Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatty acid‐induced induction of Toll‐like receptor‐4/nuclear factor‐κB pathway in adipocytes links nutritional signalling with innate immunity

To study the effects of fatty acids and the involvement of the Toll‐like receptor‐4/nuclear factor‐κB (TLR‐4/NF‐κB) pathway with respect to the secretion of adipokines from adipocytes 3T3‐L1 adipocytes were stimulated with increasing doses of fatty acids. The secretion of adiponectin, resistin and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The NF‐κB p65 nuclear translocation and TLR‐4 expression were investigated by Western blot. The effects mediated by NF‐κB were tested using a specific NF‐κB‐inhibitor and TLR‐4‐induced effects were analysed with a neutralizing TLR‐4 antibody. Binding of 14C‐labelled fatty acids to TLR‐4/MD‐2 was investigated using a FLAG‐tagged extracellular part of TLR‐4 fused to full‐length MD‐2 via a linker (lipopolysaccharide‐Trap). The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of adipokines in abdominal adipose tissue of rats fed a standard chow or a high‐fat diet was investigated by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The TLR‐4 is induced during adipocyte differentiation and its expression is enhanced following fatty acid stimulation. The stimulatory effects of stearic and palmitic acids on MCP‐1 secretion and of palmitoleic acid on resistin secretion are mediated via NF‐κB. The stimulatory effects of stearic, palmitic and palmitoleic acids on resistin secretion and the stimulatory effect of stearic acid on MCP‐1 secretion are mediated via TLR‐4. Fatty acid‐mediated effects are caused by an endogenous ligand because fatty acids were shown not to bind directly to TLR‐4/MD‐2. Adipose tissue mRNA expression and serum levels of adipokines did not differ in rats fed a high‐fat diet. These data provide a new molecular mechanism by which fatty acids can link nutrition with innate immunity.
A 45nm CMOS 13-port 64-word 41b fully associative content-addressable register file

The high-performance needs of mobile products has motivated CPU designers to increase processing performance while decreasing power consumption. A dual-issue out-of-order superscalar ARMv7-architecture CPU uses the technique of register-renaming to resolve write-after-read and write-after-write data hazards associated with register file (RF) operands. Register-renaming increases processing throughput by increasing instruction parallelism through the avoidance of many hazard-induced pipeline stalls. The RF is a 64-word, 41-bit fully-associative content-addressable array with three CAM-write ports, four RAM-write ports, and six read ports. The RF incorporates many low-power circuit and micro-architectural techniques unseen in prior similar RFs [1,2], such as gated-xnor static comparators, tri-state floating read bitlines, and read wordline gating to prevent unnecessary RF reads.
Subretinal injections in rodent eyes: effects on electrophysiology and histology of rat retina.

PURPOSE To describe a reliable and fast method for subretinal injection in rodents and to assess the effect of the procedure on retinal function and histology. METHODS Corneas of rodents were punctured with a 28 gauge hypodermic insulin needle avoiding the lens. The injection procedure can be observed with the aid of a dissecting microscope and methylcellulose solution on the eye. A 33 gauge blunt needle was inserted into the eye through the corneal puncture and guided toward the subretinal matrix. Addition of fluorescein to the injection mixture facilitated immediate evaluation of the injection. Rat eyes were either non-injected (controls), received only a corneal puncture or were injected with fluorescent microspheres or PBS-fluorescein mixture. Retinal function and integrity were assessed through electroretinographic (ERG) analysis and postmortem histology. RESULTS The anterior injection procedure provided a fast and simple method for subretinal injections. In rats a successful subretinal delivery was achieved in more than 90%, with less than 5% of the injected eyes developing cataracts. No significant differences in b-wave ERG amplitudes in rodent eyes over a five-week period were observed between non-injected control eyes and subretinally injected eyes (1 to 10 microl of PBS-fluorescein or 2 microl fluorescent microspheres). Histological analysis revealed that re-attachment of the rat retina occurred in approximately 1 day post-injection and the phagocytotic ability of RPE cells remained intact. CONCLUSIONS This method was easily learned and required a minimum of equipment and animal preparation. With experience, 10 to 30 eyes could be injected per h. Furthermore, the injection procedure did not compromise the lens, retina or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).
Evidence that RDX biodegradation by Rhodococcus strain DN22 is plasmid‐borne and involves a cytochrome p‐450

Aims: To investigate the biodegradation of the explosive compound RDX in Rhodococcus strain DN22, a bacterium previously isolated for its ability to grow on RDX as sole nitrogen source. Methods and Results: Analysis of the rates of RDX degradation and nitrite production indicated that 2 mol nitrite were produced per mole RDX degraded. Cells of strain DN22 had the highest activity against RDX during the exponential phase and low activity in the stationary phase. Nitrite production from RDX was inhibited by metyrapone, menadione, piperonyl butoxide, n‐octylamine and carbon monoxide and inducible by pyrrolidine, pyridine and atrazine. Acridine orange treatment yielded RDX‐minus derivatives of strain DN22 at a curing rate of 1·5% and all of the cured derivatives had lost a large plasmid. Conclusions: RDX biodegradation in strain DN22 appears to involve a plasmid‐encoded cytochrome p‐450 enzyme. Significance and Impact of the Study: Plasmid‐borne RDX degradation genes could potentially be transferred between bacteria. Our research into RDX metabolism in strain DN22 will facilitate future applications of this bacterium for bioremediation.
Direct concurrent comparison of multiple pediatric acute asthma scoring instruments

ABSTRACT Objective: Appropriate delivery of Emergency Department (ED) treatment to children with acute asthma requires clinician assessment of acute asthma severity. Various clinical scoring instruments exist to standardize assessment of acute asthma severity in the ED, but their selection remains arbitrary due to few published direct comparisons of their properties. Our objective was to test the feasibility of directly comparing properties of multiple scoring instruments in a pediatric ED. Methods: Using a novel approach supported by a composite data collection form, clinicians categorized elements of five scoring instruments before and after initial treatment for 48 patients 2–18 years of age with acute asthma seen at the ED of a tertiary care pediatric hospital ED from August to December 2014. Scoring instruments were compared for inter-rater reliability between clinician types and their ability to predict hospitalization. Results: Inter-rater reliability between clinician types was not different between instruments at any point and was lower (weighted kappa range 0.21–0.55) than values reported elsewhere. Predictive ability of most instruments for hospitalization was higher after treatment than before treatment (p < 0.05) and may vary between instruments after treatment (p = 0.054). Conclusions: We demonstrate the feasibility of comparing multiple clinical scoring instruments simultaneously in ED clinical practice. Scoring instruments had higher predictive ability for hospitalization after treatment than before treatment and may differ in their predictive ability after initial treatment. Definitive conclusions about the best instrument or meaningful comparison between instruments will require a study with a larger sample size.
Echoendoscopic ethanol ablation of tumor combined with celiac plexus neurolysis in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Endoscopic ultrasonography guided‐celiac plexus neurolysis relieves pain in patients with pancreatic cancer but with often suboptimal and transient results. The study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound‐guided tumor ethanol ablation combined with celiac plexus neurolysis with respect to celiac plexus neurolysis alone for pain management in patients with pancreatic cancer.
Satisfação no Trabalho: Um estudo na Agência da Caixa Econômica Federal de Cícero Dantas - BA

Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o nivel de satisfacao no trabalho dos empregados de uma agencia da Caixa Economica Federal no Estado da Bahia. O referencial teorico que deu suporte ao estudo discute os conceitos e teorias relacionados a satisfacao no trabalho. Trata-se de um estudo de caso com analise qualitativa e quantitativa de dados. O instrumento utilizado para coleta de dados foi o questionario da Escala de satisfacao no trabalho (EST) em sua versao completa de 25 itens e entrevistas semi-estruturadas. Os resultados apontam que os trabalhadores da agencia pesquisada estao satisfeitos quanto a satisfacao geral no trabalho. A entrevista revela que os participantes sentem elevada satisfacao com os colegas de trabalho, por outro lado, os participantes revelaram criticas quanto as condicoes de trabalho e quantidade de funcionarios insuficiente. Corroborando os resultados da entrevista, os dados apresentados pelo questionario EST revelaram que a dimensao que obteve o maior indice de satisfacao foi a dimensao “satisfacao com os colegas” e a dimensao que obteve o menor indice foi a dimensao “satisfacao com a natureza do trabalho”.
Animal Models of Alzheimer's Disease: An Understanding of Pathology and Therapeutic Avenues

ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder with unclear etiology for a few decades. Many animal models employed to study the etiology of the disease and test the efficacy of a drug could give limited understanding of these events. Introduction of aluminum salts into aged New Zealand rabbit brain could demonstrate neurofibrillary tangle formation in 1965. This outstanding contribution substantiated the role of aluminum in Alzheimer's disease in turn becoming the basis further molecular studies in rabbits. In this review, various animal models (transgenic mice, rats, rabbits, zebrafish) used to study the pathology of the disease and to test the efficacy of a drug have been summarized. It also focuses on the growing need to unravel the molecular underpinnings of the disease progression.
Qui sont vraiment les dirigeants des PME

Les dirigeants sont l'objet de perceptions contrastees dans l'opinion publique, ils sont regulierement stigmatises et leur description frole la caricature : du "patrons voyous" a "l'extraodinaire entrepreneur". Cet ouvrage vous propose de mieux les connaitre. Les PME font aujourd’hui l’unanimite et sont placees au coeur de nos economies europeennes. Ce serait grâce a elles que nos pays retrouveraient croissance et emploi. Mais au fait, que savons-nous reellement de ces fameuses PME ? Constituent-elles un ensemble homogene, a opposer systematiquement aux grandes entreprises ? Et au-dela, que connaissons-nous des dirigeants de ces entreprises ? Qui sont-ils ? Pour depasser une meconnaissance qui alimente les prejuges, l’association ARIANE, Competences & Management, a voulu aller plus loin. La premiere etape a consiste a realiser une enquete d’opinion aupres des dirigeants eux-memes, a la fois en France, en Allemagne et en Italie. A partir de la, des chercheurs universitaires ont ete reunis pour reagir aux resultats et les confronter a leurs propres travaux. C’est la synthese de cette enquete et de ces analyses qui est presentee dans cet ouvrage. Loin des cliches et idees recues, le lecteur trouvera des eclairages varies, souvent inedits, sur la realite de ce que sont et vivent (vraiment) les dirigeants des PME. Didier Chabaud, President de l’Academie de l’Entrepreneuriat et de l’innovation, apporte ses connaissances et son savoir-faire, faisant le lien entre ARIANE, Competences & Management, ancree dans le monde des cadres et dirigeants des PME, et les chercheurs universitaires. Ont contribue a cet ouvrage : Thierry Aumonier, Genevieve Bel, Michel Bon, Didier Chabaud, Jean-Michel Degeorge, Christian Henry, Yann Laroche, Wadid Lamine, Typhaine Lebegue, Bernard Legendre, Pierre Louart, Albert Lwango, Andre Marcon, Eric Peres, Jean-Francois de Zitter.
Redirected growth of pyramidal tract axons following neonatal pyramidotomy in cats

After the pyramidal tract at the pontomedullary junction in neonatal cats had been cut and the ipsilateral frontoparietal cortex injected with intra‐axonal markers at 40 to 74 days of age, cortical axons were labeled in aberrant pathways that descended into the caudal medulla and spinal cord. Some labeled axons from the damaged pyramidal tract crossed the midline, descended with fibers in the intact pyramidal tract through the pyramidal decussation, and entered the lateral corticospinal tract. Another group of aberrant projections descended bilaterally along the ventrolateral edge of the medulla and either ended in the lateral reticular nuclei or continued into the spinal cord. Finally, some axons descended individually through the central medullary tegmentum and ended bilaterally in the spinal trigeminal, dorsal column, and lateral reticular nuclei. Although these findings suggest that pyramidal tract axons regenerate after injury, the findings from a second series of experiments refute this conclusion. In 2‐to 5‐day‐old cats, the fluorescent dye Fast Blue was injected into the spinal cord, and 7 to 8 days later the contralateral pyramidal tract was cut. In these animals, there were never any cortical neurons retrogradely labeled with Fast Blue in the frontoparietal cortex ipsilateral to the pyramidotomy, although numerous neurons were labeled contralaterally. Control experiments confirmed that the interval between the Fast Blue injections and the pyramidotomies was long enough for retrogradely labeling cortical neurons, that the spinal cord injections did not adversely affect the retrogradely labeled cortical neurons, and following axotomy dying cortical neurons could be demonstrated directly using silver impregnation techniques. We conclude that neonatal pyramidotomy causes the death of all axotomized cortical neurons in kittens, and, therefore, the aberrant cortical projections seen caudal to the lesion must be redirected, late‐developing, and undamaged cortical axons, and not regenerated axons.
Trichostatin A (TSA) improves the development of rabbit‐rabbit intraspecies cloned embryos, but not rabbit‐human interspecies cloned embryos

The interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) technique for therapeutic cloning gives great promise for treatment of many human diseases. However, the incomplete nuclear reprogramming and the low blastocyst rate of iSCNT are still big problems. Herein, we observed the effect of TSA on the development of rabbit–rabbit intraspecies and rabbit–human interspecies cloned embryos. After treatment with TSA for 6 hr during activation, we found that the blastocyst rate of rabbit–rabbit cloned embryos was more than two times higher than that of untreated embryos; however, the blastocyst rate of TSA‐treated rabbit–human interspecies cloned embryos decreased. We also found evident time‐dependent histone deacetylation‐reacetylation changes in rabbit–rabbit cloned embryos, but not in rabbit–human cloned embryos from fusion to 6 hr after activation. Our results suggest that TSA‐treatment does not improve blastocyst development of rabbit–human iSCNT embryos and that abnormal histone deacetylation‐reacetylation changes in iSCNT embryos may account for their poor blastocyst development. Developmental Dynamics 237:640–648, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neural correlates of paediatric dysgraphia

Writing is an important skill that is related both to school performance and to psychosocial outcomes such as the child's self‐esteem. Deficits in handwriting performance are frequently encountered in children with developmental coordination disorder. This review focuses on what is known about the neural correlates of atypical handwriting in children. Knowledge of the neural correlates is derived from studies using clinical case designs (e.g. lesion studies), studies using neuroimaging, and assessment of minor neurological dysfunction. The two functional imaging studies suggest a contribution of cortical areas and the cerebellum. The largest study indicated that cortical areas in all regions of the brain are involved (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital). The two lesion studies confirmed cerebellar involvement. The findings of the study on minor neurological dysfunction in children with writing problems correspond to the imaging results. The limited data on the neural substrate of paediatric dysgraphia suggest that at least a subset of the children with dysgraphia have dysfunctions in extensive supraspinal networks. In others, dysfunction may be restricted to either the cerebellum or specific cortical sites.
A Treatment Algorithm for Patients Presenting with Sagittal Craniosynostosis after the Age of 1 Year

Background: Sagittal craniosynostosis typically presents shortly after birth, with a scaphocephalic head shape, and is addressed surgically for functional and aesthetic concerns. This study highlights the authors’ experience with a challenging patient population: those with phenotypically mild, missed, and late-developing sagittal craniosynostosis. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted for all cases of sagittal craniosynostosis presenting to the authors’ institution between July of 2013 and December of 2015. Patients older than 1 year with isolated sagittal craniosynostosis were included. All children were evaluated by craniofacial surgery, neurosurgery, and ophthalmology departments. All patients had dilated fundus examinations and visual evoked potentials. Results: Fifty-two patients met inclusion criteria. Only nine patients have been treated surgically (17.3 percent). Two patients underwent operative correction for obvious scaphocephaly. Four patients who presented with concerning ophthalmologic evaluations and another patient with classic intracranial hypertension–related headaches underwent cranial vault expansion. Eight patients presented with inconclusive ophthalmologic evaluations. These patients were admitted for intracranial pressure monitoring, of which two were found to have elevated levels (25 percent) and underwent operative intervention. Thirty-seven other patients presented with isolated sagittal craniosynostosis in the setting of overall normocephaly without any signs concerning for intracranial hypertension. These patients continue to undergo serial evaluation. Conclusions: The authors describe their treatment protocol for a large series of patients presenting with the delayed diagnosis of sagittal craniosynostosis. Based on the early experience of the authors’ center with this protocol, the risk of intracranial hypertension appears to be low in this population. The majority of patients to date have been managed nonsurgically without invasive monitoring. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.
On Linguistics and Cascading Inventions: A Comment on Arnold's Dismissal of a Polynesian Contact Event in Southern California

In her recent article, "Credit Where Credit is Due: The History of the Chumash Oceangoing Plank Canoes," Jeanne Arnold questions our 2005 paper in which we suggested that a prehistoric contact event with Polynesians resulted in conveyance of the sewn-plank boat construction technique and a particular style of compound bone fishhook to the Chumash and Gabrielino of southern California. We agree with many of Arnold's views about the cascading effects of sewn-plank boat construction on Native societies of southern California, but question her dismissal of certain aspects of the empirical record, particularly the linguistics, in portraying this invention as strictly autochthonous. Here we recast aspects of the linguistic evidence that Arnold overlooks, provide evidence from oral history which she says is lacking, and discuss chronological issues that are much less straightforward than she suggests. We also mention implications of recent findings from South America. Finally, we submit that we have not discredited the Chumash or any other Native society in developing this hypothesis.
Distributed Energy Resources: New Markets and New Products

The rapid introduction of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) into the retail/distribution sector of the electric power system has raised questions concerning both the economics and control of the power system. This paper presents one market paradigm that builds upon extension of the logic of Locational Marginal Pricing into the distribution level arguing that this extension is necessary if there are to be competitive forces that bring new technologies to market while at the same time assuring the reliability of service. We introduce three concepts: first that there are only three core products (real power, reactive power and reserves) and that all other products are combinations of these; second that it is necessary to calculate Distributed Locational Marginal Prices (DLMP) in order to value any DER; and third that for there to be a market for DER it should be structured as an economic platform.
Efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept injections for Japanese patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept therapy in treatment-naïve Japanese patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter scores. Subjects and methods This study was a prospective, nonrandomized, interventional exploratory clinical trial performed in an institutional setting. Patients with PCV were treated with intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg/0.05 mL every 2 months after 3 initial monthly doses, for 1 year. Visual acuity test using the ETDRS chart and indocyanine green angiography was performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after initiating the treatment, in addition to routine examinations performed at each visit. The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients who achieved <15 ETDRS letter score loss. Results Twenty-two patients were enrolled in this study. Nineteen (86%) patients were eligible for analysis. All the patients maintained their visual acuity (<15 ETDRS letter score loss) at 12 months. The ETDRS letter scores were 64.1 at baseline and 69.8 at 12 months (P<0.039). The polyps regressed completely in 14 (74%) patients at 12 months. Cataract progressed in 1 eye, but this progression was considered to be a senile change. Conclusions Japanese patients with treatment-naïve PCV, who were treated with intravitreal aflibercept every 2 months after 3 initial monthly doses, exhibited a significant increase in ETDRS letter scores and a high rate of polyp resolution at 12 months.