Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological and Histochemical Observations on the Prenatal and Postnatal Testes of the Field Rat (Millardia meltada)

Der fetale Hoden der Feldmaus (Millardia meltada) weist Samenkanälchen und im Interstitium — neben Blutgefäßen — mesenchymale Zellen sowie differenzierte Leydigzellen auf. Während der Pränatalperiode finden sich im Tubulus Gonocyten und Sertolizellen. Nach der Geburt nimmt der Tubulusdurchmesser zunächst ab, dann aber erneut um den 9. und 10. postnatalen Tag rapide zu. Bereits am 1. Tag post partum erscheinen zwischen den Gonocyten Spermatogonien und am 8. Tag Spermatocyten I.0; Spermatocyten II.0 und Spermatiden wurden nicht vor dem 23. postnatalen Tag beobachtet. Mehrere hypertrophierte Leydigzellen des fetalen Hodens zeigten sich um den 17. pränatalen Tag und nahmen erheblich bis zum 18. und 19. Tag zu. Nur wenige Stunden postnatal war die Leydigzellzahl rasch vermindert. Diese Fluktuation der Leydigzellen der prä‐ und neonatalen Hoden stehen in Korrelation zu dem Anstieg und Abfall der Testosteronproduktion während dieser Periode.
Influence of Liposomes and Niosomes on the In Vitro Permeation and Skin Retention of Finasteride

In this work we sought to determine whether vesicles (liposomes/niosomes) were able to enhance finasteride concentration in the dermis layer, including the pilosebaceous units (PSU). Such enhancement could be beneficial in the treatment of some androgen-related skin disorders. Hamster flank skin was used to study 3 Hfinasteride permeation via vesicles and a hydroalcoholic solution (HA). The drug-containing vesicles were composed of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or egg lecithin: cholesterol: dicetyl phosphate (liposomes) and polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers (Brij ® series) or sorbitan monopalmitate (Span 40): cholesterol: dicetyl phosphate (niosomes) and were prepared by the film hydration technique. Determination of finasteride content by HPLC showed 80-97% drug entrapment efficiency in the vesicles. The amount of 3 H-finasteride penetrated into and permeated through hamster skin 24 h after topical application of vesicles ranged from 5.5 to 13% of the initial dose, compared to 24%, observed with HA (p<0.05). The amount of finasteride deposited within the different skin strata via gelstate Span 40 and lecithin vesicles was lower, when compared with liquid-state Brij97, Brij 76: Brij 97 and DMPC vesicles. The fraction of finasteride found in the dermis layer was greatest where DMPC liposomes were used (7.8%). The vesicles significantly reduced drug permeation as indicated by the flux of finasteride from vesicles (0.025-0.058 µg/cm 2 .h), where compared with the HA (0.13 µg/cm 2 .h), (p<0.01). This study demonstrated the potentials of liquid-state vesicles in reducing the percutaneous absorption of finasteride and increasing its concentration and retention in the dermis layer.
Dynamic Boundary Tracking Using Dynamic Sensor Nets

This paper describes a cooperative dynamic network capable of monitoring a stable dynamic boundary defined by a certain substance (e.g., a chemical spill) in the environment. Specifically, we present algorithms that allow a mobile sensor network to track and distribute along a dynamic boundary. The estimated dynamics of the boundary are explicitly taken into account in the design of synchronous motion coordination algorithms. The decentralized nature of the methodology implemented could potentially allow the network to reconfigure on-the-fly by adding/removing sensors as needed. Simulation results verify the validity of the proposed cooperative control scheme
Multi‐segmental innervation of single pontine reticulospinal axons in the cervico‐thoracic region of the cat: Anterograde PHA‐L tracing study

To characterize the fine morphology of individual reticulospinal axons at multiple spinal segments, localized injections of the anterograde neural tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA‐L), were made into the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis (NRPo) of the cat. Following survival periods of 6–8 weeks, labelled axons, between 1 and 8 μm in diameter, were found throughout the cervical and upper thoracic segments. Thick axons (diameter ≥ 3 μm) were found to descend beyond the upper thoracic spinal cord, while most thin axons (diameter < 3 μm) ended in the upper cervical cord. From serial transverse sections (50 μm) of segments C3 to T2, in four cats, the trajectories of 23 single, thick reticulospinal axons were traced in continuity over distances of between 21.8 and 59.4 mm, corresponding to 3 and 8 segments, respectively. Most axons gave off at least one, and as many as four collaterals per segment, some preferentially in the cervical enlargement. The remainder gave off collaterals at most but not all segments. Detailed reconstruction of the collateralization and arborization in the spinal gray matter showed two major termination types, one where terminals remained ipsilateral to the stem axon, the other where additional collaterals extended across the midline from the ipsilateral gray matter to terminate in the contralateral gray matter. Axons tended to have collaterals of one type or the other, irrespective of the rostrocaudal level. Both ipsilateral and bilateral projections terminated mainly in laminae VII and VIII although the branching patterns varied from axon to axon. Individual stem axons, in general, showed similar termination patterns at each level. J. Comp. Neurol. 377:234–250, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential evolution based on node strength

In this paper, three novel algorithms for optimisation based on the differential evolution algorithm are devised. The main idea behind those algorithms stems from the observation that differential evolution dynamics can be modelled via complex networks. In our approach, the individuals of the population are modelled by the nodes and the relationships between them by the directed lines of the graph. Subsequent analysis of non-trivial topological features further influence the process of parent selection in the mutation step and replace the traditional approach which is not reflecting the complex relationships between individuals in the population during evolution. This approach represents a general framework which can be applied to various kinds of differential evolution algorithms. We have incorporated this framework with the three well-performing variants of differential evolution algorithms to demonstrate the effectiveness of our contribution with respect to the convergence rate. Two well-known benchmark sets (including 49 functions) are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. Experimental results and statistical analysis indicate that the enhanced algorithms perform better or at least comparable to their original versions.
Using polarization to separate reflection components

A technique is presented which utilizes the polarization properties of reflected light to separate specular and diffuse components of reflection. This technique works for both dielectric and metal surfaces, regardless of the color of the illuminating light source or the color detail on the object surface. In addition to separating out diffuse and specular components of reflection, the technique can also identify whether certain image regions correspond to a dielectric or metal object surface. Extensive experimentation is presented for a variety of dielectric and metal surfaces, both polished and rough, using a point light source. <<ETX>>
Seasonal Cholera Caused by Vibrio cholerae Serogroups O1 and O139 in the Coastal Aquatic Environment of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Since Vibrio cholerae O139 first appeared in 1992, both O1 El Tor and O139 have been recognized as the epidemic serogroups, although their geographic distribution, endemicity, and reservoir are not fully understood. To address this lack of information, a study of the epidemiology and ecology of V. cholerae O1 and O139 was carried out in two coastal areas, Bakerganj and Mathbaria, Bangladesh, where cholera occurs seasonally. The results of a biweekly clinical study (January 2004 to May 2005), employing culture methods, and of an ecological study (monthly in Bakerganj and biweekly in Mathbaria from March 2004 to May 2005), employing direct and enrichment culture, colony blot hybridization, and direct fluorescent-antibody methods, showed that cholera is endemic in both Bakerganj and Mathbaria and that V. cholerae O1, O139, and non-O1/non-O139 are autochthonous to the aquatic environment. Although V. cholerae O1 and O139 were isolated from both areas, most noteworthy was the isolation of V. cholerae O139 in March, July, and September 2004 in Mathbaria, where seasonal cholera was clinically linked only to V. cholerae O1. In Mathbaria, V. cholerae O139 emerged as the sole cause of a significant outbreak of cholera in March 2005. V. cholerae O1 reemerged clinically in April 2005 and established dominance over V. cholerae O139, continuing to cause cholera in Mathbaria. In conclusion, the epidemic potential and coastal aquatic reservoir for V. cholerae O139 have been demonstrated. Based on the results of this study, the coastal ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal is concluded to be a significant reservoir for the epidemic serogroups of V. cholerae.
Nanogel-Based PspA Intranasal Vaccine Prevents Invasive Disease and Nasal Colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT To establish a safer and more effective vaccine against pneumococcal respiratory infections, current knowledge regarding the antigens common among pneumococcal strains and improvements to the system for delivering these antigens across the mucosal barrier must be integrated. We developed a pneumococcal vaccine that combines the advantages of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) with a nontoxic intranasal vaccine delivery system based on a nanometer-sized hydrogel (nanogel) consisting of a cationic cholesteryl group-bearing pullulan (cCHP). The efficacy of the nanogel-based PspA nasal vaccine (cCHP-PspA) was tested in murine pneumococcal airway infection models. Intranasal vaccination with cCHP-PspA provided protective immunity against lethal challenge with Streptococcus pneumoniae Xen10, reduced colonization and invasion by bacteria in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, and induced systemic and nasal mucosal Th17 responses, high levels of PspA-specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), and nasal and bronchial IgA antibody responses. Moreover, there was no sign of PspA delivery by nanogel to either the olfactory bulbs or the central nervous system after intranasal administration. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of the nanogel-based PspA nasal vaccine system as a universal mucosal vaccine against pneumococcal respiratory infection.
DNA Damage Response Is Suppressed by the High Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Activity in Mitotic Mammalian Cells*

DNA damage response (DDR) is vital for genomic stability, and its deficiency is linked to tumorigenesis. Extensive studies in interphase (G1-S-G2) mammalian cells have revealed the mechanisms of DDR in great detail; however, how mitotic cells respond to DNA damage remains less defined. We report here that a full DDR is suppressed in mitotic mammalian cells until telophase/cytokinesis. Although early DDR markers such as the phosphorylations of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and histone H2A.x (H2AX) can be readily detected, the ionizing radiation-induced foci (IRIF) formation of late DDR markers such as breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1) and p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) are absent until the telophase/cytokinesis stage. We further showed that the IR-induced ubiquitination cascade around DNA damage sites did not occur in mitotic cells, which explains, at least in part, why BRCA1 and 53BP1 cannot be recruited to the damaged sites. These observations indicate that DDR is suppressed in mitotic cells after the step of γH2AX formation. Not surprisingly, we found that the absence of a full DDR in mitotic cells was associated with the high cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) activities. More 53BP1 IRIF could be detected when the irradiated mitotic cells were treated with a CDK1 inhibitor. Further, the activation of CDK5 in interphase cells impedes the formation of 53BP1 IRIF. Together, these results suggest that the DDR is suppressed by the high CDK1 activity in mitotic mammalian cells.
Evolutionary Game Theoretic Analysis of Advanced Persistent Threats Against Cloud Storage

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) represent stealthy, powerful, long-term, and well-funded attacks against cyber systems, such as data centers and cloud storage. Evolutionary game theory is used to capture the long-term continuous behavior of the APTs on the cloud storage devices. Two APT defense games with discrete strategies are formulated, in which both an APT attacker and a defender compete to control one or multiple storage devices regarding their attack or defense intervals. The dynamical stability of each defense and attack strategy pair is studied according to the replicator dynamics criteria to characterize the locally asymptotically stable equilibrium strategies. The evolutionary stable strategy is discussed in each game, which is a subset of the asymptotically stable Nash equilibrium (NE). The phase portraits provide the locally asymptotically stable points of the APT defense game, which represent the NE showing the relationship between the asymptotic stability and evolutionary stability.
Efficient monte carlo method for simulation of fluctuating conformations of native proteins

A powerful Monte Carlo method is described to simulate thermal conformational fluctuations in native proteins by using an empirical conformational energy function in which bond lengths and bond angles are kept fixed and only dihedral angles are independent variables. In this method, collective variables corresponding to eigenvectors of the second‐derivative matrix of the energy function at its minimum point are scaled according to corresponding eigenvalues in such a way that the energy function in terms of the scaled collective variables is isotropic at the minimum point. Simulation is carried out with an isotropic step size in the space of these scaled collective variables. This simulation method is applied to a small protein, bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), and its model harmonic system defined by a quadratic energy function with the same second‐derivative matrix as that of BPTI at its minimum point. Efficiency of the simulation method with an isotropic step size in the space of the scaled collective variables is found to be about 500–50 times greater than the conventional method with with an isotropic step in the space of the usual nonscaled variables. One step of this new method generates conformational changes that occur in the real‐time range of 0.05 ps. In a record of 5 × 105 step simulation, the BPTI molecule is observed to migrate beyond a single minimum‐energy region.
SQL- and Operator-centric Data Analytics in Relational Main-Memory Databases

Data volume and complexity continue to increase, as does the need for insight into data. Today, data management and data analytics are most often conducted in separate systems: database systems and dedicated analytics systems. This separation leads to time-and resource-consuming data transfer, stale data, and complex IT architectures. In this paper we show that relational main-memory data-base systems are capable of executing analytical algorithms in a fully transactional environment while still exceeding performance of state-of-the-art analytical systems rendering the division of data management and data analytics unnecessary. We classify and assess multiple ways of integrating data analytics in database systems. Based on this assessment, we extend SQL with a non-appending iteration construct that provides an important building block for analytical algorithms while retaining the high expressiveness of the original language. Furthermore, we propose the integration of analytics operators directly into the database core, where algorithms can be highly tuned for modern hardware. These operators can be parameterized with our novel user-deﬁned lambda expressions. As we integrate lambda expressions into SQL instead of proposing a new proprietary query language, we ensure usability for diverse groups of users. Additionally, we carry out an extensive experimental evaluation of our approaches in HyPer, our full-ﬂedged SQL main-memory database system, and show their superior performance in comparison to dedicated solutions.
THE SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF CARBONIC ANHYDRASE IN HOMOGENATES OF PERFUSED RAT BRAIN

Abstract— The distribution of carbonic anhydrase was examined in subcellular fractions of perfused rat brain and compared with those of markers for cytosol (lactic dehydrogenase), mitochondrial matrix (glutamic dehydrogenase), and mitochondrial membranes (succinic dehydrogenase). About half of the total carbonic anhydrase was found in particulate fractions, with the greatest part of this in the crude mitochondrial fraction. This fraction was separated into its components on a discontinuous sucrose gradient either as such or after isotonic mechanical disruption with a French pressure cell, and the resultant fractions were characterized by electron microscopy and by assay of marker enzymes.
Chest Pain Evaluation Unit: A Cost‐Effective Approach for Ruling Out Acute Myocardial Infarction

We compared a “cardiac profile” test with standard creatine kinase (CK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LD) electrophoresis in 798 cases of possible acute myocardial infarction (MI). The cardiac profile enzyme screen (CK-B, CK, LD) used on 495 patients who came to the emergency department with chest pain suggestive of acute MI but without diagnostic ECG changes. Instead of admission to the coronary care unit, they were placed on observation status (Chest Pain Evaluation Unit) for a period up to 20 hours (average 11.1 hours). Using the results of the cardiac profile, 327 were able to be sent home. Of the 168 patients admitted, only 30 (18%) had subsequent enzyme evidence of myocardial necrosis. Use of the chest pain evaluation unit resulted in an 80% reduction in cost of ruling out acute MI for the 327 patients not admitted.
Update on the Regulation of Membrane Trafficking by ROP / RAC GTPases Regulation of Membrane Trafficking , Cytoskeleton Dynamics , and Cell Polarity by ROP / RAC GTPases 1 [ W ]

Rho of plants (ROP) proteins, also known as RAC proteins, are Rho-related GTPases that function as molecular switches in a multitude of signaling cascades involved in the regulation of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, of vesicle trafficking, and of plant responses to hormones, stresses, or light (Yang, 2002; Berken, 2006; Nibau et al., 2006; Yang and Fu, 2007). Rho GTPases are Ras-related small guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) that bind GTP and GDP with high affinity and hydrolyze GTP inefficiently. Rho GTPases switch between GTPon to GDP-off states by highly regulated GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis (Bourne et al., 1991; Vetter and Wittinghofer, 2001). Only in the GTP-bound state can Rho GTPases interact with effectors to elicit downstream signaling. The GDP/GTP exchange is catalyzed by guanyl nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), and GTP hydrolysis is enhanced by GTPaseactivating proteins (GAPs). Like other members of the Ras superfamily of small G-proteins, Rho GTPases are soluble proteins that associate with and function at cell membranes by virtue of the posttranslational lipid modifications prenylation and S-acylation (Hancock et al., 1989; Michaelson et al., 2001). A third group of regulating proteins are Rho guanyl nucleotide dissociation inhibitors (RhoGDIs), which inhibit GDP/GTP exchange and facilitate the cycling of Rho GTPases on and off membranes (DerMardirossian and Bokoch, 2005). The ability of Rho GTPases to interact with membranes allows these proteins to regulate actin polymerization and vesicle trafficking at discrete sites of the plasma membrane and of internal membranes, which is essential for their role in the control of cell polarity (Ridley, 2006). As part of the Plant Physiology focus issue on membrane biology, this review focuses on subcellular targeting of plant ROP/RAC GTPases and on the role of these proteins in the regulation of membrane trafficking, cytoskeleton organization, and cell polarity. Other aspects of ROP/ RAC biology, such as the role of these GTPases in hormonal or stress signaling, will only be summarized in brief. We refer interested readers to several excellent recent reviews on ROP/RAC GTPases that highlight these other topics (Molendijk et al., 2004; Xu and Scheres, 2005; Nibau et al., 2006; Yang and Fu, 2007; Berken and Wittinghofer, 2008; Kost, 2008). Throughout this review, we have opted to use the ROP nomenclature for the sake of clarity. However, we use the RAC terminology in instances in which there is no ROP nomenclature or when publications have used the term RAC rather than ROP. Finally, we apologize to those colleagues whose work we have not been able to cite due to lack of space.
Meteorological Drought Analysis in the Lower Mekong Basin Using Satellite-Based Long-Term CHIRPS Product

Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) experiences a recurrent drought phenomenon. However, few studies have focused on drought monitoring in this region due to lack of ground observations. The newly released Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) with a long-term record and high resolution has a great potential for drought monitoring. Based on the assessment of CHIRPS for capturing precipitation and monitoring drought, this study aims to evaluate the drought condition in LMB by using satellite-based CHIRPS from January 1981 to July 2016. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at various time scales (1–12-month) is computed to identify and describe drought events. Results suggest that CHIRPS can properly capture the drought characteristics at various time scales with the best performance at three-month time scale. Based on high-resolution long-term CHIRPS, it is found that LMB experienced four severe droughts during the last three decades with the longest one in 1991–1994 for 38 months and the driest one in 2015–2016 with drought affected area up to 75.6%. Droughts tend to occur over the north and south part of LMB with higher frequency, and Mekong Delta seems to experience more long-term and extreme drought events. Severe droughts have significant impacts on vegetation condition.