Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participation of androgen and its receptor in sex determination of an amphibian species

Introduction In the Japanese frog Rana (R.) rugosa the androgen receptor (AR) gene on the W chromosome (W-AR) is barely expressed. Previously we showed that incomplete female-to-male sex-reversal occurred in Z-AR transgenic female frogs. To date, however, there is no report showing that AR with androgens can determine genetically programed male sex fate in any vertebrate species. Here, we examined whether AR together with androgens functions as a sex determinant in an amphibian species. Methods To examine whether complete female-to-male sex-reversal occurs in R. rugosa frogs, we produced AR-transgenic (Tg) and -knockdown (KD) female R. rugosa frogs by the I-SceI meganuclease-mediated gene trap and CRISPR/Cas9 system, respectively. AR-Tg and -KD tadpoles were reared in water containing testosterone (T) at 0 to 7.1 ng/ml. Frozen sections were prepared from the gonads of metamorphosed frogs and immunostained for laminin, Vasa, Pat1a, CYP17 and AR. We also employed PCR analysis to examine Dmrt1, Pat1a and CYP17 expression in the gonads of KD and placebo-KD female frogs. Results Complete female-to-male sex-reversal occurred in the AR-Tg ZW female frogs when a low dosage of T was supplied in the rearing water of tadpoles. However, no sex-reversal was observed in AR-KD ZW female frogs when the gonads were treated with dosages of T high enough to induce complete female-to-male sex-reversal even in wild type frogs. Discussion These results suggest that AR with its androgen ligand functions as a male sex-determinant in the ZW type R. rugosa frogs.
Perioperative glycaemic control in diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery under local anaesthesia: a survey of practices of Singapore ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists.

INTRODUCTION Perioperative glycaemic control is an important aspect of clinical management in diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery under local anaesthesia. While poor long-term glycaemic control has significant implications for surgery, perioperative hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia may also compromise patient safety and surgical outcomes. We aimed to survey ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists on their approach and to identify the prevalent practice patterns in Singapore. METHODS This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted in four public hospitals in Singapore with established ophthalmology and anaesthesia units. Respondents were approached individually, and the self-administered questionnaires comprised questions related to practice patterns, clinical scenarios and awareness of pre-existing guidelines. RESULTS A total of 129 doctors responded to the questionnaire survey. 76 (58.9%) were from ophthalmology departments and 53 (41.1%) were from anaesthesia departments. The majority chose to withhold oral hypoglycaemic agents (82.9%) and/or insulin (69.8%), and keep the patient fasted preoperatively. A blood glucose level ≥ 17 mmol/L prompted 86.0%-93.8% of respondents to adopt a treat-and-defer strategy, while a level ≥ 23 mmol/L prompted 86.0%-96.9% of respondents to cancel the cataract surgery. The respondents were consistently more concerned about perioperative hyperglycaemia (n = 99, 76.7%) than intraoperative hypoglycaemia (n = 83, 64.3%). CONCLUSION The current study presented the prevalent practice patterns of ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists in the perioperative management of diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery in four public hospitals in Singapore. Further research in this field is required, and may be useful for the future formulation of formal guidelines and protocols.
Alkylboranes in the Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling: Stereochemical and Mechanistic Studies.

Both erythro and threo isomers of B-(3,3-dimethyl-1,2-dideuterio-1-butyl)-9-BBN (6) were prepared from 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyne (4) through a hydroboration-deuteronolysis-hydroboration sequence employing first 9-BBN-H and then 9-BBN-D, or in reverse order, respectively. Employing the Whitesides protocol, the stereochemistry of B --> Pd alkyl group transfer in the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of 6 to PhBr has been found to occur with complete retention of configuration with respect to carbon. For the coupling process, the Lewis acidity of the boron plays an important role with B-alkyl-9-BBN (10) forming [HO(R)-9-BBN](-)(1) (12) with the added base, in marked contrast to their B-alkyl-9-oxa-10-borabicyclo[3.3. 2]decane counterparts (R-OBBD, 11) which do not. This behavior parallels their coupling rates with the exclusive reaction of 10 over 11 in competitive experiments. Five five possible roles were demonstrated for the added base in the coupling: (1) the formation of 12, (2) the hydrolysis of Ph(Ph(3)P)(2)PdBr (14) to provide monomeric Ph(Ph(3)P)(2)PdOH (15), (3) the complexation of HOBR(2) byproducts which can compete with 10 for base, (4) accelerated coupling rates for 11, and (5) catalyst regeneration. Kinetic studies reveal that the couplings are zero-order in the borane but for 10 exhibit a first-order dependence on [PhBr] (i.e., oxidative addition), while for 11 exhibit a first-order dependence on [OH(-)(1)] (i.e., Pd(II)X hydrolysis). These data are interpreted in terms of attack of 14 by 12 to form a hydroxo &mgr;(2)-bridged intermediate 8(a) [PhL(2) Pd <-- (OH)BR(9-BBN)]. This provides the precursor to transmetalation through a four-centered transition state 9. Because the analogous hydroxyborate complex is absent for 11, 14 is hydrolyzed by OH(-)(1) forming 15 in a slower process, with this ultimately reacting with 11 to form a related intermediate 8(b) [PhL(2) Pd(OH) --> BR(OBBD)] which also collapses to products through 9.
A study of high cell density cultivation process of recombinant Helicobacter pylori multi-epitope vaccine engineering bacteria.

OBJECTIVE To establish high cell density cultivation process of recombinant Helicobacter pylori multi-epitope vaccine engineering bacteria BIB. METHODS Based on the results of shake flask fermentation, the process was magnified into volume of a 50 L fermenter to optimize and verify the factors affecting the yield of the target protein, such as the fermentation medium, working seed inoculation amount, inducer concentration, induction starting time, induction duration, inducer adding mode and feeding strategy. RESULTS After activated in modified TB medium at 37°C for 8 h, the BIB working seed was inoculated at 5% (v/v) and was induced for expression for another 11 h by the final concentration of 5 mmol/L lactose. In growth phase, glucose at rate of 80 ml/h was used as carbon source, and in induction phase, glycerol at rate of 40 ml/h was used as carbon source; ammonia water was added dropwise to control pH at about 7.0, and revolution speed is adjusted to control the dissolved oxygen at above 30%; ultimately the output of bacterial body was 70 g/L and protein expression amount was about 32%. CONCLUSION After high cell density cultivation of the recombinant engineering bacteria, expression and yield of the target protein rBIB significantly increased.
Choroidal and Photoreceptor Layer Thickness in Myopic Population

Purpose This study examined the profile of the choroidal thickness and photoreceptor layer thickness (PRLT) in healthy myopia subjects, with an attempt to find the connection between change of the choroidal thickness and retinal thickness changes. Methods A total of 64 study participants (64 eyes) were divided into 3 groups in terms of their refractive status: normal sight group (+1.0 D˜−1.0 D), mild or moderate myopia group (−1.0 D˜−6.0 D), high myopia group (>−6.0 D). The fovea and parafoveal region (the region of 6 mm diameter of the fovea as center) of the images were selected by spectral domain optical coherence tomography. A circle of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer simulated by applying the least square curve fitting technique was obtained. Along the vertical direction of the RPE layer, choroidal thickness (choroidal thickness involved the total thickness at the fovea and parafoveal), PRLT, retinal thickness (RT), ganglion layer thickness (GLT), and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in the fovea (PRLT-f, RT-f) or in the parafoveal region (PRLT-pf, RT-pf, GLT and RNFLT) were calculated by Image J software manually. Results As compared with group 1, PRLT-pf, RT-pf, and choroidal thickness were significantly reduced (p<0.05) in group while no significant difference was found in PRLT-f, RT-f, GLT, and RNFLT between the 2 groups. Both univariate and forward multivariate linear regression analysis showed that PRLT-pf and choroidal thickness intertwined obviously. Conclusions In high myopia subjects, not only choroidal thickness, but also photoreceptor layer thickness in the parafoveal region decreased significantly. On the basis of neuron vascular unit theory, the change in choroidal thickness is significantly related to the alternation in PRLT and vice versa.
speG Is Required for Intracellular Replication of Salmonella in Various Human Cells and Affects Its Polyamine Metabolism and Global Transcriptomes

The speG gene has been reported to regulate polyamine metabolism in Escherichia coli and Shigella, but its role in Salmonella remains unknown. Our preliminary studies have revealed that speG widely affects the transcriptomes of infected in vitro M and Caco-2 cells and that it is required for the intracellular replication of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in HeLa cells. In this study, we demonstrated that speG plays a time-dependent and cell type-independent role in the intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of four major polyamines demonstrated putrescine, spermine, and cadaverine as the leading polyamines in S. Typhimurium. The deletion of speG significantly increased the levels of the three polyamines in intracellular S. Typhimurium, suggesting the inhibitory effect of speG on the biosynthesis of these polyamines. The deletion of speG was associated with elevated levels of these polyamines in the attenuated intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium in host cells. This result was subsequently validated by the dose-dependent suppression of intracellular proliferation after the addition of the polyamines. Furthermore, our RNA transcriptome analysis of S. Typhimurium SL1344 and its speG mutant outside and inside Caco-2 cells revealed that speG regulates the genes associated with flagellar biosynthesis, fimbrial expression, and functions of types III and I secretion systems. speG also affects the expression of genes that have been rarely reported to correlate with polyamine metabolism in Salmonella, including those associated with the periplasmic nitrate reductase system, glucarate metabolism, the phosphotransferase system, cytochromes, and the succinate reductase complex in S. Typhimurium in the mid-log growth phase, as well as those in the ilv–leu and histidine biosynthesis operons of intracellular S. Typhimurium after invasion in Caco-2 cells. In the present study, we characterized the phenotypes and transcriptome effects of speG in S. Typhimurium and reviewed the relevant literature to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the potential role of speG in the polyamine metabolism and virulence regulation of Salmonella.
Proposed Running Head : Chaotic Motions of FRing Shepherds

Recent HST images of the Saturnian satellites Prometheus and Pandora show that their longitudes deviate from predictions of ephemerides based on Voyager images. Currently Prometheus is lagging and Pandora leading these predictions by somewhat more than 20◦. We show that these discrepancies are fully accounted for by gravitational interactions between the two satellites. These peak every 24.8 d at conjunctions and excite chaotic perturbations. The Lyapunov exponent for the Prometheus-Pandora system is of order 0.35 yr for satellite masses based on a nominal density of 1.3 g cm. Interactions are strongest when the orbits come closest together. This happens at intervals of 6.2 yr when their apses are anti-aligned. In this context we note the sudden changes of opposite signs in the mean motions of Prometheus and Pandora at the end of 2000 occured shortly after their apsidal lines were anti-aligned.
Characteristics and pharmacodynamics of severe neuroinflammation in a child with neurolupus

Pediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) encompasses diverse symptoms, such as headache, seizures, stroke, depression, psychosis, cognitive impairment, chorea, and neuropathy.1 Neuropsychiatric lupus occurs in one-fourth of cases.1 Although 95%–97% of the children survive, the disease flares in childhood in 20%, and 25% sustain permanent neuropsychiatric injury.1 The paucity of biomarkers, mostly studied in blood2,3; lack of modern neuroimmunologic studies; and poorly defined treatment modalities have hindered management.4 We describe a child with extensive peripheral and CNS manifestations and multiorgan involvement. Multiple cellular and cytokine/chemokine markers indicated profound neuroinflammation with some components responsive, others resistant, to 3-agent immunotherapy.
Systematic Review with Meta-analysis Homocysteine-lowering therapy does not lead to reduction in cardiovascular outcomes in chronic kidney disease patients: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials

The efficacy of homocysteine (Hcy)-lowering therapy in reducing the risk of CVD among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to determine whether pooling the data from the few small randomised, controlled trials that address this topic would improve the statistical power of the analysis and resolve some of the inconsistencies in the results. Randomised, controlled clinical trials (RCT) were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE, www.clinicaltrials. gov, the Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register Database and Nephrology Filters. Independent extraction of articles was performed using predefined data fields. The primary outcome was relative risk (RR) of CVD, CHD, stroke and all-cause mortality for the pooled trials. A stratified analysis was planned, assessing the RR for cardiovascular events between the patients on and not on dialysis. Overall, ten studies met the inclusion criteria. The estimated RR were not significantly different for any outcomes, including CHD (RR 1·00, 95 % CI 0·75, 1·31, P 1⁄4 0·97), CVD (RR 0·94, 95 % CI 0·84, 1·05, P 1⁄4 0·30), stroke (RR 0·83, 95 % CI 0·57, 1·19, P 1⁄4 0·31) and all-cause mortality (RR 1·00, 95 % CI 0·92, 1·09, P 1⁄4 0·98). In the stratified analysis, the estimated RR were not significantly different for cardiovascular events regardless of dialysis or in combination with vitamin B therapy or the degree of reduction in Hcy levels. Our meta-analysis of RCT supports the conclusion that Hcy-lowering therapy was not associated with a significant decrease in the risk for CVD events, stroke and all-cause mortality among patients with CKD.
Interaction between time to treatment and reperfusion therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke

‘Time is brain’ is a slogan that has been used by stroke advocacy groups to raise public awareness that stroke is a medical emergency which requires timely treatment.1 Similarly, the acronym FAST (face, arm, speech, time) has been advertised as an easy way to remember the most common stroke symptoms and the need to act quickly.2 The time dependent nature of brain injury following an ischemic event has been characterized in animal experiments. Early studies have shown that brain tissue gradually undergoes irreversible damage following an acute ischemic stroke. These studies suggest that infarct growth can be described by a logarithmic or a sigmoidal function. The rate at which tissue transitions from reversible to irreversible injury is dependent on the depth of the ischemia; with mild reductions in cerebral blood flow, brain tissue remains viable for a relatively long duration, whereas cerebral injury becomes irreversible rapidly when cerebral blood flow is severely impaired (figure 1). 3 ,4 Another factor that determines the rate at which tissue undergoes irreversible ischemic injury is the type of tissue that is involved. For example, gray matter, which has a higher metabolic demand, is more susceptible to ischemia than white matter.5 The average rate of neuronal loss in humans is estimated to be 1.9 million neurons per minute during the first 10 h after stroke onset.1 These data indicate that stroke treatments aimed at restoring blood flow are most effective when they are initiated early. Figure 1 Schematic representation of infarct volume evolution. A schematic representation of the evolution of infarct volume is shown for three hypothetical scenarios: the patient with a severe reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) (purple line) experiences rapid expansion of the infarct, which reaches its final volume early; moderate growth is seen in the patient with a …
Poisoning with 3-nitropropionic acid in possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Abstract dAims: To evaluate the toxicity, animal behavioural effects and animal welfare implications of 3-nitropropionic acid administration in possums. dMethods: The behavioural effects following 3-nitropropionic acid administration were recorded in 26 possums. dResults: The oral LD50 was between 110 and 170 mg/kg.Time to death averaged 9.5 ± 1.9 h (mean ± s.e.m.). Adverse signs from an animal welfare perspective were retching and restless behaviour that occurred in episodes during a period that averaged 1 h 51 min. Retching occurred in possums that were injected intraperitoneally or dosed orally with the 3- nitropropionic acid, suggesting that this effect was not necessarily initiated by gastric irritation. dConclusion: The potency of 3-nitropropionic acid as a toxin was low compared to other toxins that are used in possums, but it is relatively quick acting. It may cause some discomfort (retching and restlessness) prior to death.
Aspergillus flavus Disseminated Infection in Paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: A Case Report

Here we report the case of a disseminated Aspergillus flavus infection in an adolescent affected by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the beginning of first-line chemotherapy. Association of surgery and combination antifungal therapy (high dose liposomal amphotericin B and caspofungin) allowed infection improvement. 18-FDG PET-MRI was used for response-to therapy monitoring.
Failure of fixation suppression

Failure of visual fixation to suppress caloric nystagmus was studied quantitatively. An ocular-fixation index was defined as a measurement for determining the presence of failure of fixation suppression. The ocular-fixation index of slow-phase velocity best separated normal from abnormal caloric responses. Patients showing failure of fixation suppression by these criteria had a high incidence of posterior fossa lesions.
Metabolic programming establishes resistance of oxidative-type skeletal muscles to glucocorticoid-induced muscle cachexia in rats

The aim of this study was to establish why oxidative type muscles (soleus muscle, SM) are resistant to muscle cachexia induced by dexamethasone disodium phosphate overload (2 mg/kg b.w. day during 5 consecutive days). DEX treatment was associated with the dramatic drop in total antioxidant status, that was partially corrected by the supplementation with antioxidants. The relationships between the expression of selected proteins (phospho-Ser473-Akt [P-PKB] and Akt [PKB], nucleus encoded subunit IV of mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase [NCOIV]) and the activity of selected enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase – LDH, phosphofructokinase – PFK, isocitrate dehydrogenase – ICDH) in SM vs. gastrocnemius muscle (GM) were examined in rats additionally treated with antioxidants (sodium ascorbate, ASC, or ascorbic acid phosphate, ASC-P). No changes were observed in the expression of PKB, P-PKB, NCOIV in soleus muscle. The activity of LDH was not affected, either. Interestingly, PFK activity in SM was elevated in experimentally treated animals (P<0.05) and the highest value was observed after ASC-P (P<0.01). In turn, ICDH activity peaked in SM after dexamethasone treatment (P<0.05) and dropped during the co-treatment with ascorbate (DEX/ASC). The average expression of NCOIV was significantly higher in GM in contrast to SM, although it decreased considerably after DEX treatment or co-treatment. DEX was also shown to reduce significantly the expression of P-PKB in GM. Anyway, the rise in the activity of PFK suggests that SM started to utilize excess glucose during DEX-induced hyperglycemia. In contrast to SM, the activity of PFK in GM was significantly lower after treatment or co-treatment with antioxidants. Taken together, these results pointed to the metabolic profile of the skeletal muscle that determines the resistance of SM to steroid diabetes-induced muscle cachexia. Antioxidants significantly affect the metabolic profiles of examined muscles.
Reconceptualising the information system as a service

The study will cross-fertilise Information Systems (IS) and Services Marketing ideas through reconceptualising the information system as a service (ISaaS). The study addresses known limitations of arguably the two most significant dependent variables in these disciplines - Information System Success or IS-Impact, and Service Quality. Planned efforts to synthesise analogous conceptions across these disciplines, are expected to force a deeper theoretical understanding of the broad notions of success, quality, value and satisfaction and their interrelations. The aims of this research are to: (1) yield a conceptually superior and more extensively validated IS success measurement model, and (2) develop and operationalise a more rigorously validated Service Quality measurement model, while extending the ‘service’ notion to ‘operational computer-based information systems in organisations’. In the development of the new models the study will address contemporary validation issues.
Compositional Stability, Performance, and Safety Certification of Interconnected Systems

Author(s): Meissen, Christopher Ryan | Advisor(s): Packard, Andrew | Abstract: Modern computational tools for stability, performance, and safety certification are not scalable to large nonlinear systems. In this dissertation we propose a compositional analysis approach that takes advantage of the interconnected structure of many modern large-scale systems to solve this problem. Specifically, we pose the certification problem as a distributed optimization that searches over the input-output properties of each subsystem to certify a desired property of the interconnected system. The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), a popular distributed optimization technique, is employed to decompose and solve this problem. This approach is very general in that it allows us to search over a wide range of input-output properties for each subsystem. We demonstrate the use of dissipativity, equilibrium independent dissipativity (EID), and integral quadratic constraints (IQCs) to characterize the properties of the individual subsystems and the entire interconnection. Multiple examples showing the applicability and scalability of the approach are presented.Furthermore, we demonstrate how symmetries in the interconnection topology can be exploited to further improve the computational efficiency and scalability of the distributed optimization problem. Unlike other symmetry reduction techniques this approach does not require the subsystems to be identical, but only to share input-output properties. Thus, it can be applied to many real world systems. We demonstrate these reduction techniques on a large-scale nonlinear example and a vehicle platoon example.Finally, we present a passivity-based formation control strategy for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) cooperatively carrying a suspended load. This strategy is designed such that the input-output properties of the individual UAVs and the interconnection structure guarantee stability of the system under appropriate conditions. Specifically, we show that the system is stable for any configurations where the cables carrying the suspended load are in tension.