Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SID-1 Domains Important for dsRNA Import in Caenorhabditis elegans

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, RNA interference (RNAi) triggered by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) spreads systemically to cause gene silencing throughout the organism and its progeny. We confirm that Caenorhabditis nematode SID-1 orthologs have dsRNA transport activity and demonstrate that the SID-1 paralog CHUP-1 does not transport dsRNA. Sequence comparison of these similar proteins, in conjunction with analysis of loss-of-function missense alleles, identifies several conserved 2–7 amino acid microdomains within the extracellular domain (ECD) that are important for dsRNA transport. Among these missense alleles, we identify and characterize a sid-1 allele, qt95, which causes tissue-specific silencing defects most easily explained as a systemic RNAi export defect. However, we conclude from genetic and biochemical analyses that sid-1(qt95) disrupts only import, and speculate that the apparent export defect is caused by the cumulative effect of sequentially impaired dsRNA import steps. Thus, consistent with previous studies, we fail to detect a requirement for sid-1 in dsRNA export, but demonstrate for the first time that SID-1 functions in the intestine to support environmental RNAi (eRNAi).
Phosphorylated and dephosphorylated linker histone H1 reside in distinct chromatin domains in Tetrahymena macronuclei.

Phosphorylated and dephosphorylated isoforms of Tetrahymena macronuclear H1 were separated from each other by cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatography and used to generate a pairwise set of antisera that discriminate the phosphorylation state of this linker histone. Affinity-purified antibodies from each sera recognize appropriate H1 isoforms and stain macronuclei under appropriate physiological conditions. Immunogold localizations demonstrate that phosphorylated and dephosphorylated H1 localize nonrandomly in distinct subdomains of macronuclear chromatin. Dephosphorylated H1 is strongly enriched in the electron-dense chromatin bodies that punctuate macronuclear chromatin. In contrast, phosphorylated H1 isoforms, as well as an evolutionarily conserved H2A.F/Z-like variant (hv1) believed to function in the establishment of transcriptionally competent chromatin, are modestly enriched at the periphery of chromatin bodies and in the surrounding euchromatin. Using antibodies against TATA-binding protein, we show that transcriptionally active chromatin lies outside of the chromatin bodies in an area relatively devoid of H1. Antibodies against general core histones are more or less evenly distributed across these domains. Together, these data are consistent with a model in which phosphorylation of H1, perhaps in association with hv1, loosens the binding of H1 in chromatin leading to chromatin decondensation as part of a first-step mechanism in gene activation. In contrast, our data support the view that dephosphorylation of this linker histone facilitates or stabilizes condensed, transcriptionally silent chromatin.
EOG-based system for mouse control

The fact that the oculomotor system is one of the last capabilities that people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases or trauma retain allows us to develop a system to provide a means of communication for this particular target group. The retinal resting potential causes an electric field around the eyeball, centred on the optical axis, which can be measured by placing electrodes near to the eye. An acquisition system and a LabVIEW application were implemented for measuring these biopotentials in order to detect the movement of the eyes and to provide a relative gaze position, making it possible to control the computer mouse. Several techniques are implemented to denoise the EOG signal obtained in noisy environments for use in biomedical diagnosis.
Oxytocin Regulates Stress-Induced Crf Gene Transcription through CREB-Regulated Transcription Coactivator 3

The major regulator of the neuroendocrine stress response in the brain is corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), whose transcription is controlled by CREB and its cofactors CRTC2/3 (TORC2/3). Phosphorylated CRTCs are sequestered in the cytoplasm, but rapidly dephosphorylated and translocated into the nucleus following a stressful stimulus. As the stress response is attenuated by oxytocin (OT), we tested whether OT interferes with CRTC translocation and, thereby, Crf expression. OT (1 nmol, i.c.v.) delayed the stress-induced increase of nuclear CRTC3 and Crf hnRNA levels in the paraventricular nucleus of male rats and mice, but did not affect either parameter in the absence of the stressor. The increase in Crf hnRNA levels at later time points was parallel to elevated nuclear CRTC2/3 levels. A direct effect of Thr4 Gly7-OT (TGOT) on CRTC3 translocation and Crf expression was found in rat primary hypothalamic neurons, amygdaloid (Ar-5), hypothalamic (H32), and human neuroblastoma (Be(2)M17) cell lines. CRTC3, but not CRCT2, knockdown using siRNA in Be(2)M17 cells prevented the effect of TGOT on Crf hnRNA levels. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that TGOT reduced CRTC3, but not CRTC2, binding to the Crf promoter after 10 min of forskolin stimulation. Together, the results indicate that OT modulates CRTC3 translocation, the binding of CRTC3 to the Crf promoter and, ultimately, transcription of the Crf gene. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The neuropeptide oxytocin has been proposed to reduce hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation during stress. The underlying mechanisms are, however, elusive. In this study we show that activation of the oxytocin receptor in the paraventricular nucleus delays transcription of the gene encoding corticotropin releasing factor (Crf), the main regulator of the stress response. It does so by sequestering the coactivator of the transcription factor CREB, CRTC3, in the cytosol, resulting in reduced binding of CRTC3 to the Crf gene promoter and subsequent Crf gene expression. This novel oxytocin receptor-mediated intracellular mechanism might provide a basis for the treatment of exaggerated stress responses in the future.
Shape optimization of compressor supporting plate based on vibration modes

In typical household refrigeration systems, the compressor is structurally connected to the cabinet through an assembly composed of rubber mounts and a steel support plate, usually called base-plate. This plate works as a vibration energy path from the compressor to other refrigerator components, and its dynamic behavior must be known in order to avoid the coincidence of resonances and operational frequencies , a situation in which the energy flow is maximized. One way to design a support that satisfies this requirement is to optimize the shape of the plate, locating its structural modes as far as possible from the operational frequency and first harmonics. In this work, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to solve the eigenvalue problem and to parameterize the optimization procedure, which is based on positioning of the nodes of a design region (the plate) in a FEM simplified model. Due to the large number of variables, a gradientbased method is adopted. The objective of the methodology is to maximize the difference between two adjacent eigenvalues near the fundamental operation frequency of the compressor, in order to obtain a large and effective bandgap. A geometrical constraint is imposed to the problem and it is represented by a maximum allowed deformation of the plate. The gradients needed are obtained using elementary stiffness and mass matrices information. The obtained results show that the procedure leads to a new shape which ensures the desired dynamic characteristics for the support plate.
Cytokine expression pattern in the genital tract of Chlamydia trachomatis positive infertile women – implication for T‐cell responses

Human genital infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis is thought to be immunologically mediated, resulting in local recruitment of lymphocyte subsets and inducing the production of cytokines. Little information is available about the role of lymphocyte recruitment and the regulation of cytokine production in the genital tract of C. trachomatis positive infertile women. We have evaluated the recruitment of lymphocyte subsets in the genital tract and production of Th1/Th2 cytokines in cervical secretions and laparoscopic specimens from the fallopian tubes of C. trachomatis positive infertile women (n = 17) and compared them with controls, viz. C. trachomatis negative infertile women (n = 20) using ELISA and flow cytometry. None of these patients were found to be infected either with Candida sps. , bacterial vaginosis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma hominis or Ureaplasma urealyticum in the cervix. Flow cytometric analysis of cervical secretions in Chlamydia positive women revealed recruitment of both CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes to the genital tract was up‐regulated and a variation in the production rates of different cytokines in cervical secretions and fallopian tube was observed. We found that the immune responses in cervical secretions were of Th0 type, since all the analysed cytokines, viz. IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, IL‐10 and IL‐12 were up‐regulated. As, both CD4 and CD8 cells contribute to the production of IFN‐γ and IL‐10, these results suggest that along with CD4 cells, CD8 lymphocytes also may be important for local regulation of Th1/Th2 responses in the genital tract during C. trachomatis infection.
Chronic subthreshold cortical stimulation: a therapeutic and potentially restorative therapy for focal epilepsy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Approximately one third of patients with focal epilepsy continue to have ongoing seizures despite adequate trials of anti-seizure medications. Surgery to remove the epileptogenic zone remains the most efficacious treatment option for focal drug-resistant epilepsy. However, when cortical areas are eloquent or there are multiple epileptogenic zones, surgical resection is not an ideal approach. Cortical stimulation provides an attractive alternative. Area covered: Here, the authors describe Chronic Subthreshold Cortical Stimulation (CSCS), which uses continuous intracranial electrical stimulation applied near the epileptogenic zone to lower seizure probability. The authors review literature related to CSCS. One challenge is finding the most efficacious set of stimulation parameters for each patient. Expert commentary: Data supporting CSCS are limited but promising for the treatment of patients with focal drug resistant epilepsy who are not surgical candidates. Additional electrophysiological biomarkers to estimate cortical excitability are needed.
Stem cells and cloning: The fuss, revisited

A news story called out to me from the front page of The Washington Post recently: “Human Fat May Provide Stem Cells” (Weiss, 2001b). The story described work by Marc Hedrick of the UCLA School of Medicine, Adam Katz of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and their colleagues. The researchers, who studied discarded adipose tissue from liposuction procedures, found pluripotent stem cells that could be coaxed into developmental pathways resulting in cartilage, muscle, and bone cells (Zuk et al., 2001). Less than a decade ago, bone marrow donation seemed the only source of potentially life-saving regenerative cells, and, at that, only in the context of restoring a recipient’s immune and hematopoietic systems. This novel revelation regarding adipose tissue is just the latest in an unquenchable spate of reports detailing discovery of adult stem cells derived from tissues never before thought to contain them. The reports are exciting because of the prospects for utilizing easily accessible adult stem cells in clinical research for treatment of debilitating human disease. This latest story is particularly notable for being the third reported case of a tissue, arguably definable as “waste tissue,” shown to possess stem cells; in this third case, adult stem cells. To wit, adipose tissue, whether considered a health risk or a cosmetically alterable trait, carries none of the extreme legal, ethical, and emotional baggage borne by the other two cases of “waste tissues”: namely, human fetal and embryonic tissue. While no one would seriously challenge the ethics of medical experimentation with fat. However, moral and ethical opposition to studying human fetal and embryonic stem (ES) cells has translated into a moratorium on federally funded research in the United States in these areas. Intense efforts to develop a legal and ethical framework for such research are ongoing worldwide but still fall short of real progress (Anonymous, 2001). Researchers, regardless of their religious or moral beliefs, will undoubtedly embrace the finding by Zuk et al. (2001) of pluripotent stem cells in adipose tissue with eager (if cautious)
A marked difference in pathogenesis and immune response induced by different Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes

In the last decade, an unprecedented genetic diversity has been disclosed among Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains found worldwide. However, well‐conserved genotypes seem to prevail in areas with high incidence of tuberculosis. As this may be related to selective advantages, such as advanced mechanisms to circumvent [M. bovis Bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG)‐induced] host defence mechanisms, we investigated the influence of strain diversity on the course of experimental disease. Twelve M. tuberculosis strains, representing four major genotype families found worldwide today, and the laboratory strain H37Rv were each used to infect BALB/c mice by direct intratracheal injection. Compared with H37Rv, infections with Beijng strains were characterized by extensive pneumonia, early but ephemeral tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) expression, and significantly higher earlier mortality. Conversely, Canetti strains induced limited pneumonia, sustained TNF‐α and iNOS expression in lungs, and almost 100% survival. Strains of the Somali and the Haarlem genotype families displayed less homogeneous, intermediate rates of survival. Previous BCG vaccination protected less effectively against infection with Beijing strains than against the H37Rv strain. In conclusion, genetically different M. tuberculosis strains evoked markedly different immunopathological events. Bacteria with the Beijing genotype, highly prevalent in Asia and the former USSR, elicited a non‐protective immune response in mice and were the most virulent. Future immunological research, particularly on candidate vaccines, should include a broad spectrum of M. tuberculosis genotypes rather than a few laboratory strains.
Sox14 is required for transcriptional and developmental responses to 20‐hydroxyecdysone at the onset of drosophila metamorphosis

The steroid hormone 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E), by means of a heterodimer consisting of two nuclear receptors, the Ecdysone receptor (EcR) and Ultraspiracle (Usp), triggers the major developmental transitions in the Drosophila life cycle through the regulation of genetic hierarchies. We have previously demonstrated that the Sox14 transcription factor is a primary response gene to 20E/EcR/Usp complex. In this study, we show that mutations in sox14 result in prepupal and pupal lethality with animals displaying a multitude of defects in 20E developmentally regulated pathways. In addition, through Northern blot and microarray analyses of sox14 mutant animals, we demonstrate that Sox14 is required for the proper expression of 20E‐ and non–20E‐regulated genes at the onset of metamorphosis. We also show that the Sox14‐regulated gene set correlates well with Sox14 expression in a variety of larval and adult tissues. Thus, Sox14 is a critical transcription factor required for 20E signaling at the onset of metamorphosis. Developmental Dynamics 239:2685–2694, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adolescent sources of information on sex.

The sources, age and accuracy of sex information which adolescents learn was investigated. The underlying assumption was that peers are the primary contributors of such information. Thus, the accuracy of information becomes a primary research interest. All students in a large midwestern high school (n = 1152) were included. Peers were the single most-often-cited source of sex information (37.1%). Other sources in frequency were literature, mother, schools, experience, fathers, physicians, and ministers. Petting, homosexuality, and intercourse were subjects where peers contributed considerable information. They seemed to provide much infromation in behaviors that can be experienced immediately. Literature contributed much information in the areas of abortion, prostitution and seminal emissions. Mothers provided virtually all sex information from within the home. Their primary contributions weir in the areas of conception and menstruation, accounting for 1/2 of the total information provided. Schools accounted for only about 15% of the information. Females were more dependent on their mothers for information (22.3%) than were males (6.9%) who were more dependent on their peers (49.1%) than females (33.4%). Ages 12 and 13 were peak times when sexual concepts were being learned. The overall accuracy percentage was 78.7%. The 2 most reliable areas of information were conception and menstruation, and in both cases mothers were the primary contributors.
Does asthma or treatment with theophylline limit children's academic performance?

BACKGROUND Asthma is a major cause of morbidity in childhood, restricting activity and causing absences from school. Theophylline, although effective in managing chronic asthma, has been reported to cause deficits in cognitive functioning and school performance. We therefore examined the effect of asthma and its treatment on academic achievement in a large, representative population of school-age children; matched sibling controls were used for comparison. METHODS We identified 255 consecutive children with asthma (mean age, 12.0 years) who had taken nationally standardized scholastic achievement tests administered routinely by the schools. One hundred one of these children had siblings without asthma with whom comparisons could be made in reading, mathematics, and a composite measure of achievement. RESULTS Academic achievement among the children with asthma was similar to normative standards in Iowa and higher than national standards, as reflected in a mean composite T-score of 57.1 (expected mean [+/- SD], 50 +/- 10). For the 101 children with sibling controls, composite T-scores were 58.3 for the children with asthma and 57.5 for the siblings. Eighty-five of these 101 children with asthma were receiving daily maintenance medication for chronic asthma; 72 of these were receiving theophylline. The mean composite T-scores were 58.5 for the theophylline-treated patients and 58.4 for their siblings without asthma. None of the differences between the children with asthma and the sibling controls were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Academic achievement among children with asthma, at least those whose status is closely monitored in a structured treatment program, generally appears to be unaffected by asthma or by its treatment with appropriate doses of theophylline.
Synchronization Index of Neural Spike Trains in Response to Simulated Vowel Signal Stimuli in the Presence of a Pseudo-spontaneous Activity

This article presents a statistical analysis of neural spike trains in an auditory nerve fiber (ANF) model stimulated extracellularly by simulated vowel electric stimuli under the case where a high-rate pulsatile waveform is presented as a conditioner for increasing the across-fiber-independency, i.e., desynchronization. In the computer simulation, stimulus current waveforms were presented repeatedly to a stimulating electrode located 1 mm above the 26th node of Ranvier, in an ANF axon model having 50 nodes of Ranvier, each consisting of stochastic sodium and potassium channels. From spike firing times recorded at the 36th node of Ranvier, the raster plots were depicted to explore the temporal precision and reliability of spike trains. Then the period histograms were generated to obtain the synchronization index defined using Shannon's entropy as a distance between the period histogram and the vowel electric stimuli. In the present article, it is shown that at a specific amplitude of simulated vowel waveforms, the possibility to encode the vowel signals with various amplitudes became greater, as well as the synchronization index was found to be maximized. It was implied that setting the amplitude of vowel signals to the specific values which maximize the synchronization index might contribute to efficiently encoding information on vowel formants under the high-rate pulsatile stimulation in cochlear prostheses
The epidemiological challenge of the most frequent eye cancer: retinoblastoma, an issue of birth and death

Many papers on retinoblastoma open with a statement that it is the most common primary intraocular cancer in children and a rare disease. True enough. After reflecting a little longer on the epidemiology of eye cancer, however, this statement probably should be revised to read: “retinoblastoma is the most frequent primary intraocular cancer and is gaining importance rapidly. ” Let us substantiate this claim and evaluate its consequences in some detail. First, just how frequent is retinoblastoma? Not an easy question to answer because investigators are estimating its incidence in many ways. A recent issue featured two papers on the subject from the Western hemisphere. MacCarthy and coworkers,1 who analysed data from 1601 children with retinoblastoma diagnosed in England, Scotland and Wales between 1963 and 2002, arrive at an annual incidence rate of 3.5 per million children less than 15 years of age. Broaddus and colleagues2 from the USA estimate the rate to be 11.8 per million children below 5 years of age, based on 658 entries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programme database from 1975 to 2004. MacCarthy and coworkers also provide a cumulative incidence estimate of 53 per million for the first 14 years of life, which is useful because by that age, essentially all retinoblastomas have been detected, and they report that 95% of tumours were diagnosed before the age of 5 years.1 Presuming that this percentage is constant, one can calculate the corresponding estimate to be 62 per million for the SEER study. Although they are of the same order of magnitude, the estimates, or any estimate based on the number of children of particular age, will be influenced by differences in child and adolescent mortality between countries, the more so the wider is the age cohort considered. Because retinoblastoma is …
Dichlorido[(S)-(1-phenylethyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-κ2 N,N′]zinc(II)

In the title compound, [ZnCl2(C14H16N2)], the ZnII atom is coordinated by two N atoms and two Cl atoms in an approximately tetrahedral arrangement. The dihedral angle between the N—Zn—N and Cl—Zn—Cl planes is 88.06 (8)°. The H atoms on the chiral C atom and the adjacent N atom have an anti conformation.
Longitudinal attitude control of a hypersonic vehicle with angle of attack constraints

An adaptive dynamic surface control algorithm is proposed for longitudinal attitude of the hypersonic vehicle in the presence of angle of attack constraints. The angle of attack constraints are firstly converted into the tracking error constraints, and then a weighted performance function and an error transformation technique are introduced, which guarantee a prescribed performance of tracking error as well as prevent the angle of attack from transgressing the constraints, and the original nonlinear system with constrained tracking error is transformed into an equivalent unconstrained one. An adaptive dynamic surface control algorithm is subsequently proposed to stabilize this transformed error system. It is proved that asymptotic tracking of the longitudinal attitude is achieved without violation of the angle of attack constraints, and all the other signals in the closed loop are uniformly ultimately bounded. The Monte-Carlo simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.