Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generating neuronal diversity in the Drosophila central nervous system: A view from the ganglion mother cells

The generation of cellular diversity in the developing embryonic central nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster requires the precise orchestration of several convergent molecular and cellular mechanisms. Most reviews have focused on the formation and specification of neuroblasts (NBs), the putative neural stem cell in the Drosophila central nervous system. NBs divide asymmetrically to regenerate themselves and produce a secondary precursor cell called a ganglion mother cell (GMC), which divides to produce neurons and glia. Historically, our understanding of GMC specification has arisen from work involving asymmetric localization of intrinsic factors in the NB and GMC. However, recent information on NB lineages has revealed additional intrinsic factors that specify general and specific GMC fates. This review addresses what has been revealed about these intrinsic cues with regard to GMC specification. For example, Prospero, an asymmetrically localized determinant, plays a general role to enable GMC development and to distinguish GMCs from NBs. In contrast, the temporal gene cascade functions within NB lineages to ensure that each GMC in a lineage acquires a different fate. Two different mechanisms used to make the progeny of GMCs different will also be discussed. One is a generic mechanism, regulated by Notch and Numb, that allows sibling cells to adopt different fates. The other mechanism involves genes, such as even‐skipped and klumpfuss that specify the fate of individual GMCs. All of these mechanisms converge within a GMC to bestow upon it a unique fate. Developmental Dynamics 232:609–616, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two New Arylnaphthalide Lignans and Antiplatelet Constituents from Justicia procumbens

Two new arylnaphthalide lignans, procumphthalide A (1) and 4‐O‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl‐(1‴→2″)‐β‐D‐apiofuranosyldiphyllin, named procumbenoside B (2), along with cilinaphthalide B (3) and several other known compounds were isolated from the methanolic extracts of Justicia procumbens. By using NMR and other spectral methods, the structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated. Cilinaphthalide B (3), justicidin A (4), and taiwan E methyl ether (5) were shown to have an antiplatelet effect in human plateletrich plasma. In human citrated PRP, 5 showed a strong inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation induced by adrenaline in a concentration‐dependent manner, with an IC50 value of about 27.6 μM.
OECD Reviews of School Resources: Estonia 2016

The effective use of school resources is a policy priority across OECD countries. The OECD Reviews of School Resources explore how resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. The series considers four types of resources: financial resources, such as public funding of individual schools; human resources, such as teachers, school leaders and education administrators; physical resources, such as location, buildings and equipment; and other resources, such as learning time. This series offers timely policy advice to both governments and the education community. It includes both country reports and thematic studies.
Role of macrophages in elevated IgA and IL-6 production by Peyer's patch cultures following acute oral vomitoxin exposure.

Oral vomitoxin (VT) exposure in mice results in elevated cytokine gene expression, increased production of IgA, and IgA nephropathy. To determine the potential role of macrophages (Mphi) in these effects, an ex vivo model was devised whereby Peyer's patch (PP) and spleen cells were prepared from mice 2 h after oral exposure to 0 or 25 mg/kg body wt VT, cultured, and then evaluated for IgA and cytokine IL-6 production. Both PP and, to a lesser extent, spleen cells from treatment mice produced more IgA over a 7-day period than did corresponding control cells when cultured without a costimulus or in the presence of either phorbol myristate acetate plus ionomycin (PMA + ION) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS); IgA elevation was most marked in LPS-treated cultures. The VT effect was completely ablated in PP cultures that were depleted of Mphi but not in Mphi-depleted spleen cultures. VT exposure similarly increased production of IL-6, an important helper factor for IgA secretion, in LPS-stimulated PP and spleen cell cultures. IL-6 production was also ablated by Mphi depletion. A potential costimulatory role for Mphi was further suggested because both IgA and IL-6 production increased when Mphi-depleted PP cells from VT-treated animals were cocultured with peritoneal Mphi from VT-treated animals. Similar effects were observed when an analogous ex vivo approach was used with purified PP B cells and peritoneal Mphi. PP B cells from control animals also secreted elevated levels of IgA when cocultured with splenic CD4(+) cells from VT-treated animals, thus confirming previous studies showing that T cell help also contributes to increased IgA production. Potential roles for soluble mediators and cell contact in this process were suggested when IgA production was measured in cultures of PP cells separated from VT-treated Mphi by a semipermeable membrane. Taken together, these and previous results suggest that Mphi may play a key mechanistic role in elevated IgA production and IgA nephropathy in VT-exposed mice.
The Implementation of Spatio-Temporal Graph to Represent Situations in the Virtual World

— In this paper, we develop a Spatio-Temporal graph as of a key component of our knowledge representation Scheme. We design an integrated representation Scheme to depict not only present and past but future in parallel with the spaces in an effective and intuitive manner. The resulting multi-dimensional comprehensive knowledge structure accommodates multi-layered virtual world developing in the time to maximize the diversity of situations in the historical context. This knowledge representation Scheme is to be used as the basis for simulation of situations composing the virtual world and for implementation of virtual agents' knowledge used to judge and evaluate the situations in the virtual world. To provide natural contexts for situated learning or simulation games, the virtual stage set by this Spatio-Temporal graph is to be populated by agents and other objects interrelated and changing which are abstracted in the ontology.
Towards a 30 kW/liter, Three-Phase Unity Power Factor Rectifier

In this paper, a forced air-cooled, 400 kHz, 10 kW Vienna rectifier with a power density of 8.5 kW/liter is presented. To further improve the power density, the switching frequency is increased to reduce the EMI filter volume. A design for an 18.5 kW/liter, 2.5 MHz rectifier is proposed. By using today's technology, it is calculated that the maximum power density for a forced air-cooled and water-cooled rectifier is 20.8 kW/liter and 24 kW/liter respectively. To achieve 30 kW/liter, improvements must be made in passive component material properties, reducing semiconductor losses and improving the cooling system.
Fire-Derived Charcoal Causes Loss of Forest Humus

Fire is a global driver of carbon storage and converts a substantial proportion of plant biomass to black carbon (for example, charcoal), which remains in the soil for thousands of years. Black carbon is therefore often proposed as an important long-term sink of soil carbon. We ran a 10-year experiment in each of three boreal forest stands to show that fire-derived charcoal promotes loss of forest humus and that this is associated with enhancement of microbial activity by charcoal. This result shows that charcoal-induced losses of belowground carbon in forests can partially offset the benefits of charcoal as a long-term carbon sink.
Liposomal bupivacaine for regional anesthesia

Purpose of review Using a regional block in a multimodal approach to postoperative analgesia management involves addressing, which local anesthetic and how much should be used to ensure adequate pain relief to reduce related morbidity and mortality. This article will review literature surrounding the recently approved formulation of slow release liposomal bupivacaine, define its proven benefits, and identify ongoing studies to further examine the utility of this novel formulation by various routes. Recent findings Recent Phase II and III clinical trials have demonstrated the ability of liposomal bupivacaine to provide prolonged analgesia, maintain a high safety profile in therapeutic doses, and decrease opioid requirements when compared with placebo in local infiltration applications for up to 24 h. Between 24 and 72 h after study drug administration, there was minimal to no difference between EXPAREL and placebo treatments on mean pain intensity. Conventional bupivacaine or ropivacaine groups (current standard practice in many hospitals in the USA) were not compared. In addition, the analgesic efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and safety profile of liposomal bupivacaine has not thoroughly been studied in various standard clinical settings such as perineural, intrathecal, and epidural administration. Summary Current published data do not provide superior clinical results for EXPAREL over conventional bupivacaine based upon the lack of adequately powered multicentered clinical trials with comparison groups. Further investigation is necessary to identify the analgesic efficacy and safety profile of liposomal bupivacaine versus standard local anesthetics and to define the optimal clinical indication for liposomal bupivacaine administration in regional anesthesia.
Microbiological safety of drinking water.

Emerging pathogens in drinking water have become increasingly important during the decade. These include newly-recognized pathogens from fecal sources such as Cryptosporidium parvum, Campylobacter spp. , and rotavirus, as well as pathogens that are able to grow in water distribution systems, like Legionella spp. , mycobacteria, and aeromonads. To perform a risk analysis for the pathogens in drinking water, it is necessary to understand the ecology of these organisms. The ecology of the drinking-water distribution system has to be evaluated in detail, especially the diversity and physiological properties of water bacteria. The interactions between water bacteria and (potential) pathogens in such diverse habitats as free water and biofilms are essential for the survival or growth of hygienically relevant organisms in drinking water. Results of epidemiological studies together with ecological data are the basis for effective resource protection, water treatment, and risk assessment.
Small boost circuit topology for expanding input voltage range for a bi-directional isolated dc-dc converter

A circuit topology for a bi-directional isolated DC-DC converter and its operation are proposed and evaluation results are discussed. This converter is based on a voltage-source primary circuit and a current-source secondary circuit with an active clamp circuit. To decrease the lower limit of the input voltage for a large voltage range, the proposed topology uses a “small boost circuit” consisting of only a boosting capacitor and a switch on the secondary side. Only when the input voltage is decreased, the switch is kept in the on-state and the secondary voltage is boosted by using transformer series inductance. A 2-kW prototype converter, which has a previously proposed control and the new small boost circuit of the proposed topology, decreased the input voltage lower limit from 289 to 267 V under maximum output conditions.
Regime-dependent robust portfolio selection model

Abstract A multi-period mean-variance model is developed where the model parameters change according to a market with Markov random regime switching. Robust optimization is used to solve the problem which, in turn, gives the explicit expression of the efficient frontier of the mean-variance formulation. Furthermore, a numerical example based on real data from the Chinese stock market is provided to demonstrate the application of this paper.
Technological Change and Energy - An Empirical Assessment of Innovation and Adoption

The global energy system is at a crossroads. Central challenges are curbing greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining security of supply, and fostering competitive markets. Technological change will be a crucial facilitator for achieving a low carbon, sustainable, secure, and competitive energy system in the future. Accelerating green, climate friendly technological change is therefore ranking high on the policy agenda of many countries. We use empirical/econometric methods to analyse the role of technological progress within the energy-technology-economy nexus. The objective consists in identifying and exploring determinants of the technological change process in green, climate friendly technologies. The analyses cover two aspects of technological change: the creation of new ideas and advances in the field of energy technologies (innovation), as well as the adoption and use of technologies. The studies on the driving forces of innovation focus on renewable energy technologies. The empirical models assess the importance of knowledge spillovers in the innovation process of renewable energy technologies. We further devise an approach to identify and retrieve concentrating solar power technologies from patent data which is used to study innovative activity in this field. The adoption of technologies is studied in the context of space heating in the residential sector. The results outline the importance of socio-economic characteristics in the selection of energy technologies by households. In a comparative study on Italian and German households, technology selection and energy demand could be shown to be mostly influenced by similar factors, in particular socio-economic characteristics, in these two countries.
The orphan receptors NGFI-B and steroidogenic factor 1 establish monomer binding as a third paradigm of nuclear receptor-DNA interaction

We examined in detail the DNA interaction of the nuclear receptors NGFI-B and steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) by using a series of gain-of-function domain swaps. NGFI-B bound with high affinity as a monomer to a nearly linear DNA molecule. The prototypic zinc modules interacted with a half-site of the estrogen receptor class, and a distinct protein motif carboxy terminal to the zinc modules (the A box) interacted with two A/T base pairs 5' to the half-site. SF-1 bound in the same manner as NGFI-B, with an overlapping but distinct sequence requirement 5' to the half-site. The key features that distinguished the NGFI-B and SF-1 interactions were an amino group in the minor groove of the SF-1 binding sequence and an asparagine in the SF-1 A box. These results define a common mechanism of NGFI-B and SF-1 DNA binding, which may underlie a competitive mechanism of gene regulation in steroidogenic tissues that express these proteins. This monomer-DNA interaction represents a third paradigm of DNA binding by nuclear receptors in addition to direct and inverted dimerization.
Association of Periodic and Rhythmic Electroencephalographic Patterns With Seizures in Critically Ill Patients

Importance Periodic and rhythmic electroencephalographic patterns have been associated with risk of seizures in critically ill patients. However, specific features that confer higher seizure risk remain unclear. Objective To analyze the association of distinct characteristics of periodic and rhythmic patterns with seizures. Design, Setting, and Participants We reviewed electroencephalographic recordings from 4772 critically ill adults in 3 academic medical centers from February 2013 to September 2015 and performed a multivariate analysis to determine features associated with seizures. Interventions Continuous electroencephalography. Main Outcomes and Measures Association of periodic and rhythmic patterns and specific characteristics, such as pattern frequency (hertz), Plus modifier, prevalence, and stimulation-induced patterns, and the risk for seizures. Results Of the 4772 patients included in our study, 2868 were men and 1904 were women. Lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs) had the highest association with seizures regardless of frequency and the association was greater when the Plus modifier was present (58%; odds ratio [OR], 2.00, P < .001). Generalized periodic discharges (GPDs) and lateralized rhythmic delta activity (LRDA) were associated with seizures in a frequency-dependent manner (1.5-2 Hz: GPDs, 24%,OR, 2.31, P = .02; LRDA, 24%, OR, 1.79, P = .05; ≥ 2 Hz: GPDs, 32%, OR, 3.30, P < .001; LRDA, 40%, OR, 3.98, P < .001) as was the association with Plus (GPDs, 28%, OR, 3.57, P < .001; LRDA, 40%, P < .001). There was no difference in seizure incidence in patients with generalized rhythmic delta activity compared with no periodic or rhythmic pattern (13%, OR, 1.18, P = .26). Higher prevalence of LPDs and GPDs also conferred increased seizure risk (37% frequent vs 45% abundant/continuous, OR, 1.64, P = .03 for difference; 8% rare/occasional vs 15% frequent, OR, 2.71, P = .03, vs 23% abundant/continuous, OR, 1.95, P = .04). Patterns associated with stimulation did not show an additional risk for seizures from the underlying pattern risk (P > .10). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, LPDs, LRDA, and GPDs were associated with seizures while generalized rhythmic delta activity was not. Lateralized periodic discharges were associated with seizures at all frequencies with and without Plus modifier, but LRDA and GPDs were associated with seizures when the frequency was 1.5 Hz or faster or when associated with a Plus modifier. Increased pattern prevalence was associated with increased risk for seizures in LPDs and GPDs. Stimulus-induced patterns were not associated with such risk. These findings highlight the importance of detailed electroencephalographic interpretation using standardized nomenclature for seizure risk stratification and clinical decision making.
Radiation Characteristics of Mushroom-Like PPW LWAs: Analysis and Experimental Verification

The radiation characteristics of mushroom-like parallel-plate waveguide composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antennas (PPW CRLH LWAs) are presented, analyzed, mathematically modeled, and experimentally verified. For this purpose, a frequency-dependent formulation, based on a dispersive circuital model of the antenna, is proposed. The formulation inherently takes into account the mutual coupling between the slots, radiation losses, reactive fields, and the fluctuations of the radiated power with frequency. Very good agreement in the 1-D and 2-D radiation patterns obtained by the proposed formulation and the measured results from a PPW CRLH LWA prototype is found, validating both the antenna radiating properties and the proposed theory.
Daytime-Selective Antihypertensive Activity of Celiprolol

Day-activity rhythms of heart rate and blood pressure are thought to be mediated mainly through the sympathetic nervous system and may have greater amplitudes in patients with hypertension owing to increased daytime and largely normal nighttime values. Drug- induced nighttime hypotension in patients with chronic hypertension has been associated with the precipitation of cardiac failure and a fall in cerebral flow. The authors examined the effects of a single dose and of a 4-week treatment with different classes of antihy pertensive drugs on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in 10 patients with mild hyper tension. Data were assessed by polynomial analysis (Harvard Graphics 3). A single oral dose of enalapril 10 mg, amlodipine 5 mg, carvedilol 25 mg, and celiprolol 200 mg produced a mean reduction of 24-hour ABP compared to placebo of, respectively, 24/11, 11/5, 13/6, and 12/5 mm Hg (p values between < 0.02 and < 0.001). With enalapril, amlodipine, and carvedilol, between-subject variability contributed significantly to the overall variability in the measurements (p values between 0.05 and 0.01 versus zero), whereas with celiprolol this was not so. Although the beta blockers reduced daytime blood pressures similarly to the ACE inhibitor or the calcium channel blocker, they did not reduce nighttime blood pressures. These results were confirmed by an 8-week crossover trial comparing enalapril 10 mg daily with celiprolol 200 mg daily in the same group of patients. The authors conclude (1) that beta blockers produce a more stable reduction of blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension less affected by pressor effects through the sympathetic nervous system; (2) that beta blockers, unlike ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers, do not give rise to nighttime hypotension in this category of patients; and (3) that the selective beta blocker celiprolol may even perform better in these respects than the nonselective beta blocker carvedilol.
Peripheral neurogenic mechanisms in deoxycorticosterone acetate--salt hypertension in the rat.

The finding of elevated circulating catecholamine levels in experimental and human hypertension suggests an active sympathoadrenal participation in the pathogenesis of hypertension. In deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats and in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) the sympathoadrenal reactivity was found to be potentiated in response to various stimuli suggesting alterations in baroreflex functions or in local modulatory mechanisms. Several studies have suggested an attenuation of the alpha 2-presynaptic or local inhibitory mechanism and a potentiation of the beta 2-facilitatory presynaptic mechanism in the peripheral sympathetic system, thus possibly explaining the potentiated sympathoadrenal reactivity in those hypertensive animals. At postsynaptic adrenergic sites, beta-adrenoceptor numbers were reported to be decreased, whereas alpha 1-adrenoceptor numbers were unchanged in the cardiovascular system of DOCA hypertensive rats, thus favoring a dominance of alpha 1-postsynaptic responses in those animals. In support of this concept, the production of inositol monophosphate, used as an index of inositol triphosphate production, was found to be markedly enhanced following norepinephrine-induced alpha 1-stimulation in atria and ventricles as well as in mesenteric and femoral arteries of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats thus suggesting an increased reactivity of the second messenger system linked to alpha 1-adrenoceptors. Since similar abnormalities were also observed in SHR and in human hypertension, it thus appears that an imbalance between alpha- and beta-postsynaptic receptors may exist in various forms of hypertension. These studies therefore suggest the existence of multiple abnormalities in pre- and post-synaptic adrenergic mechanisms in experimental and human hypertension. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)