Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IGF-I stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in the awake rat: permissive role of insulin and amino acids.

Infusion of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) lowers plasma amino acid and insulin concentrations, which may limit the capacity of IGF-I to promote muscle protein synthesis in vivo. We measured heart and skeletal muscle incorporation of continuously infused L-[ring-2,6-3H]phenylalanine in awake postabsorptive rats receiving 4-h intravenous infusions of saline (n = 11), IGF-I (1 microgram.kg-1.min-1) with (n = 10) or without (n = 11) amino acid replacement, or IGF-I with insulin replacement (n = 8). There were no significant increases in muscle protein synthesis during the infusion of IGF-I alone, which was associated with decreases in both plasma insulin (52 +/- 5%, P < 0.001) and amino acids (25 +/- 5%, P < 0.05). When IGF-I was given together with amino acids, protein synthesis was significantly increased in gastrocnemius (4.7 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.5 +/- 0.3%/day, P < 0.001), oblique (4.5 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.4%/day, P < 0.05), and soleus (8.8 +/- 0.7 vs. 6.4 +/- 0.3%/day, P < 0.01) and tended to be higher than saline control values in heart (10.9 +/- 0.9 vs. 8.8 +/- 0.7%/day, P = 0.08). Amino acid replacement prevented plasma concentrations from falling and also blunted the decline in plasma insulin (22 +/- 5%, P < 0.01 vs. IGF-I alone). When IGF-I and insulin replacement were given, protein synthesis was increased in heart (13.0 +/- 0.6%/day), gastrocnemius (4.7 +/- 0.4%/day), and oblique (4.5 +/- 0.4%/day) (P < 0.001 for each, compared with saline). We conclude that the action of IGF-I to acutely stimulate muscle protein synthesis in the awake rat is limited by the fall in circulating insulin and/or amino acid concentrations that accompanies IGF-I infusion in vivo and is prevented by co-infusion of insulin or amino acids.
How Low Can You Go? Physical Production Mechanism of Elephant Infrasonic Vocalizations

The Song of the Elephant In mammals, vocal sound production generally occurs in one of two ways, either through muscular control—as when a cat purrs or, more commonly, by air passing through the vocal folds—which occurs in humans and facilitates production of extremely high frequency bat calls. Over the past 20 years, it has been recognized that elephants can communicate through extremely low frequency infrasonic sounds. Taking advantage of a natural death of an elephant in a zoo, Herbst et al. (p. 595) examined the biomechanics of elephant sound production in an excised elephant larynx. Self-sustained vocal-fold vibrations, without the presence of any neural control, were used to produce infrasonic elephant sounds, using the same mechanism as singing in humans and echolocation in bats. Elephants produce low-frequency sounds via intrinsic vocal-fold vibrations similar to those in humans. Elephants can communicate using sounds below the range of human hearing (“infrasounds” below 20 hertz). It is commonly speculated that these vocalizations are produced in the larynx, either by neurally controlled muscle twitching (as in cat purring) or by flow-induced self-sustained vibrations of the vocal folds (as in human speech and song). We used direct high-speed video observations of an excised elephant larynx to demonstrate flow-induced self-sustained vocal fold vibration in the absence of any neural signals, thus excluding the need for any “purring” mechanism. The observed physical principles of voice production apply to a wide variety of mammals, extending across a remarkably large range of fundamental frequencies and body sizes, spanning more than five orders of magnitude.
Identification of novel murine- and human-specific RPGRIP1 splice variants with distinct expression profiles and subcellular localization.

PURPOSE Mutations in RPGRIP1 cause Leber congenital amaurosis. The human and bovine RPGRIP1 undergo alternative splicing. A single murine rpgrip1 transcript has been reported, but distinct expression profiles of RPGRIP1 isoforms exist between species in the retina. To elucidate the heterogeneity of RPGRIP1 isoforms and the degree of functional redundancy among these, we extended the analysis of RPGRIP1 to the region between exons 12 and 14, which undergoes significant alternative splicing. METHODS Identification of alternative splice transcripts of murine and human RPGRIP1 was performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The murine rpgrip1 isoforms were analyzed by immunoblot and immunocytochemistry analysis of murine retinas and transient transfected cultured cells. RESULTS A novel murine-specific transcript, rpgrip1b was identified. It arises from the extension of exon 13, leading to the premature truncation of rpgrip1 and deletion of its C2 and RID domains. It is predominantly expressed in the retina, where it is more abundant than the transcript(s) encompassing the constitutive exons 12 to 14. Conversely, the human retina lacks rpgrip1b, and the constitutive transcript is the major isoform. The subcellular distribution of rpgrip1b is distinct from its larger isoform, rpgrip1. In the photoreceptor inner segments and cells expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-rpgrip1b, rpgrip1b is dispersed as punctate foci throughout the perikarya, where it colocalizes with a subpopulation of lysosomes. CONCLUSIONS These data support the RPGR-independent function of the isotype- and species-specific rpgrip1b in lysosome-related processes. The results further strengthen the model of the selective participation of distinct RPGRIP1 isoforms in different subcellular processes and molecular pathogenesis of RPGRIP1-allied diseases.
Chapter 2 Auxin Biosynthesis and Catabolism

Auxin concentrations in plants are tightly regulated through both biosynthesis and degradation. In the past few years, much progress was made in the area of auxin metabolism. Genetic and biochemical studies in Arabidopsis unequivocally established a complete tryptophan (Trp)-dependent two-step auxin biosynthesis pathway in which Trp is first converted into indole-3-pyruvate (IPA) by the TAA family of aminotransferases and subsequently indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is produced from IPA by the YUC family of flavin monooxygenases. The TAA/YUC pathway is highly conserved in the plant kingdom and is probably the main auxin biosynthesis pathway in plants. Recent work also demonstrated that oxidative degradation of auxin plays an essential role in maintaining auxin homeostasis and in regulating plant development. In this chapter, we discuss the recent advancements in auxin biosynthesis and catabolism.
The Lewy body in Parkinson's disease: Molecules implicated in the formation and degradation of α‐synuclein aggregates

The histological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the presence of fibrillar aggregates called Lewy bodies (LBs). LB formation has been considered to be a marker for neuronal degeneration, because neuronal loss is found in the predilection sites for LBs. To date, more than 70 molecules have been identified in LBs, in which α‐synuclein is a major constituent of LB fibrils. α‐synuclein immunohistochemistry reveals that diffuse cytoplasmic staining develops into pale bodies via compaction, and that LBs arise from the peripheral portion of pale bodies. This α‐synuclein abnormality is found in 10% of pigmented neurons in the substantia nigra and more than 50% of those in the locus ceruleus in PD. Recent studies have suggested that oligomers and protofibrils of α‐synuclein are cytotoxic, and that LBs may represent a cytoprotective mechanism in PD.
Benefits and Risks of Financial Globalization : Challenges for Developing Countries

This paper discusses the benefits and risks that financial globalization entails for developing countries. Financial globalization can lead to large benefits, particularly to the development of the financial system. But financial globalization can also come with crises and contagion. The net effect of financial globalization is likely positive in the long run, with risks being more prevalent right after countries liberalize. So far, only some countries, sectors, and firms have taken advantage of globalization. As financial systems turn global, governments lose policy instruments, so there is an increasing scope for some form of international financial policy cooperation.
Maintenance and transmission of Keystone virus by Aedes atlanticus (Diptera: Culicidae) and the gray squirrel in the Pocomoke Cypress Swamp, Maryland.

Ecological studies were done in the Pocomoke Cypress Swamp, Worchester Co., Md. , to clarify the role of Aedes atlanticus and gray squirrels as enzo¨tic hosts of Keystone (KEY) virus. Among 43 seronegative squirrels, 65% were infected with KEY virus during July, August, and September 1975, coincident with the emergence and activity of KEY virus-infected Ae. atlanticus . Minimum infection rates for this mosquito increased from 2.7 to 11.2/1,000 from July to October, but we could not conclude that KEY virus-infected squirrels served as an amplifying host. Although Ae. atlanticus was infected readily following per os exposure to KEY virus, only 1 of 83 infected mosquitoes transmitted virus to a suckling mouse. In contrast, 33 of 46 (72%) parenterally infected Ae. atlanticus transmitted virus to mice. KEY virus also was transmitted vertically by Ae. atlanticus to F1 progeny, and one of two vertically infected females transmitted virus to suckling mice by bite. Preliminary data suggested that the per os-infected mosquitoes failed to transmit KEY virus because of a midgut escape, salivary gland barrier(s), or both.
Heme Oxygenase 1 in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Infants and Children after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is an enzyme important in the catabolism of heme that is induced under conditions of oxidative stress. HO-1 degradation of heme yields biliverdin, bilirubin, carbon monoxide and iron. HO-1 is thought to serve a protective antioxidant function, and upregulation of HO-1 has been demonstrated in experimental models of neurodegeneration, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury (TBI). We measured HO-1 concentration in cerebral spinal fluid samples from 48 infants and children following TBI and 7 control patients by ELISA. Increased HO-1 was seen in TBI versus control patients – mean 2.75 ± 0.63, peak 4.17 ± 0.96 ng/ml versus control (<0.078 ng/ml, not detectable) (p< 0.001). Increased HO-1 concentration was associated with increased injury severity and unfavorable neurological outcome (both p < 0.05). Increased HO-1 concentration was independently associated with younger age; however, statistical analysis could not rule out the possibility that the effect of age was related to inflicted TBI from child abuse. HO-1 increases after TBI and appears to be more prominent in infants compared with older children after injury.
Analysis on the Compliance with GRI Guidelines and the Information Disclosed by Japanese Companies

Japanese companies do not comply with the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI)’s Sustainability Guidelines as much as other developed countries, and their compliance levels are lower among developed countries. This study overviewed the characteristics of Japanese GRI compliance and analysed 15 Japanese listed companies on the information of their corporate sustainability reports in which they comply with the GRI version 3.1 Guidelines. The possible correlation between GRI compliance levels and the disclosure rates of the GRI core indicators was suggested. In addition, it was suggested that the issues including human rights, gender, and labor category discrimination, corruption in companies, and fines paid by companies, were not much disclosed. The lower disclosure of these issues suggests the weakness of Japanese corporate social disclosure.
Building an Object Cloud Storage Service System using OpenStack Swift

Cloud Storage Systems are increasingly noticed now-a-days as they are promising elastic capability and high reliability at low cost. In these services, the files are stored in an authenticated cloud storage service center. The most important feature is storage is adjusted dynamically, and there won’t be any worry about space being inadequate or wasted. This paper presents a solution for deploying an Object Cloud Storage Service System based on the open-source cloud Operating System OpenStack and Swift.
First-Time Fathers’ Study: Psychological Distress in Expectant Fathers During Pregnancy

Objective: High levels of distress have previously been reported among expectant fathers, with the level of distress for new fathers falling after the birth and during the first year of their infants’ lives. The aim of the present study was to report on the associations with the fathers’ initial high levels of distress. Method: The men completed a series of questionnaires on various aspects of their psychological functioning at a baseline assessment when their partners were in the late first trimester of their pregnancy. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was the key measure of psychological distress for the present study. Men scoring >5 on the GHQ were considered to be cases of distress. The cases and non-cases were contrasted on the baseline psychosocial measures. Results: A total of 312 men completed the questionnaires, of whom 18.6% were designated as cases. GHQ caseness was associated with high levels of symptoms on other measures of psychological distress, higher levels of alcohol consumption, poorer quality of their current intimate relationship, poorer social support, a lower quality of life, high levels of neuroticism and the use of immature ego defences. Multiple regression analysis identified the key variables associated with psychological distress to be high levels of neuroticism, dissatisfaction with social support and an excess number of additional life events. Conclusions: Psychological distress among expectant fathers is associated with a range of psychological variables, particularly poor marital relationship and poor social networks. This is consistent with a general vulnerability model for psychological distress. Fathers who had insufficient information about pregnancy and childbirth were also at risk of being distressed, suggesting that more attention needs to be paid to providing information to men about their partner's pregnancy, childbirth and issues relating to caring for a newborn infant.
When Does Virtual Embodiment Change Our Minds?

Can an avatar’s body movements change a person’s perception of good and bad? We discuss virtual embodiment according to theories of embodied cognition (EC), and afferent and sensorimotor correspondences. We present an example study using virtual reality (VR) to test EC theory, testing the effect of altered virtual embodiment on perception. Participants either controlled an avatar whose arm movements were similar to their own or reflected the mirror opposite of their arm movements. We measured their associations of “good” and “bad” with the left and right (i.e., space-valence associations). This study demonstrated how VR could be used to examine the possible ways that systems of the body (e.g., visual, motor) may interact to influence cognition. The implications of this research suggest that visual feedback alone is not enough to alter space-valence associations. Multiple sensory experiences of media (i.e., sensorimotor feedback) may be necessary to influence cognition, not simply visual feedback.
CHANGES ON CHANGES: TOWARDS AN AGENT-BASED APPROACH FOR MANAGING COMPLEXITY IN DECENTRALIZED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

In this concept paper, we report on ongoing work aimed at a novel approach to developing complex products. Based on an analysis of the requirements of product development in the automotive industry, the main problems we observe are limited transparency, patency, and reuse. These problems are even more pronounced - and more difficult to manage - in multi-brand product development settings, with spatially distributed and organizationally autonomous development partners. In order to decrease the amount of information each actor has to manage, we propose and illustrate the novel notion of virtual product model components (VPM-C) as an approach to address these challenges. We propose a conceptual architecture of virtual product models, which supports four concepts (views) as first-class citizens: parts, geometries, features, and processes. To handle the dependencies between elements of a VPM-C, we further suggest an agent-based approach, and outline a corresponding architectures and design alternatives. We illustrate these basic concepts by use case scenarios derived from an analysis of automotive product development practices.
Correct and Efficient POSIX Submatch Extraction with Regular Expression Derivatives

The POSIX submatching policy favors left-most longest submatches. Compared to other policies such as greedy left-most found in Perl, the POSIX policy is easier to explain but much harder to implement. Almost all POSIX implementations are buggy as observed by Kuklewicz. We show how to obtain an elegant and efficient POSIX submatching engine based on Brzozowski’s regular expression derivatives. Correctness is fairly straightforward to establish and our benchmark results show that our approach is promising.
Inhibitory effect of various aqueous medicinal plant extracts on citrinin production and fungal biomass by Penicillium notatum and Aspergillus niger

Citrinin is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin produced by several species of the genus and Monascus . Citrinin is generally formed after harvest and occurs mainly in stored grains. efficacy of different concentrations of aqueous leaf extracts of Rhazya stricta Decne and Cleome amblyocarpa two fungal strains Penicillium notatum and Aspergillus niger and fungal biomass by the isolates was suppressed, depending on the concentration of the plant extract added to culture media at the time of spore i grown for 15 days in culture media containing 5 oleander, R. stricta Decne and C. amblyocarpa Penicillium notatum and 13.4 to 90.3% in stricta Decne was more efficient than other tested plant extracts in inhibiting the citrinin production ranging from 22.4 to 91.8% in P. notatum
ATL

Objective The p16Ink4a (p16) tumor-suppressor protein is a biomarker for activated expression of human papillomavirus oncogenes. However, data are insufficient to determine whether p16 overexpression predicts the risk for progression of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). This study was aimed at evaluating the risk for progression to CIN2 or worse during a 3-year follow-up of an unselected series of 739 patients with CIN1 biopsy specimens tested for p16 expression. Methods Positivity of p16 was defined as a diffuse overexpression in the basal/parabasal cell layers. Selection biases were ruled out using a control group of 523 patients with CIN1 biopsies not tested for p16 expression. Analysis was based on the ratio of progression rates. Results In the first year of follow-up, the 216 patients (29%) with p16-positive CIN1 had a higher progression rate (12.3%) than did the 523 patients with p16-negative CIN1 (2.2%) (rate ratio, 5.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.59–11.71). In the second and third years, differences were smaller (rate ratio, 1.32 and 1.14, respectively) and not significant. The patients with p16-positive CIN1 also had a lower risk for regression to normal in the first year of follow-up (rate ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.71) and nonsignificant changes in the second and third years (rate ratio, 0.81 and 0.84, respectively). Conclusions The patients with p16-positive CIN1 had an increased risk for progression that was concentrated in the first year of follow-up. Immunostaining of p16 could have a role in short-term surveillance of patients with CIN1. Further research should focus on midterm/long-term outcomes of p16-positive CIN1.
Cardiovascular risk factors and diseases in women undergoing hysterectomy with ovarian conservation

Objective:This study aims to determine the association of preexisting cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases with hysterectomy with bilateral ovarian conservation using a case-central design. Methods:Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project records-linkage system, we identified all Olmsted County, MN women who underwent hysterectomy with ovarian conservation between January 1, 1965 and December 31, 2002 (cases). Each case was age-matched (±1 y) with a randomly selected woman who resided in the county and did not undergo hysterectomy or oophorectomy before the index date (date of hysterectomy in her matched case). Using electronic codes, we identified cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome) and cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke) that occurred before the index date. Analyses were stratified by age at hysterectomy and indication for surgical operation. Results:During the study period, 3,816 women underwent hysterectomy with ovarian conservation for a benign indication. Preexisting hyperlipidemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome were significantly more frequent in cases than in controls in univariable analyses. In multivariable analyses, obesity remained significantly associated overall, for nearly all age groups, and across all indications. Stroke was significantly more frequent in cases than in controls among women younger than 36 years. Congestive heart failure and stroke were significantly less common in cases than in controls among women older than 50 years. Conclusions:Hysterectomy with ovarian conservation is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, particularly obesity. Obesity may contribute to underlying gynecologic conditions leading to hysterectomy; however, surgical selection may also play a role.
Spatially Resolved CO SLED of the Luminous Merger Remnant NGC 1614 with ALMA

We present high-resolution (1.″0) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO (1–0) and CO (2–1) rotational transitions toward the nearby IR-luminous merger NGC 1614 supplemented with ALMA archival data of CO (3–2) and CO (6–5) transitions. The CO (6–5) emission arises from the starburst ring (central 590 pc in radius), while the lower-J CO lines are distributed over the outer disk (∼3.3 kpc in radius). Radiative transfer and photon-dominated region (PDR) modeling reveals that the starburst ring has a single warmer gas component with more a intense far-ultraviolet radiation field ( cm−3, K, and ) relative to the outer disk ( cm−3, K, and ). A two-phase molecular interstellar medium with a warm and cold (>70 and ∼19 K) component is also an applicable model for the starburst ring. A possible source for heating the warm gas component is mechanical heating due to stellar feedback rather than PDR. Furthermore, we find evidence for non-circular motions along the north–south optical bar in the lower-J CO images, suggesting a cold gas inflow. We suggest that star formation in the starburst ring is sustained by the bar-driven cold gas inflow and that starburst activities radiatively and mechanically power the CO excitation. The absence of a bright active galactic nucleus can be explained by a scenario where cold gas accumulating on the starburst ring is exhausted as the fuel for star formation or is launched as an outflow before being able to feed to the nucleus.
Idiopathic CSF rhinorrhoea presenting with tension pneumocephalus and hemiparesis

Abstract A case of non-traumatic/non-iatrogenic CSF rhinorrhoea, presenting with tension pneumocephalus and hemiparesis is described. The possible pathological processes involved in this rare case are discussed. Cases in the literature of idiopathic CSF rhinorrhoea and also those of spontaneous pneumocephalus are reviewed.