Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms contributing to low orthostatic tolerance in women: the influence of oestradiol

• The maintenance of blood pressure upon standing is accomplished through an integration of physiological systems. The inability to maintain blood pressure upon standing is called orthostatic intolerance and occurs more frequently in women than in men. • Given that ovarian hormones fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, it is difficult to isolate the effects of oestradiol on cardiovascular control systems in humans. • We utilize a novel study design in which we suppress endogenous ovarian hormones, then add back oestradiol to isolate its effects on blood pressure‐regulating systems. • We show that women with low orthostatic tolerance have a lower vasoconstrictor response to gravitational stress and lower stroke volume in comparison to women with normal/high orthostatic tolerance. Oestradiol further suppresses the vasoconstrictor response to gravitational stress in women with low orthostatic tolerance; heart rate increases more to compensate for this impairment. • These results help us to better understand why women are more susceptible to orthostatic intolerance and how oestradiol affects the regulation of blood pressure.
Carbon Nanotubes: Present and Future Commercial Applications

Exploiting Carbon Nanotubes Individual defect-free carbon nanotubes can have exceptional mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, which has led to speculation on a wide range of potential applications. However, challenges in growing large quantities of pure nanotubes, and for some applications tubes of only one type, have limited their widespread use. De Volder et al. (p. 535) review the efforts that have been made to scale up carbon nanotube production and discuss a number of applications where enhanced materials have made use of carbon nanotubes. Worldwide commercial interest in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reflected in a production capacity that presently exceeds several thousand tons per year. Currently, bulk CNT powders are incorporated in diverse commercial products ranging from rechargeable batteries, automotive parts, and sporting goods to boat hulls and water filters. Advances in CNT synthesis, purification, and chemical modification are enabling integration of CNTs in thin-film electronics and large-area coatings. Although not yet providing compelling mechanical strength or electrical or thermal conductivities for many applications, CNT yarns and sheets already have promising performance for applications including supercapacitors, actuators, and lightweight electromagnetic shields.
Invited Talk Searching for 2 D RNA Geometries in Bacterial Genomes

The central dogma of biology, that DNA makes RNA makes protein, was again shown to be outdated with the recent discovery of RNAs that have essential regulatory functions (e.g., metabolite-binding RNAs, transcription regulation) [2, 15]. These finding have stimulated a large effort to search for small, functional RNA motifs (either embedded inside larger messenger RNA molecules or as separate molecules in the cell). For example, it is known that cells make use of a variety of small non-coding RNAs (such as microRNAs) as a mechanism for gene regulation. The very existence of these small motifs in Nature suggests that the functional, artificial RNA molecules developed through (experimental) in vitro selection technology may shed some light on the scope and functional diversity of these small RNA molecules in vivo. The binding and catalytic properties of nucleic acid molecules are conferred by specific sequence and structural motifs. Indeed, recent discoveries show that metabolite-induced RNA conformational changes constitute another form of bacterial gene regulation [12, 20, 21]. Since in vitro selection is a process that simulates evolution, it is reasonable that novel nucleic acid motifs discovered through in vitro selection experiments may have also evolved in the cell, especially since such motifs often target molecules (e.g., ATP, cAMP, antibiotics, etc.) that are prevalent in Nature. The structure of RNA is hierarchical in nature. The primary (1D) structure of an RNA molecule is the oriented, linear ordering of the nucleotides A, C, G, and U. The secondary (2D) structure of the molecule is described by ∗To whom correspondence should be addressed 1In vitro selection is a process that mimics evolution in which a large pool of small, random-sequence RNA molecules is subjected to an iterative process that selects for a specific physical or chemical property; see [19] for a review.
Etude du rôle des oligodendrocytes dans les mécanismes de formation des noeuds de Ranvier

Une des dernieres etapes de l’evolution du systeme nerveux chez les vertebres est la myelinisation des axones des neurones. Ce processus permet une augmentation importante de la vitesse de conduction de l’influx nerveux. Dans le systeme nerveux central (SNC), la myeline qui est produite par les oligodendrocytes s’enroule de facon discontinue le long des axones, interrompue par des petits domaines enrichis en canaux sodium voltage dependants (Nav), les nœuds de Ranvier. Les mecanismes qui regissent l’agregation des proteines constitutives des nœuds de Ranvier restent tres mal connus. La sclerose en plaques, maladie auto-immune inflammatoire du SNC, provoque des lesions demyelinisantes associees a une dispersion des molecules nodales. Lors de la remyelinisation, la reapparition de ces domaines semble etre a la fois tres precoce, et essentielle pour une remyelinisation efficace. Nous souhaitons ameliorer la comprehension de ces mecanismes, lors du developpement et de la remyelinisation, dans l’objectif d’optimiser le developpement de strategies therapeutiques de reparation myelinique. En utilisant une approche in vitro basee sur des cultures de neurones d’hippocampe et de cellules gliales, nous avons pu observer une agregation des molecules nodales avant la mise en place de la myeline. Ces structures appelees « prenœuds », sont formees grâce a un (des) facteur(s) secrete(s) par les oligodendrocytes dans le milieu conditionne (MCO). L’objectif de ce travail etait de poursuivre l’etude des proprietes du MCO et d’identifier des molecules candidates secretees, capables d’induire l’agregation nodale. Nous avons pu fractionner le MCO et obtenir une analyse proteomique des fractions actives. Mes travaux mettent en evidence la Contactine-1, la Tenascine-R ou encore le Phosphacan comme molecules candidates permettant la formation des prenœuds. La validation de l’activite de ces molecules est poursuivie actuellement au laboratoire.
Voltage‐dependent calcium channels of dog basilar artery

Electrophysiological and molecular characteristics of voltage‐dependent calcium (Ca2+) channels were studied using whole‐cell patch clamp, polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting in smooth muscle cells freshly isolated from dog basilar artery. Inward currents evoked by depolarizing steps from a holding potential of –50 or –90 mV in 10 mm barium consisted of low‐ (LVA) and high‐voltage activated (HVA) components. LVA current comprised more than half of total current in 24 (12%) of 203 cells and less than 10% of total current in 52 (26%) cells. The remaining cells (127 cells, 62%) had LVA currents between one tenth and one half of total current. LVA current was rapidly inactivating, slowly deactivating, inhibited by high doses of nimodipine and mibefradil (> 0.3 μm), not affected by ω‐agatoxin GVIA (γ100 nm), ω‐conotoxin IVA (1 μm) or SNX‐482 (200 nm) and probably carried by T‐type Ca2+ channels based on the presence of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein for Cav3.1 and Cav3.3α1 subunits of these channels. LVA currents exhibited window current with a maximum of 13% of the LVA current at –37.4 mV. HVA current was slowly inactivating and rapidly deactivating. It was inhibited by nimodipine (IC50= 0.018 μm), mibefradil (IC50= 0.39 μm) and ω‐conotoxin IV (1 μm). Smooth muscle cells also contained mRNA and protein for L‐ (Cav1.2 and Cav1.3), N‐ (Cav2.2) and T‐type (Cav3.1 and Cav3.3) α1 Ca2+ channel subunits. Confocal microscopy showed Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 (L‐type), Cav2.2 (N‐type) and Cav3.1 and Cav3.3 (T‐type) protein in smooth muscle cells. Relaxation of intact arteries under isometric tension in vitro to nimodipine (1 μm) and mibefradil (1 μm) but not to ω‐agatoxin GVIA (100 nm), ω‐conotoxin IVA (1 μm) or SNX‐482 (1 μm) confirmed the functional significance of L‐ and T‐type voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channel subtypes but not N‐type. These results show that dog basilar artery smooth muscle cells express functional voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels of multiple types.
Ranking potential reply-providers in community question answering system

Community Question Answering (CQA) websites have greatly facilitated users' lives, with an increasing number of people seeking help and exchanging ideas on the Internet. This newly-emerged community features two characteristics: social relations and an ask-reply mechanism. As users' behaviours and social statuses play a more important role in CQA services than traditional answer retrieving websites, researchers' concerns have shifted from the need to passively find existing answers to actively seeking potential reply providers that may give answers in the near future. We analyse datasets derived from an online CQA system named “Quora”, and observed that compared with traditional question answering services, users tend to contribute replies rather than questions for help in the CQA system. Inspired by the findings, we seek ways to evaluate the users' ability to offer prompt and reliable help, taking into account activity, authority and social reputation characteristics. We propose a hybrid method that is based on a Question-User network and social network using optimised PageRank algorithm. Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed method for ranking potential answer-providers.
Finding hypergraph communities: a Bayesian approach and variational solution

Data clustering, including problems such as finding network communities, can be put into a systematic framework by means of a Bayesian approach. Here we address the Bayesian formulation of the problem of finding hypergraph communities. We start by introducing a hypergraph generative model with a built-in group structure. Using a variational calculation we derive a variational Bayes algorithm, a generalized version of the expectation maximization algorithm with a built-in penalization for model complexity or bias. We demonstrate the good performance of the variational Bayes algorithm using test examples, including finding network communities. A MATLAB code implementing this algorithm is provided as supplementary material.
Principal motives for toothbrushing in a population of South African adolescents: implications for oral health promotion.

BACKGROUND Little is known of the motives for tooth-brushing among adolescents in resource-poor settings. AIM To investigate the principal motive for tooth-brushing among a rural population of South African adolescents. METHODS The participants were high school students between the ages of 12 and 19 years who provided baseline data during 2005 as part of a tobacco use prevention trial (n = 2119). Information was obtained using a self-administered survey questionnaire, including demographic data, data on the employment status of the parents, oral health practices and risk behaviors. The main outcome measure was the principal reason for brushing. Data was analyzed using chi-square statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Of the study participants, only 27.2% had ever visited a dentist. For 28.9%, both parents are unemployed. The principal motive for brushing among most adolescents (84.9%), including those who reported frequent sugar intake, was related to cosmetic rather than preventive dental health reasons. Motives for brushing were not associated with brushing frequency. However, the socially disadvantaged, current smokers, and those who reported a past suicide attempt were significantly less likely to brush for cosmetic reasons. CONCLUSIONS Motives for tooth-brushing among adolescents may reflect their psychosocial state rather than knowledge of the preventive effect of brushing.
Downregulation of Rap1GAP Contributes to Ras Transformation

ABSTRACT Although abundant in well-differentiated rat thyroid cells, Rap1GAP expression was extinguished in a subset of human thyroid tumor-derived cell lines. Intriguingly, Rap1GAP was downregulated selectively in tumor cell lines that had acquired a mesenchymal morphology. Restoring Rap1GAP expression to these cells inhibited cell migration and invasion, effects that were correlated with the inhibition of Rap1 and Rac1 activity. The reexpression of Rap1GAP also inhibited DNA synthesis and anchorage-independent proliferation. Conversely, eliminating Rap1GAP expression in rat thyroid cells induced a transient increase in cell number. Strikingly, Rap1GAP expression was abolished by Ras transformation. The downregulation of Rap1GAP by Ras required the activation of the Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade and was correlated with the induction of mesenchymal morphology and migratory behavior. Remarkably, the acute expression of oncogenic Ras was sufficient to downregulate Rap1GAP expression in rat thyroid cells, identifying Rap1GAP as a novel target of oncogenic Ras. Collectively, these data implicate Rap1GAP as a putative tumor/invasion suppressor in the thyroid. In support of that notion, Rap1GAP was highly expressed in normal human thyroid cells and downregulated in primary thyroid tumors.
Interspecific abundance-range size relationships: An appraisal of mechanisms

1. Positive relationships between the local abundance and the range size of the species in a taxonomic assemblage are very general. 2. Explanations for these relationships typically focus on two mechanisms, based on differences in the niche breadths of species, or metapopulation dynamics. Others have, however, also been suggested. 3. Here we identify and clarify all the principal mechanisms proposed to explain positive interspecific abundance-range size relationships. We critically assess the assumptions and predictions that they make, and the evidence in support of them. 4. A number of predictions are common to all of the biological (as opposed to artefactual) mechanisms, but the combination of predictions and assumptions made by each is unique, suggesting that, in principle, conclusive tests of all of the mechanisms are possible. 5. On present evidence, no single mechanism has unequivocal support. We discuss reasons why this might be the case.
Desenvolvimento de modelo matemático para descrição da eficiência c.c./c.a. de inversores utilizados em sistemas fotovoltaicos conectados à rede

Para realizar uma simulação confiável de um sistema fotovoltaico é fundamental conhecer as características elétricas e térmicas de cada componente e desenvolver modelos matemáticos que descrevam o funcionamento do sistema. Este trabalho apresenta um modelo matemático para descrição do comportamento da eficiência c.c. /c.a. de inversores utilizados em sistemas fotovoltaicos e que foi obtido a partir de resultados de ensaios experimentais. O modelo matemático apresentado pode ser utilizado em programas computacionais de simulação. Os ensaios foram realizados no Laboratório de Energia Solar (LABSOL) da Universidade Federal do Rio grande do Sul (UFRGS) onde foram utilizados dez modelos de inversores de três fabricantes e no Laboratório de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica do Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) onde foram utilizados sete modelos de inversores de cinco fabricantes. A partir da comparação entre as curvas medidas e as curvas teóricas de cada característica elétrica e térmica previstas pelo modelo matemático proposto foram determinados coeficientes que representam cada inversor medido e que devem ser inseridos no banco de dados do software.
Burden of illness in cancer survivors: findings from a population-based national sample.

BACKGROUND Population trends in aging and improved cancer survival are likely to result in increased cancer prevalence in the United States, but few estimates of the burden of illness among cancer survivors are currently available. The purpose of this study was to estimate the burden of illness in cancer survivors in a national, population-based sample. METHODS A total of 1823 cancer survivors and 5469 age-, sex-, and educational attainment-matched control subjects were identified from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Multiple measures of burden, including utility, a summary measure of health, and days lost from work, were compared using two-sided tests of statistical significance for the two groups overall and for subgroups stratified by tumor site and time since diagnosis. RESULTS Compared with matched control subjects, cancer survivors had poorer outcomes across all burden measures (P<.01). Cancer survivors had lower utility values (0.74 versus 0.80; P<.001) and higher levels of lost productivity and were more likely to report their health as fair or poor (31.0% versus 17.9%; P<.001) than matched control subjects. Cancer survivors reported statistically significantly higher burden than did control subjects across tumor sites and across time since diagnosis (i.e., within the past year, 2-5 years, 6-10 years, and > or =11 years for the majority of measures. CONCLUSIONS Cancer survivors have poorer health outcomes than do similar individuals without cancer across multiple burden measures. These decrements are consistent across tumor sites and are found in patients many years following reported diagnosis. Improved measurement of long-term burden of illness will be important for future prospective research.
Inducible deletion of the Blimp-1 gene in adult epidermis causes granulocyte-dominated chronic skin inflammation in mice

B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) is a transcriptional repressor important for the differentiation and function of several types of immune cells. Because skin serves as a physical barrier and acts as an immune sentinel, we investigated whether Blimp-1 is involved in epidermal immune function. We show that Blimp-1 expression is reduced in skin lesions of some human eczema samples and in stimulated primary keratinocytes. Epidermal-specific deletion of PR domain containing 1, with ZNF domain (Prdm1), the gene encoding Blimp-1, in adult mice caused spontaneously inflamed skin characterized by massive dermal infiltration of neutrophils/macrophages and development of chronic inflammation associated with higher levels of cytokines/chemokines, including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and enhanced myelopoiesis in bone marrow. Deletion of Prdm1 in the epidermis of adult mice also led to stronger inflammatory reactions in a tape-stripping test and in a disease model of contact dermatitis. The elevated G-CSF produced by keratinocytes after deletion of Prdm1 in vitro was mediated by the transcriptional activation of FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene (Fos) and fos-like antigen 1 (Fosl1). Systemic increases in G-CSF contributed to the inflammatory responses, because deletion of the G-CSF gene [colony stimulating factor 3, (Csf3)] prevented neutrophilia and partially ameliorated the inflamed skin in Prdm1-deficient mice. Our findings indicate a previously unreported function for Blimp-1 in restraining steady-state epidermal barrier immunity.
Expression of TPK1 and TPK2 genes encoding PKA catalytic subunits during growth and morphogenesis in Candida albicans

The transcript levels of Candida albicans TPK1 and TPK2 genes, encoding PKA catalytic subunits, as well as phosphotransferase activity, were measured in the parental strain CAI4 and in homozygous tpk1Δ and tpk2Δ mutants during vegetative growth and during yeast‐to‐mycelial transition in N‐acetylglucosamine liquid inducing medium at 37 °C. We observed two TPK2 transcripts, a major one of 1.8 kb and a minor one of 1.4 kb, and established by 3′‐RACE that they originate from the recognition of the three polyadenylation signals present in the 3′ untranslated region of the gene. During vegetative growth of CAI4 strain, the expression profiles of TPK1 and TPK2 varied similarly, reaching maximal expression at the late logarithmic phase. TPK1 mRNA levels were lower than those of TPK2 at all stages measured. In the corresponding homozygous tpk mutants, mRNA levels and the expression patterns of TPK1 and TPK2 were similar to those of CAI4, suggesting that the loss of one catalytic isoform is not compensated by overexpression of the other. Changes in PKA specific activity roughly correlated with fluctuations of mRNA expression levels. During yeast‐to‐mycelial transition, a sharp increase in TPK1 mRNA levels and in PKA‐specific activity correlated with the onset of germ‐tube formation in strain tpk2Δ. We also showed that tpk1Δ strain exhibited a delayed morphogenetic shift in comparison with CAI4 and tpk2Δ strains in several liquid inducing media, reinforcing the idea that Tpk1p is important for faster germ‐tube appearance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simple and Safe Method to Prepare Patients With Prosthetic Heart Valves for Surgical Dental Procedures

Temporary discontinuation of high-intensity oral anticoagulant treatment is not recommended in patients under going dental surgery. This policy is not based on solid data from randomized clinical trials but on expert consensus. The alternative, i.e., to continue treatment and treat patients with tranexamic acid mouthwash, often is not applicable. A prospec tive cohort study was carried out to evaluate bleeding and thromboembolic complications in patients bearing prosthetic heart valves and registering International Normalized Ratio (INR) values between 2.0 and 4.5, who underwent dental pro cedures after a 2-day suspension of warfarin treatment. One hundred four consecutive patients receiving high-intensity an ticoagulation underwent 123 dental procedures after 2 days' warfarin withdrawal. No major bleeding complications oc curred in the week after the procedure; minor bleeding requir ing local measures occurred in two patients. No thromboem bolic events and no cases of bacterial endocarditis were re corded in the 3 months after the procedure. A mean decrease in INR by approximately 1.0 U (from 2.95 ± 0,59 to 1.87 ± 0,46) occurred after 2 days' warfarin suspension. Seven days after reinitiation of warfarin, INR values returned to the therapeutic range in 90% of cases. The calculated average time spent at INR less than 2.0 (critical value) was 28 hours. Two days' warfarin suspension is a simple and safe policy for patients with prosthetic heart valves undergoing dental surgery.
Identification of auditor’s report qualifications: an empirical analysis for Slovenia

An auditor’s report qualifies a company’s financial statements if the management’s representation of the company’s financial affairs is not in accordance with nationally generally accepted accounting pronouncements. The present research studies the qualification of auditors’ reports in relation to the circumstances in the company’s economic situation that lead to the qualification. Qualifications have been analysed on a sample of 293 large Slovenian companies. The results reveal that companies with qualified auditors’ reports have high indebtedness, low liquidity, low efficiency and poor profitability in comparison with companies with unqualified auditors’ reports. From a statistical viewpoint, a logistic model can distinguish between companies that received a qualified auditor’s report and companies that received an unqualified auditor’s report on a sample of Slovenian large companies.