and Uniqueness

Regression test suites of evolving software systems play a key role in maintaining software quality throughout continuous changes. They need to be effective (in terms of detecting faults and helping their localization) and efficient (optimally sized and without redundancy) at the same time. However, test suite quality attributes are usually difficult to formalize and measure. In this paper, we rely on a recent approach for test suite assessment and improvement that utilizes code coverage information, but at a more detailed level, hence it adds further evaluation aspects derived from the coverage. The basic idea of the method is to decompose the test suite and the program code into coherent logical groups which are easier to analyze and understand. Several metrics are then computed from code coverage information to characterize the test suite and its constituents. We extend our previous study and employ derived coverage metrics (which express efficiency and uniqueness) to analyze the test suite of a large scale industrial open source system containing 27 000 test cases.