Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of NKT, a Gene Product Related to the Organic Cation Transporter Family That Is Almost Exclusively Expressed in the Kidney*

We have identified a gene product (NKT) encoding an apparently novel transcript that appears to be related to the organic ion transporter family and is expressed almost exclusively in the kidney. Analysis of the deduced 546-amino acid protein sequence indicates that NKT is a unique gene product which shares a similar transmembrane domain hydropathy profile as well as transporter-specific amino acid motifs with a variety of bacterial and mammalian nutrient transporters. Nevertheless, the overall homology of NKT to two recently cloned organic ion transport proteins (NLT and OCT-1) is significantly greater; together these three gene products may represent a new subgroup of transporters. The NKT was characterized further with respect to its tissue distribution and its expression during kidney development. A 2.5-kilobase transcript was found in kidney and at much lower levels in brain, but not in a number of other tissues. Studies on the embryonic kidney indicate that the NKT transcript is developmentally regulated with significant expression beginning at mouse gestational day 18 and rising just before birth, consistent with a role in differentiated kidney function. Moreover, in situ hybridization detected specific signals in mouse renal proximal tubules. NKT was mapped by linkage disequilibrium to mouse chromosome 19, the same site to which several mouse mutations localize, including that for osteochondrodystrophy (ocd). Although initial experiments in a Xenopus oocyte expression system failed to demonstrate transport of known substrates for OCT-1, the homology to OCT-1 and other transporters, along with the proximal tubule localization, raise the possibility that this gene may play a role in organic solute transport or drug elimination by the kidney.
The therapeutic potential of phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens, such as the soya isoflavones genistein and daidzein, are currently being extensively investigated through both molecular, preclinical and clinical studies to determine their potential health benefits. Phytoestrogens may protect against chronic diseases such as hormone-dependent cancer (e.g., breast and prostate cancer), cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Investigations of phytoestrogen metabolism and bioavailability are also of great relevance. Conversion by gut microflora of daizein to its isoflavan metabolite equol, which is a more potent oestrogen and anti-oxidant, occurs only in some individuals (about 35% of subjects tested are equol excretors). This has considerable implications for daidzein bioavailability and also for cancer risk. Oxidative damage has been implicated in the development of heart disease and cancer and soya phytoestrogens have been reported to decrease plasma F2-isoprostane concentrations (biomarker for in vivo lipid peroxidation) and increase low density lipoprotein oxidation resistance. This anti-oxidant action of phytoestrogens could potentially contribute to their therapeutic efficacy. The findings from the current ongoing studies are all likely to contribute to determining the potential use of phytoestrogens as therapeutic agents.
CT Hounsfield numbers of soft tissues on unenhanced abdominal CT scans: variability between two different manufacturers' MDCT scanners.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to determine whether Hounsfield numbers of soft tissues on unenhanced abdominal CT of the same patient vary on repeat scans done on two different manufacturers' MDCT scanners. MATERIALS AND METHODS A database search was performed to identify patients older than 18 years who underwent unenhanced CT of the abdomen and pelvis performed both on a Volume CT (GE Healthcare) and a Definition AS Plus (Siemens Healthcare) 64-MDCT scanner within 12 months of each other. After excluding those patients for whom Hounsfield unit measurements would be affected by mitigating factors, 48 patients (mean age, 58.8 years) were identified. Hounsfield unit measurements were obtained in nine different soft-tissue anatomic locations on each scan, and the location of these sites was kept identical on each scan pair. Data were analyzed to evaluate Hounsfield unit differences between these scanners. RESULTS In general, there was a low consistency in the Hounsfield unit measurements for each of these sites on scans obtained by the two scanners, with the subcutaneous fat in the left posterolateral flank showing the lowest correlation (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.198). There were differences in the Hounsfield unit measurements obtained in all anatomic sites on scans obtained by both scanners. Mean Hounsfield unit measurements obtained on the Definition AS Plus scanner were lower than those obtained on the Volume CT scanner, with the intriguing exception of the anterior midline subcutaneous fat Hounsfield unit measurements, which were higher on the Definition AS Plus scanner. All differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Hounsfield unit measurements for unenhanced abdominal soft tissues of the same patient vary between scanners of two common MDCT manufacturers.
The distribution and anthelmintic resistance status of Trichostrongylus colubriformis, T. vitrinus and T. axei in lambs in New Zealand

AIM: To determine the distribution of the three common Trichostrongylus spp. infecting sheep and their resistance status on farms throughout New Zealand, using PCR. METHODS: Cultures were prepared from faecal samples from 70 farms while conducting faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) in lambs between 2010 and 2012. Trichostrongylus-type infective stage larvae (L3) were recovered from cultures, derived from untreated control and albendazole-, levamisole- and ivermectin-treated groups of lambs on each of the farms involved, and these were identified to species using PCR analysis of the second internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. The species composition of the larvae present in cultures from the untreated control groups was examined across all farms to assess any potential differences in geographical distribution. In addition, the species composition of larvae cultured from the untreated and anthelmintic-treated lamb groups were compared to determine which species exhibited resistance to each of the anthelmintics used in the FECRT. RESULTS: Of 67 farms with Trichostrongylus spp. present, 42 (63%) cultures from the untreated control groups contained all three Trichostrongylus spp. and no significant geographical patterns in their distribution were detected. Seven samples contained only one species. Irrespective of the anthelmintic efficacy levels, Trichostrongylus colubriformis dominated cultures prepared from lambs following treatment with albendazole (99.1 (95%CI = 97−100)% of larvae) or levamisole (81.6 (95%CI = 75.3−87.9)% of larvae), indicating the presence of widespread resistance in this species. In cultures prepared from levamisole-treated lambs, small numbers of T. axei larvae were also frequently present (5.4 (95% CI = 1.3−12.4)% of larvae). Resistance to ivermectin was not found in any of the three Trichostrongylus spp. after PCR identification. Although larvae were identified, based on length, as being Trichostrongylus spp. , for 24 of the 48 samples cultured following treatment with ivermectin, 100% of the larvae present were identified as Teladorsagia circumcincta. CONCLUSIONS: As in previous surveys, all three Trichostrongylus spp. were common throughout New Zealand and no geographical patterns were detected in the current study. On all farms where resistance to albendazole and/or levamisole was indicated (i.e. efficacy <95%), the species identified as being resistant was T. colubriformis. Even where efficacies were >95%, T. colubriformis still tended to dominate in post-treatment cultures. While this could reflect a lower susceptibility of T. colubriformis to these anthelmintics, it seems more likely to indicate the presence of resistant genotypes in these populations. Similarly, T. axei also tended to be present after treatment with levamisole, which likely reflects a known lower susceptibility of this species to these anthelmintics.
A Missense Mutation in DUSP6 is Associated with Class III Malocclusion

Class III malocclusion is a common dentofacial phenotype with a variable prevalence according to ethnic background. The etiology of Class III malocclusion has been attributed mainly to interactions between susceptibility genes and environmental factors during the morphogenesis of the mandible and maxilla. Class III malocclusion shows familial recurrence, and family-based studies support a predominance of an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance. We performed whole-exome sequencing on five siblings from an Estonian family affected by Class III malocclusion. We identified a rare heterozygous missense mutation, c.545C>T (p.Ser182Phe), in the DUSP6 gene, a likely causal variant. This variant co-segregated with the disease following an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance. Transcriptional activation of DUSP6 has been presumed to be regulated by FGF/FGFR and MAPK/ERK signaling during fundamental processes at early stages of skeletal development. Several candidate genes within a linkage region on chromosome 12q22-q23 – harboring DUSP6 – are implicated in the regulation of maxillary or mandibular growth. The current study reinforces that the 12q22-q23 region is biologically relevant to craniofacial development and may be genetically linked to the Class III malocclusion.
Subsite distribution of colorectal carcinoma and implications for screening; a retrospective audit of 1771 cases.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Recent epidemiologic studies mentioned a shift from left to right in colorectal cancer. We searched our hospital database to try to give an insight into the patient characteristics and also optimize the screening programs in our country. METHODOLOGY A total of 1771 colorectal cancer patients were identified and analyzed. Patients' gender, age, operation dates, tumor localization, resectability and T stage of the lesions, were recorded and comparisons were made. Second step of the study consisted of a questionnaire including 6 questions that were asked to 278 physicians to document current physician attitudes and practices regarding colorectal cancer screening, and to formulate appropriate interventions. RESULTS Most of our patients were older than 51 in our study and a higher percentage of cases had sigmoid and rectal cancer (67%). The chronological trends in anatomic subsite distribution of colorectal cancer showed that by changing years when left colon cancer percentage was increasing, rectum cancer percentage was decreasing. There was no age-dependent variation in the topographical distribution of colorectal cancer by changing years. Also there was no relation between sex differences and subsite distribution when the whole group was taken into consideration. Specialist physicians had a poor understanding of colorectal cancer screening and lacked the responsibility of the screening programs. CONCLUSIONS Data presented in this article do not support a progressive left to right shift in the distribution of colorectal carcinoma. Screening with fecal occult blood testing and sigmoidoscopy seems appropriate. Physician education may be an important step in screening before public awareness.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food: a spectrum of potential health consequences

Contamination of grain with 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine ester alkaloids (dehydroPAs) and their N-oxides is responsible for large incidents of acute and subacute food poisoning, with high morbidity and mortality, in Africa and in central and south Asia. Herbal medicines and teas containing dehydroPAs have also caused fatalities in both developed and developing countries. There is now increasing recognition that some staple and widely consumed foods are sometimes contaminated by dehydroPAs and their N-oxides at levels that, while insufficient to cause acute poisoning, greatly exceed maximum tolerable daily intakes and/or maximum levels determined by a number of independent risk assessment authorities. This suggests that there may have been cases of disease in the past not recognised as resulting from dietary exposure to dehydroPAs. A review of the literature shows that there are a number of reports of liver disease where either exposure to dehydroPAs was suspected but no source was identified or a dehydroPA-aetiology was not considered but the symptoms and pathology suggests their involvement. DehydroPAs also cause progressive, chronic diseases such as cancer and pulmonary arterial hypertension but proof of their involvement in human cases of these chronic diseases, including sources of exposure to dehydroPAs, has generally been lacking. Growing recognition of hazardous levels of dehydroPAs in a range of common foods suggests that physicians and clinicians need to be alert to the possibility that these contaminants may, in some cases, be a possible cause of chronic diseases such as cirrhosis, pulmonary hypertension and cancer in humans.
Tuning the defect density in chemically synthesized graphene

Gram-scale quantities of graphene sheets can be synthesized in a bottom-up chemical approach and we have sought to address the extent of the defect density using various characterization techniques which include X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, single area electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the chemically synthesized graphene sheets have a tendency to stack without inter-planar coherence such as that found in graphite. The driving force behind this stacking is believed to be due to ¿-¿ interactions between overlaid carbon sheets. The overall defect density was shown to decrease by simply varying the carbon precursor used in the chemical synthesis.
Recent advances in research on early detection, causes, biology, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) continue to represent a major public health challenge. In 2009, two new studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed new prevalence data indicating that ASD now affects approximately one in 110 children in the United States, and one in 70 boys [1,2]. It is estimated that the cost of caring for individuals with ASD in the USA is $35 billion annually, with most of the cost directed toward adult care. This societal burden, coupled with a lack of adequate effective treatments and services, underscore the urgent need for more autism research. This issue of Current Opinion in Neurology describes some of the scientific advances we have made in the past few years in early detection, causes, biology, and treatment of autism.
Preparation of Gold Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications Using Chemometric Technique

Purpose : To study the effect of process conditions on the size of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) prepared by chemometric technique. Methods : AuNPs were prepared by adding 5 ml of 5 mM of gold (III) chloride hydrate HAuCl4 (2 mg/mL) to 85 ml of filtered deionized water, then refluxed in a 250 mL flask over a hot plate and heated to boiling point. Five milliliters of sodium citrate solution of varying concentrations were quickly added to the boiling solution and stirred for 30 min until the color turned to wine red. Chemometric approach, based on multivariant analysis, was applied to the optimization of iron oxide nanoparticle size in respect of three parameters, viz, concentration of sodium citrate solution, stirrer speed and ionic strength of the medium. The experiments were performed according to Box-Behnken experimental design. Results : The regression model obtained was characterized by both descriptive and predictive ability. The method was optimized with respect to average diameter as a response. The average diameter of the nanoparticles produced under different conditions were between 17.7 up to 168.8 nm. The criteria for the evaluation of the descriptive capability of a polynomial were R2 = 0.974, standard error = 13.994 and F-ratio = 18.4. Conclusion : It can be concluded that the Box-Behnken experimental design provides a suitable approach for optimizing and testing the robustness of gold nanoparticle preparation method. Keywords : Box-Behnken design, Optimization, Nanoparticles, Gold, Biomedical, Chemometric.
Family Bird: A Heterogeneous Simulated Flock

Since the phenomena of bird flocking is so fascinating, there is no shortage of computer models that try to visualize this mesmerizing spectacle. However, the quality of artificially modelled flocks is currently not on par with their counterparts in nature. We believe the main reason for this lies in the homogeneous structure of flocks in computer models. In this article we show how just a pinch of heterogeneousness can increase the repertoire of displayed behaviours.
Comparative Analysis of State and Civil Society Discourse on Human Rights Implementation and the Position of Roma in the Former Yugoslav Space

Abstract This study analyses the position of Roma people in the former Yugoslavia using state and civil society discourse on human rights implementation. It reveals that states are failing to give sufficient prioritisation to tackling longstanding discrimination and oppression. Instead of positive the effects predicted by complementarity theory, the findings reveal ‘frame dis-alignment’ between political elites and NGOs. This raises questions of legitimation and performativity in human rights practice. States’ failure to fully engage with NGOs’ policy claims effectively renders Roma people ‘semi-citizens’. Systemic reform by government is required in order to promote equal citizenship through civil society engagement in rights implementation.
12-bit microelectromechanical digital-to-analog converter of displacement: Design, fabrication and characterization

A MicroElectroMechanical Digital-to-Analog Converter (MEMDAC) converts an input binary code into an output displacement proportional to the analog value given by the input code. We present a MEMDAC with improved kinematic design that allows large in-plane displacement range and high positioning resolution while making micro fabrication process less critical. A 12-bit MEMDAC is successfully fabricated and operated demonstrating a positioning resolution better than 3 nm and a total stroke of 8.57 mum at a driving voltage of 45 V. These features make it an attractive candidate for diverse applications in which open-loop positioning with high resolution, stability and repeatability are beneficial.
Cryogenic microwave wideband measurements of superconducting thin films

We discuss calibration issues in wideband (2-20 GHz) surface impedance measurements in a cryogenic and high-magnetic-field environment. We show that, in the case of measurements taken on superconducting thin films, the substantial impossibility of a full, three-standard calibration can be partially overcome by exploiting appropriate approximations and the basic properties of superconductors. We discuss a modification of the so-called “short-only” calibration, in order to increase the accuracy of the measurements. We check experimentally the applicability of the approximations at the ground of the method, and we report sample measurements of the surface impedance of a MgB2 superconducting film.
Membership Problem in GL(2, Z) Extended by Singular Matrices

© Igor Potapov and Pavel Semukhin; licensed under Creative Commons License CC-BY. We consider the membership problem for matrix semigroups, which is the problem to decide whether a matrix belongs to a given finitely generated matrix semigroup. In general, the decidability and complexity of this problem for two-dimensional matrix semigroups remains open. Recently there was a significant progress with this open problem by showing that the membership is decidable for 2 X 2 nonsingular integer matrices. In this paper we focus on the membership for singular integer matrices and prove that this problem is decidable for 2X2 integer matrices whose determinants are equal to 0, 1, -1 (i.e. for matrices from GL(2,Z) and any singular matrices). Our algorithm relies on a translation of numerical problems on matrices into combinatorial problems on words and conversion of the membership problem into decision problem on regular languages.
Effects of Bone Mineral Density on Pedicle Screw Fixation

Study Design In an attempt to evaluate the effects of bone mineral density on the quality of fixation of pedicle screws in the lumbar spine, the axial pullout force was determined and compared in normal and osteoporotic human lumbar spines. Objectives Four techniques of screw hole preparation were evaluated. Two pedicle screw/offset laminar hook constructs also were evaluated to determine whether the adjunct fixation of the laminar hooks would improve quality of fixation to a level sufficient to allow their use in the osteoporotic lumbar spine. Methods Pedicle screws were inserted by one of the listed techniques into fresh frozen cadaveric human spines. The fixation strength then was evaluated by pullout on a uniaxial testing frame. Results Bone mineral density was a strong influence on axial pullout force. In normal bone, the method of screw hole preparation did not significantly affect the quality of fixation. However, in the osteoporotic spine, either an untapped screw hole or the tapping of a screw hole with a 5.5 mm tap improved the pullout force a statistically significant amount (P < 0.003). Also, a pedicle screw with offset hooks at two adjacent levels improved the fixation significantly, increasing the pullout force to twice the expected value. Conclusion Pedicle screw pullout strength was highly correlated with bone mineral density. A 5.5 mm tap or preparation with a ganglion knife improved pullout strength. Use of pedicle screws in conjunction with laminar hooks at two levels improved pullout strength.
SYNCHRONIZATION USING FAILURE DETECTORS

Many important synchronization problems in distributed computing are impossible to solve (in a fault-tolerant manner) in purely asynchronous systems, where message transmission delays and relative processor speeds are unbounded. It is then natural to seek for the minimal synchrony assumptions that are sufficient to solve a given synchronization problem. A convenient way to describe synchrony assumptions is using the failure detector abstraction. In this thesis, we determine the weakest failure detectors for several fundamental problems in distributed computing: solving fault-tolerant mutual exclusion, solving non-blocking atomic commit, and boosting the synchronization power of atomic objects. We conclude the thesis by a perspective on the very definition of failure detectors.
A novel cultural algorithm for real-parameter optimization

The intellects-masses optimizer (IMO) is a new variant of cultural algorithm, which is used to solve continuous numerical optimization problems. The proposed method divides its population into two sub-populations, one that contains the fittest individuals (called the intellects) and the other sub-population, which includes the rest of the individuals in the population (called the masses). The two sub-populations evolve in parallel and influence each other. IMO is a simple, easy to code approach that has few, easy to tune parameters. The performance of IMO is investigated on 25 problems; five of them are real-world engineering problems and six high-dimensional problems. IMO is compared with 6 other state-of-the-art swarm intelligence approaches on the 25 problems. The results show that IMO generally outperforms the other approaches.