Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Strontium ranelate promotes osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by increasing bone morphogenetic protein-7 expression].

OBJECTIVE To explore the role of bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) in strontium ranelate (Sr)-induced osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). METHODS BMSCs were isolated from 4-week-old rats and cultured in vitro. The third or fourth passages of BMSCs were examined using alkaline phosphatase kit for changes in ALP activity in response to treatment with different concentrations of Sr. Calcium nodules in the induced cells were detected using alizarin red staining, and the cellular BMP-7 expression was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS Within the concentration range of 0.1-3.0 mmol/L, Sr dose-dependently increased ALP activity in rat BMSCs. ALP activity reached the highest level after treatment with 3 mmol/L Sr, which also significantly promoted the formation of calcium nodules. Within the range of 0.1-3.0 mmol/L, Sr dose-dependently enhanced the expression of BMP-7, and its peak expression occurred following 3 mmol/L Sr treatment. Noggin (100 ng/ml), an inhibitor of BMP-7, obviously suppressed Sr-induced over-expression of BMP-7 and reduced ALP activity and calcium nodule formation in the BMSCs. CONCLUSION Sr promotes osteogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs by increasing the expression of BMP-7.
Discovery and Analysis of Natural-Product Compounds Inhibiting Protein Synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Bacterial protein synthesis is the target for numerous natural and synthetic antibacterial agents. We have developed a poly(U) mRNA-directed aminoacylation/translation (A/T) protein synthesis system composed of phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetases (PheRS), ribosomes, and ribosomal factors from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This system has been used for high-throughput screening of a natural-compound library. Assays were developed for each component of the system to ascertain the specific target of inhibitory compounds. In high-throughput screens, 13 compounds were identified that inhibit protein synthesis with 50% inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.3 to >80 μM. MICs were determined for the compounds against the growth of a panel of pathogenic organisms, including Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, P. aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Three of the compounds were observed to have broad-spectrum activity and inhibited a hypersensitive strain of P. aeruginosa with MICs of 8 to 16 μg/ml. The molecular target of each of the three compounds was determined to be PheRS. One compound was found to be bacteriostatic, and one compound was bactericidal against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The third compound was observed to be bacteriostatic against Gram-positive and bactericidal against Gram-negative bacteria. All three compounds were competitive with the substrate ATP; however, one compound was competitive, one was uncompetitive, and one noncompetitive with the amino acid substrate. Macromolecular synthesis assays confirm the compounds inhibit protein synthesis. The compounds were shown to be more than 25,000-fold less active than the control staurosporine in cytotoxicity MTT testing in human cell lines.
Kinetic evaluation of the reactivity of flavonoids as radical scavengers

The reactivity of flavonoids as radical scavengers was investigated under kinetic considerations using radical polymerization of methyl methacrylates initiated by benzoyl peroxide. The number of radicals which are trapped by each molecule of phenol (the stoichiometric factors, n values) decreased in the order of epigallocatechin-3- O -gallate (ECG) (5.5) > catechin (3.5) > resveratrol (2.4) > quercetin (1.9)> n -propylgallate (1.5) > hesperetin (1.0). The inhibition rate constants ( k inh ) (1-3 ‐ 10 3 l/(mol s)) for the flavonoids were not different from each other, and, therefore, the radical scavenging activity depend on n values. The n values of the fully oxidized flavonoids were estimated from the frontier orbital theory, using PM3 semiempirical molecular orbital calculation. The experimental n values were consistent with the calculated values.
Relapsing Fever Borreliosis in Interleukin-10-Deficient Mice

ABSTRACT Relapsing fever (RF) is a spirochetal infection characterized by periods of sickness with fever at time of high bacteremia that alternate with afebrile periods of relative well being during low bacteremia. Patients with epidemic RF who are doing relatively well have extraordinarily high levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the circulation. We investigated the possibility that IL-10 plays an important protective role in this infection using wild-type and IL-10-deficient mice inoculated with virulent serotype 2 of the RF spirochete Borrelia turicatae. During peak bacteremia there was increased systemic production of IL-10 that quickly resolved in the postpeak period; in contrast, IL-6 and CXCL13 production increased during the peak but remained elevated during postpeak bacteremia. IL-10 deficiency resulted in lower bacteremia, increased specific antibody production, higher production of CXCL13 and IL-6, and thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications affecting multiple organs with secondary tissue injury. Our results revealed that production of IL-10 is highly regulated during RF and plays an important protective role in the prevention of hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications at the cost of reduced pathogen control.
Understanding Social Inequalities in Health

A prominent feature of health in all industrialized countries is the social gradient in health and disease. Many observers believe that this gradient is simply a matter of poor health for the disadvantaged and good health for everyone else, but this is an inadequate analysis. The Whitehall Study documented a social gradient in mortality rates, even among people who are not poor, and this pattern has been confirmed by data from the United States and elsewhere. The social gradient in health is influenced by such factors as social position; relative versus absolute deprivation; and control and social participation. To understand causality and generate policies to improve health, we must consider the relationship between social environment and health and especially the importance of early life experiences.
Long Slots Array Antenna Based on Ridge Gap Waveguide Technology

Ridge gap waveguide (RGW) technology is used in the design of a frequency scanning antenna with high gain and directivity. A Quasi-TEM horn with shaped ridge is designed as a guiding structure between two metallic surfaces. The waves are suppressed beyond the shaped ridge area between the metallic surface and the artificial magnetic conductor (AMC); realized by a bed of conducting nails. The ridge is shaped to generate uniform field distribution in the enclosed air gap. Non-resonance radiating long slots are introduced in the top metallic layer. Since the slots are separated by a guiding wavelength, a grating lobe in the visible region exists. The structure is built and tested. Good agreement between measured and simulated results is obtained with an average gain of 14.5 dBi within a bandwidth of 22%. To reduce the grating lobe, two different techniques are proposed. These techniques achieve a reduction in the grating lobe and enhance the antenna gain to an average gain of 18.5 dBi.
A third crystal form of Wolinella succinogenes quinol:fumarate reductase reveals domain closure at the site of fumarate reduction.

Quinol:fumarate reductase (QFR) is a membrane protein complex that couples the reduction of fumarate to succinate to the oxidation of quinol to quinone. Previously, the crystal structure of QFR from Wolinella succinogenes was determined based on two different crystal forms, and the site of fumarate binding in the flavoprotein subunit A of the enzyme was located between the FAD-binding domain and the capping domain [Lancaster, C.R. D. , Kröger, A. , Auer, M. , & Michel, H. (1999) Nature 402, 377--385]. Here we describe the structure of W. succinogenes QFR based on a third crystal form and refined at 3.1 A resolution. Compared with the previous crystal forms, the capping domain is rotated in this structure by approximately 14 degrees relative to the FAD-binding domain. As a consequence, the topology of the dicarboxylate binding site is much more similar to those of membrane-bound and soluble fumarate reductase enzymes from other organisms than to that found in the previous crystal forms of W. succinogenes QFR. This and the effects of the replacement of Arg A301 by Glu or Lys by site-directed mutagenesis strongly support a common mechanism for fumarate reduction in this superfamily of enzymes.
Profile of Cytokines (IL-1β, TNF- α and IL-10) in Eyelid Tumors

Introduction: Tissue cytokine levels (IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10) have been utilized for screening, diagnosis, prognostication and treatment of tumors. The current study, therefore, purports to measure the levels of common cancer associated cytokines in histopathologically confirmed tissue samples of eyelid tumors. The compilation of this information is planned with a view to facilitate further studies which will enable the use of specific cytokines for screening, diagnosis, prognostication and treatment of these tumors. Material and Method: This is a prospective observational cross-sectional case-control study conducted on all immunocompetent cases of eyelid neoplasia that underwent surgical treatment over a one year period. Tissue from other non-inflammatory, nonneoplastic eyelid disorders were recruited as controls. Commercially available “Ready-SET-Go! ELISA Kit” was used to determine the levels of the cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10) in pg/ml. Results were expressed as the mean (SEM). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software, version 17.0 employing ‘Chi square test’, ‘unpaired t-test’ and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: On comparing the mean cytokine levels of the two groups with surgically excised tissue of 25 patients of eyelid neoplasia of either sex as cases and 26 age and sex matched tissue samples as controls, t-test revealed significantly different and higher level of IL1β (16.71 ± 2.75 vs. 14.60 ± 3.71, t=2.3, p=0.025), TNF-α (19.11 ± 3.2 vs. 16.73 ± 4.44, t=2.18, p=0.033) and IL-10 (24.86 ± 5.94 vs. 21.60 ± 4.60, t=2.19, p=0.032) in cases as compared to controls. Discussion: The mean cytokine levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10 were raised in cases by 12.62%, 12.45% and 13.11% respectively (p<0.05) in comparison to controls. Conclusion: Significantly higher levels of cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 are present in the tissues of eyelid neoplasia. This represents a higher association with tumorigenesis. Development of anti-cytokine molecules, cytokine receptor agonists and antagonists for modifying the disease processes and their application to provide treatment in eyelid tumors is a potential area for research in eyelid tumors.
A Novel Approach for Video Frame Interpolation using Cubic Motion Compensation Technique

Increasing frame rates by frame interpolation is one of the main challenges in video processing. Motion estimation and motion compensation are two main keys of video frame interpolation algorithm. Motion estimation algorithms are used to get refine motion vectors while motion compensation algorithm assigns motion vectors accurately. Recent studies on video frame interpolation mainly focused on motion estimation algorithms, but along with that assigning motion vectors accurately is also an important issue. This paper concentrates on motion compensation. In this paper we have proposed a novel method for video frame interpolation using Cubic Motion Compensation technique which assigns motion vectors accurately. Instead of using two consecutive frames for motion estimation as in Conventional method, this paper considers four consecutive frames and calculates three different motion vectors. It is observed that proposed algorithm have relatively outperforms over conventional Motion compensated frame interpolation algorithm. For evaluation, average Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and average Structural Similarity (SSIM) are considered to compare the results. According to simulation results, using test sequences of different frame sizes, it can be observed that the proposed algorithm have effectively improves average PSNR of reconstructed frame by around 3dB and average SSIM have increased upto 5% with reference to the traditional methods.
Synthesis of active damping for grid-connected inverters with an LCL filter

LCL filter characterized with high harmonic current attenuating performance and low cost are suitable for medium and high power grid-connected inverters. But, the resonance poles endanger the safety of operation, and the active damping (AD) is an effective means to increase the system security. This paper focus on the theoretical exercise of possible strategies to damp the resonance of grid-connected inverter with LCL-filter, the systematical synthesis method for AD is presented, and a unified analytical model for AD is proposed. The AD structures are listed based on single-state variable and single-compensator, and the effective AD strategies are distinguished by root locus. And then, the published AD approaches can be involved in derived AD structures, and the novel AD approach is successfully proposed. The characteristics and performance of the proposed AD approach is analyzed, and its validity is verified by experiment results to demonstrate the success of the theoretical exercise of active damping strategies.
Transforming growth factor α‐induced expression of type‐1 plasminogen activator inhibitor in astrocytes rescues neurons from excitotoxicity

Although transforming growth factor (TGF)‐α, a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, has been shown to protect neurons against excitotoxic and ischemic brain injuries, its mechanism of action remains unknown. In the present study, we used in vitro models of apoptotic or necrotic paradigms demonstrating that TGF‐α rescues neurons from N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐induced excitotoxic death, with the obligatory presence of astrocytes. Because neuronal tissue‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) release was shown to potentiate NMDA‐induced excitotoxicity, we observed that TGF‐α treatment reduced NMDA‐induced increase of t‐PA activity in mixed cultures of neurons and astrocytes. In addition, we showed that although TGF‐α induces activation of the extracellular signalregulated kinases (ERKs) in astrocytes, it failed to activate p42/p44 in neurons. Finally, we showed that TGF‐α, by an ERK‐dependent mechanism, stimulates the astrocytic expression of PAI‐1, a t‐PA inhibitor, which mediates the neuroprotective activity of TGF‐α against NMDA‐mediated excitotoxic neuronal death. Taken together, we indicate that TGF‐α rescues neurons from NMDA‐induced excitotoxicity in mixed cultures through inhibition of t‐PA activity, involving PAI‐1 overexpression by an ERK‐dependent pathway in astrocytes.
Site of upper airway obstruction in patients with idiopathic obstructive sleep apnea

We developed a technique to determine the site of upper airway obstruction in patients with idiopathic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This technique is based on the analysis of inspiratory airflow pressures at various levels of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. Pharyngeal pressure was measured by a moveable Millar catheter pressure transducer. The catheter's position in the airway was localized radiographically. Ten patients with OSA were tested: five patients were found to have upper airway obstruction at the level of the soft palate, and five had upper airway obstruction at the base of the tongue. We concluded that measuring airway pressures at multiple sites along the airway is useful in localizing the site of obstruction in patients with OSA, and may have important implications in terms of the patient's response to surgical treatment.
Advantages of variable DC bus voltage for Hybrid Electrical vehicle

Most research paper on Hybrid vehicle or Hybrid Electrical vehicle propose electrical structures of a DC bus to supply the electrical motor (with or without recovering possibilities). The proposed DC bus has at the majority a constant voltage. As the electrical power is relatively high, it is reasonable to increase the DC bus voltage in order to decrease the current and consequently the Joules losses and to reduce also the sizing of the component and wires. We show in this paper that a variables DC bus voltage is technologically feasible and economically interesting. In this purpose, we compare two different architectures. Both architectures were modelled and controlled (with the proof of stability) and finally the energy balance was proposed in order to compare the two structures and to exhibit the advantages of the variable DC bus voltage.
Patterns of care outcome studies results of the national practice in cancer of the cervix

This report summarizes the national data collected by the Patterns of Care Study in the process and outcome of care in the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix. Substantial variation was found from a consensus of best current management, although training facilities tended to score higher than non‐training on a compliance measure. Four year national averages for control of cervical cancer are: Stage I, 87%, Stage II, 66%, Stage III, 28%. Factors relating to recurrences include failure to use intracavitary irradiation, the type of equipment, the central dose, and Karnofsky Score. The presence of complications is associated with daily dose, lateral dose and central dose, among other factors, and was shown to be unacceptably high in Stage I.
Toward Lexical Acquisition during Dialogues through Implicit Confirmation for Closed-Domain Chatbots

This paper proposes a lexical acquisition framework for a closeddomain chatbot. It learns the ontological categories of unknown terms in dialogues through implicit confirmation instead of using explicit questions which are too abrupt. Analysis of human participant responses to implicit confirmation requests confirmed the feasibility of our approach: the response expressions differed in a manner that indicated the correctness of an unknown term’s predicted category. We thus propose a two-tiered method to predict unknown term categories that attempts to predict the most specific category possible and backs off to a more general category when the predicted category is not sufficiently confident. Direct evaluation showed that this two-tiered method makes correct category predictions 54.3% more often than previously proposed explicit confirmation method.
Application of Pulsed Digital Oscillators in `reverse mode' to eliminate undesired vibrations in high-Q MEMS resonators

A new 'reverse mode' for pulsed digital oscillators is proposed that cancels out unwanted vibrations in high-Q MEMS resonators. For a given resonator, PDOs may present two opposed behaviours, depending on the sign of the feedback signal and the sampling frequency: a) the feedback signal may force oscillations, or b) it can cancel out the oscillations reaching a limit orbit near the origin. This second behaviour can actually be used to cancel out unwanted vibrations. Theory and simulations results are presented. The case study considered is one in which the resonator has been hit and therefore it has suddenly increased its velocity.
Formation of Modified DNA Bases in Cells Exposed either to Gamma Radiation or to High-LET Particles1

Abstract Pouget, J-P., Frelon, S. , Ravanat, J-L. , Testard, I. , Odin, F. and Cadet, J. Formation of Modified DNA Bases in Cells Exposed either to Gamma Radiation or to High-LET Particles. Radiat. Res. 157, 589–595 (2002). The aim of the present study was to measure the formation of eight base modifications in the DNA of cells exposed to either low-LET (60Co γ rays) or high-LET (12C6+ particles) radiation. For this purpose, a recently optimized HPLC-MS/MS method was used subsequent to DNA extraction and hydrolysis. The background level of the measured modified bases and nucleosides was shown to vary between 0.2 and 2 lesions/106 bases. Interestingly, thymidine glycols constitute the main radiation-induced base modifications, with an overall yield of 0.097 and 0.062 lesion/106 bases per gray for γ rays and carbon heavy ions, respectively. Both types of radiations generate four other major degradation products, in the following order of decreasing importance: FapyGua > 5-HmdUrd > 5-FordUrd > 8-oxodGuo. The yields of formation of FapyAde and 8-oxoAde are one order of magnitude lower than those of the related guanine modifications, whereas the radiation-induced generation of 5-OHdUrd was below the limit of detection of the assay. The efficiency for both types of radiation to generate base damage in cellular DNA is low because the highest yield per gray was 0.097 thymine glycols per 106 DNA bases. As a striking observation, the yield of formation of the measured DNA lesions was found to be, on average, twofold lower after exposure to high-LET radiation (12C6+) than after exposure to low-LET γ radiation. These studies show that the HPLC-MS/MS assay provides an accurate, reliable and sensitive method for measuring cellular DNA base damage.
High-Speed, Low-Current-Density 850 nm VCSELs

We report on the design, fabrication, and evaluation of large-aperture, oxide-confined 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with high modulation bandwidth at low current densities. We also compare the use of InGaAs and GaAs quantum wells (QWs) in the active region. Both VCSELs reach an output power of 9 mW at room temperature, with a thermal resistance of 1.9deg C/mW. The use of InGaAs QWs improves the high-speed performance and enables a small-signal modulation bandwidth of 20 GHz at 25degC and 15 GHz at 85degC. At a constant bias current density of only 11 kA/cm2, we generate open eyes under large-signal modulation at bit rates up to 25 Gbit/s at 85degC and 30 Gbit/s at 55degC.
An Approach to Semi-supervised Classification using the Hungarian Algorithm

In this paper we propose a novel semi-supervised classification algorithm from the cluster-and-label framework. A small amount of labeled examples is used to automatically label the extracted clusters, so that the initial labeled seed is implicitely ”augmented” to the whole clustered data. The optimum cluster labelling is achieved by means of the Hungarian algorithm, traditionally used to solve any optimisation assignment problem. Finally, the augmented labeled set is applied to train a SVM classifier. This semi-supervised approach has been compared to a fully supervised version. In our experiments we used an artificial dataset (mixture of Gaussians) as well as other five real data sets from the UCI repository. In general, the experimental results showed significant improvements in the classification performance under minimal labeled sets using the semi-supervised algorithm.