Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression and Localization of S-Adenosylhomocysteine-Hydrolase in the Rat Kidney Following Carbon Monoxide Induced Hypoxia

Background/Aims: Tissue hypoxia induces a variety of functional changes including enhanced transcriptional activity associated with high transmethylation activity (e.g. mRNA cap methylation) in the nucleus. It is well known that the kidney responds to hypoxia with enhanced transcription of erythropoietin (EPO) in the interstitial cells. Since S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy)-hydrolase regulates most S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) dependent transmethylation reactions by hydrolyzing the potent feedback inhibitor AdoHcy to adenosine and homocysteine we studied the effect of hypoxia by carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation (1200ppm) on AdoHcy-hydrolase gene expression and its localization in rat kidneys. Results: CO lowered renal AdoHcy-hydrolase mRNA expression by 64% whereas AdoHcy-hydrolase activity was not changed during 4h of CO exposure 0.7±0.04mU/mg (control) vs. 0.75±0.06mU/mg protein. Using two-channel immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning microscope AdoHcy-hydrolase was visualized in different cells of the hypoxic rat kidney. A very bright immunofluorescence of AdoHcy-hydrolase was observed in the nuclei of single interstitial cells of renal cortex and outer medulla which respond to hypoxia with increased EPO secretion indicating translocation of AdoHcy-hydrolase from the cytosol to the nucleus. Conclusions: These data suggest that AdoHcy-hydrolase accumulation in the nucleus of adult mammalian cells is involved in maintaining efficient transmethylation reactions in transcriptionally active cells by removing the product inhibitor AdoHcy.
A Cross-Layer Technology-Based Study of How Memory Errors Impact System Resilience

Highly scaled technologies at and beyond the 22-nm node exhibit increased sensitivity to various scaling-related problems that conspire to reduce the overall reliability of integrated circuits and systems. In prior technology nodes, the assumption was that manufacturing technology was responsible for ensuring device reliability. This basic assumption is no longer tenable. Trying to contain reliability problems purely at the technology level would cause prohibitive increases in power consumption. Thus, a cross-layer approach is required, which spreads the burden of ensuring resilience across multiple levels of the design hierarchy. This article illustrates a methodology for dealing with scaling-related problems via two case studies that link models of low-level technology-related problems to system behavior.
Different apoptotic effects of wogonin via induction of H2O2 generation and Ca2+ overload in malignant hepatoma and normal hepatic cells

Wogonin, a major active constituent of Scutellaria baicalensis, possesses potent anticancer activities both in vivo and in vitro. This paper describes the different apoptotic effects of wogonin in HepG2 and L02 cells and the possible mechanism for the differences. Through DAPI staining, Annexin‐V/PI double‐staining assay, JC‐1 detection and the expressions of the key apoptotic proteins, we find that wogonin prefers to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells through the mitochondrial pathway, while has much less effects on L02 cells. Moreover, overexpression of Bcl‐2 can block wogonin‐induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. To illustrate the specific selective mechanism of wogonin in apoptosis induction, H2O2, ·O 2− and Ca2+ are measured by 2′,7′‐dichlorfluorescein‐diacetate, dihydroethidium and Flou‐3 AM assay, respectively. The results show that the different apoptotic effects of wogonin in HepG2 and L02 cells are due to the different regulations to the redox balance of reactive oxygen species and the Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum. IP3R‐sensitive Ca2+ channels are the key targets of the wogonin‐increased H2O2. Besides, the activation of PLCγ1 plays as a bridge between H2O2 signal molecules and Ca2+ release. Taken together, wogonin preferentially kills hepatoma cells by H2O2‐dependent apoptosis triggered by Ca2+ overload. The results reveal that wogonin is a competitive anticancer drug candidate for the malignant hepatoma therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 1629–1641, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
["Learning curve" robotic radical hysterectomy compared to standardized laparoscopy assisted radical vaginal and open radical hysterectomy].

OBJECTIVE To compare intraoperative, pathologic and postoperative outcomes of "learning curve" robotic radical hysterectomy (RRH) with laparoscopy assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy (LARVH) and abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH) in patients with early stage cervical carcinoma. DESIGN Comparative study. SETTING Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Olomouc. METHODS The first twenty patients with cervical cancer stages IA2-IIA underwent RRH and were compared with previous twenty LARVH and ARH cases. The procedures were performed at University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic between 2004 and 2011. RESULTS There were no differences between groups for age, body mass index, tumor histology, number of nodes removed or preoperative hemoglobin levels. The median theatre time in the learning period for the robot procedure was reduced from 400 min to less than 223 min and compared well to the 215 min for an open procedure. We found differences between the pre- and postoperative hemoglobin levels (RRH, 14.9 ±7 .6; LARVH, 23.0 ± 8.5; ARH, 28.0 ± 12.4). This difference was statistically significant in favor of RRH group ( p= 0.0012). Mean length of stay was significantly shorter for the RRH group (7.2 versus 8.8 days,p = 0.0005). Mean pelvic lymph node count was similar in the three groups. None of the robotic or laparoscopic procedures required conversion to laparotomy. The differences in major operative complications between the two groups were not significant. CONCLUSION Based on our experience, robotic radical hysterectomy showed better results than traditional laparoscopically assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy in early stage cervical carcinoma cases. Introduction of this new technique requires a learning curve of less than 20 cases that will reduce the operating time to a level comparable to open surger.
Soluble L-selectin levels during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

We sought to determine whether neutrophil activation ,as reflected by soluble L-selectin levels ,plays a role in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and the possible correlation between soluble L-selectin and serum sex steroid levels. The study population consisted of 14 consecutive patients undergoing our routine in vitro fertilization (IVF) long gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog protocol. Blood was drawn three times during the COH cycle: (1) on the day when adequate suppression was obtained (Day-S); (2) on the day of ,or the day prior to ,human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration (Day-hCG); and (3) on the day of ovum pick-up (Day-OPU). Levels of sex steroids and plasma soluble leukocyte selectin (L-selectin) were compared among the three time points. Soluble L-selectin was measured with a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed significantly higher levels of soluble L-selectin on Day-OPU than on Day-S and Day-hCG ,and significantly lower levels on Day-hCG than Day-S. Though no significant correlations were found between soluble L-selectin and serum estradiol or hCG levels ,soluble L-selectin positively correlated with serum progesterone levels. We conclude that hCG administration leads to neutrophil activation ,which correlates with the degree of luteinization. Further studies are required to elucidate the relationship between the immune system and COH. These may lead to new strategies for predicting and preventing complications of COH.
Motivational interviewing: a part of the weight loss program for overweight and obese women prior to fertility treatment

Abstract This is a retrospective study to investigate whether motivational interviewing increases weight loss among obese or overweight women prior to fertility treatment. Women with body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2 approaching the Fertility Clinic, Regional Hospital Skive, were given advice about diet and physical activity with the purpose of weight loss. In addition, they were asked if they wanted to receive motivational interviewing. Among other data, age, height and weight were obtained. Main outcomes were weight loss measured in kg and decrease in BMI. We studied 187 women: 110 received sessions of motivational interviewing (intervention group, n = 110), 64 received motivational support by phone or e-mail only and 13 women did not wish any motivational support (control group, n = 77). The mean weight loss and decrease in BMI was greater in the intervention group compared with the control group (9.3 kg versus 7.3 kg, difference p = 0.01, 3.3 kg/m2 versus 2.6 kg/m2, difference p = 0.02). The mean period of intervention was comparable in the two groups, 7.9 month and 7.3 month, respectively, (difference non significant: NS). The study indicates that motivational interviewing may be a valuable tool in weight loss programs for obese and overweight women prior to fertility treatment.
Drivers to Innovation by Entrepreneurs

Innovation & Entrepreneurship has been defined in many ways by the scholars. Similarly the determinants carry a wide spectrum of understanding in the form of theories and explanations (Brock and Evans, 1989; Carree, 1997; Carree, Van Stel, Thurik and Wennekers, 2002; Gavron, Cowling, Holtham and Westall, 1998). Definitely it has a direct impact on the economic development within and outside the boundaries from the centre where it emanates. The level of entrepreneurship varies substantially from one boundary to the other as time passes (Rees and Shah, 1986; Blanchflower, 2000; Blanchflower and Meyer, 1994; De Wit and Van Winden, 1989). Large firms have been subjected to waves of downsizing and restructuring and entrepreneurship has been (re)-discovered (Carree, 1997; Gavron, Cowling, Holtham and Westall, 1998; Thurik, 1999; Wennekers and Thurik, 1999). There has been a shift from the larger to smaller firms or enterprise, which have catapulted the rate of economic development. There are no established indicators that can be generally reached to consensus, in measuring the level of entrepreneurship undertaken and so be the case of the determinants that lead to this phenomenon of being entrepreneurial.
Effects of sodium intake and aldosterone on the renal pressure-natriuresis.

To study the effects of dietary sodium and plasma aldosterone on pressure-natriuresis (PN) we examined six groups of adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats. Group 1 received normal-sodium diet, group 2 high-sodium diet, and group 3 low-sodium diet for 3 wk; group 4 was given low sodium for 3 wk then high sodium for 3 wk; groups 5 and 6 received high sodium for 3 wk but during the 3rd wk were also given aldosterone by subcutaneous infusion to mimic the plasma aldosterone seen in groups 1 and 3, respectively. After the diets, rats were killed, and urinary sodium excretion, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and calculated tubular sodium reabsorption (FRNa) were measured during stepwise increases in perfusion pressure in isolated perfused kidneys from each group. No significant differences in blood pressure were seen between any of the groups. The PN curves for groups 2 and 3 were significantly different (P less than 0.001) and shifted to the left and right of group 1, respectively. These shifts appeared to be the result of significant (P less than 0.001) differences in FRNa rather than changes in GFR. PN was not significantly different in groups 4 and 2, indicating that the effects of low-sodium diet were reversible. The infusion of aldosterone in groups 5 and 6 was associated with modest and significant (P less than 0.001) shifts, respectively, of the PN curve to the right of the curve of rats in group 2. In group 6 this shift appeared to be due to significant (P less than 0.001) changes in FRNa, so as to resemble that seen in low-sodium rats of group 3. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Estimating the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) for Belize

The purpose of this paper is to assess Belize’s external competitiveness primarily through calculating the real effective exchange rate (REER) index for the period 2000‐2009. This paper expands on earlier works on the REER by Brownbridge and Arana by estimating a “composite” index that takes into account “third party competition” as well as the traditional approaches based on direct import and export competition. Two more types of competitiveness indicators are also calculated, namely a commodity based REER and a tourism oriented REER. The results for all three REER indices showed that for the period under review the index was generally falling, meaning that the exchange rate depreciated. A depreciation of the currency is understood to signify a gain in the competitiveness of the country’s external sector.
Towards Domain Adaptive Vehicle Detection in Satellite Image by Supervised Super-Resolution Transfer

Vehicle detection in satellite image has attracted extensive research attentions with various emerging applications.However, the detector performance has been significantly degenerated due to the low resolutions of satellite images, as well as the limited training data.In this paper, a robust domain-adaptive vehicle detection framework is proposed to bypass both problems.Our innovation is to transfer the detector learning to the high-resolution aerial image domain,where rich supervision exists and robust detectors can be trained.To this end, we first propose a super-resolution algorithm using coupled dictionary learning to ``augment'' the satellite image region being tested into the aerial domain.Notably, linear detection loss is embedded into the dictionary learning, which enforces the augmented region to be sensitive to the subsequent detector training.Second, to cope with the domain changes, we propose an instance-wised detection using Exemplar Support Vector Machines (E-SVMs), which well handles the intra-class and imaging variations like scales, rotations, and occlusions.With comprehensive experiments on large-scale satellite image collections, we demonstrate that the proposed framework can significantly boost the detection accuracy over several state-of-the-arts.
Ogataea neixiangensis sp. nov. and Ogataea paraovalis f.a., sp. nov., two methanol-assimilating yeast species isolated from rotting wood.

Four yeast strains were isolated from rotting wood samples collected in the Baotianman Nature Reserve in Henan Province, central China. The sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer regions showed that these four strains represent two different undescribed yeast species belonging to the Ogataea clade. Ogataea neixiangensis sp. nov. produces two to four hat-shaped ascospores per ascus, and its closest relative among recognized species is Candida nitratophila. Ogataea paraovalis f.a. , sp. nov. is closely related to Candida ovalis but the formation of ascospores was not observed on various sporulation media. The type strain of O. neixiangensis sp. nov. (MycoBank number MB 820697) is NYNU 16951T (=CICC 33166T=CBS 14695T), and the type strain of O. paraovalis f.a. , sp. nov. (MycoBank number MB 820698) is NYNU 167106T (=CICC 33168T=CBS 14697T).
Multiparametric Flow Cytometric Analysis of the Kinetics of Surface Molecule Expression after Polyclonal Activation of Human Peripheral Blood T Lymphocytes

In this report we have analysed the kinetics of modulation of human peripheral blood T lymphocyte membrane molecules upon activation with optimal amounts of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (ConA). The following activation‐related and differentiation/adhesion molecules were selectively and concomitantly investigated on CD4+ and CD8+ subsets by dual colour flow cytometry: CD69, CD25 and CD71; CD2, CD45RA and L‐selectin. Cultures were assayed after 24, 48. 72. 120 and 168 h of incubation with PHA and ConA. This approach allowed a comprehensive evaluation of membrane phenomena occurring during activation of normal resting human T lymphocytes. Data show that the kinetics of expression of these molecules follows a precise and consistent time‐course with no major differences between CD4 and CD8 subsets. CD69 expression peaked at 24 h. whereas CD25 and CD71 expression peaked al 48/72 h with some differences between PHA and ConA activation. L‐selectin expression started an evident decrease in step with culture time whose magnitude was dependent on the lectin used, being higher with PHA than with ConA. Conversely, the expression of CD45RA remained stable for 72 h and then briskly decreased with no major differences between PHA and ConA activation. CD2 molecules increased with time in number and density, although the percentage of positive cells remained essentially constant (>85%). After 48/72 h of stimulation about 10% of cells co‐expressed CD4 and CD8 molecules. To ascertain whether the phenomenon was restricted to cells in a particular activation state, the phenotype of cells in the diverse phases of the cell cycle was established. Results obtained show that only actively proliferating cells, that is cells in S and G2‐M phases, co‐expressed the two molecules, suggesting that such a phenomenon reflects a momentary dysregulation of the normal sequence of gene expression.
Risk Preferences and Compliance in Recreational Fisheries

This paper studies the returns on the allocation of harvest to the recreational sector when anglers exhibit risk aversion for random catch. By using data from choice experiments that explicitly introduce uncertainty in harvest as a trip attribute, we specify and estimate different models of constant absolute risk aversion (CARA). With evidence that anglers exhibit disutility from randomness in the catch, we use our estimates to draw comparisons with standard linear models. We calibrate a model of the Northeast Region summer flounder fishery and run Monte Carlo experiments to simulate alternative policy strategies for enforcing the recreational total allowable catch (TAC). Our results show that risk aversion leads to different predictions on angler participation and welfare from those assuming risk neutrality. Unlike the case of risk neutrality, the same TAC enforced with different catch restrictions and season lengths results in different numbers of expected trips and welfare estimates under CARA preferences. It is the entire catch distribution rather than the mean catch that determines anglers’ behavior and implied values. Under risk aversion for random catch, regulators may also find enforcement of harvest restrictions to be less costly. More broadly, our approach provides a consistent way to incorporate risk in quality attributes into the discrete choice framework that is pervasive in the literature on recreational demand modeling.
Impact of California’s Licensed Nurse-Patient Ratios on Unit-Level Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes

This article presents the first analysis of the impact of mandated minimum-staffing ratios on nursing hours of care and skill mix in adult medical and surgical and definitive-observation units in a convenience sample of 68 acute hospitals participating in the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition project. Findings, stratified by unit type and hospital size, reveal expected changes as hospitals made observable efforts toward regulatory compliance. These data cannot affirm compliance with ratios per shift, per unit, at all times; however, they give evidence of overall compliance. Assessment of the impacts of the mandated ratios on two common indicators of patient care quality, the incidence of patient falls and the prevalence of pressure ulcers, did not reveal significant changes despite research linking nurse staffing with these measures. These findings contribute to understanding unit level impacts of regulatory staffing mandates and the preliminary effect of this legislation on core quality of care indicators.
Essays in dynamic optimal taxation: working experience, unemployment scarring and poverty

This thesis investigates the design of optimal tax systems in dynamic environments. The first essay characterizes the optimal tax system where wages depend on stochastic shocks and work experience. In addition to redistributive and efficiency motives, the taxation of inexperienced workers depends on a second-best requirement that encourages work experience, a social insurance motive and incentive effects. Calibrations using U.S. data yield higher expected optimal marginal income tax rates for experienced workers for most of the inexperienced workers. They confirm that the average marginal income tax rate increases (decreases) with age when shocks and work experience are substitutes (complements). Finally, more variability in experienced workers’ earnings prospects leads to increasing tax rates since income taxation acts as a social insurance mechanism. In the second essay, the properties of an optimal tax system are investigated in a dynamic private information economy where labor market frictions create unemployment that destroys workers’ human capital. A two-skill type model is considered where wages and employment are endogenous. I find that the optimal tax system distorts the first-period wages of all workers below their efficient levels which leads to more employment. The standard nodistortion-at-the-top result no longer holds due to the combination of private information and the destruction of human capital. I show this result analytically under the Maximin social welfare function and confirm it numerically for a general social welfare function. I also investigate the use of a training program and job creation subsidies.
Narrowing the candidate region of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy‐like syndrome by deletion mapping in a patient with an unbalanced cryptic translocation t(2;6)(q37.3;q26)

We here describe a submicroscopic translocation affecting the subtelomeric regions of chromosomes 2q and 6q identified in a patient referred to us because of mental retardation, obesity, brachydactyly, and short stature. FISH analysis using subtelomeric probes showed a 46,XY,der(2)t(2;6)(q37.3;q26) in the propositus, and a balanced t(2;6) in his father and sister. FISH with region‐specific genomic clones made it possible to map the 2q37.3 breakpoint precisely to the region covered by BAC 585E12, and the 6q26 breakpoint to between the regions encompassed by 414A5 and 480A20. The 2q subtelomeric deletion has often been found in patients with Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO)‐like syndrome but, to the best of our knowledge, the 2q37.3‐qter monosomy ascertained in our patient is the smallest so far described within the syndrome's critical interval, and may thus enhance the search for the responsible genes. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.