Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adrenalectomy Attenuates Kainic Acid‐Induced Spectrin Proteolysis and Heat Shock Protein 70 Induction in Hippocampus and Cortex

Abstract: Glucocorticoids have been shown to exacerbate the damaging effects of a variety of neurotoxic insults in the hippocampus and other brain areas. Evidence suggests that the endangering effects of glucocorticoids may be due to augmenting the cascade of events, such as elevations in intracellular calcium levels, because of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor stimulation. A potential mechanism responsible for EAA‐induced neuronal damage is activation of calcium‐sensitive proteases, such as calpain, which then proteolytically degrade cytoskeleton structural proteins, such as spectrin. The present study was designed to determine if glucocorticoids can regulate the spectrin proteolysis produced by the EAA agonist, kainic acid. Rats were adrenalectomized (ADX) or sham operated and 7 days later injected with kainic acid (10 mg/kg). Twenty‐four hours later rats were killed and tissues obtained for western blot analyses of the intact spectrin molecule and the proteolytically derived breakdown products. Kainic acid produced an approximate sevenfold increase in the 145–155‐kDa spectrin breakdown products in the hippocampus relative to ADX or sham rats injected with vehicle. ADX attenuated the kainic acid‐induced increase in breakdown products by 43%. In a similar way, kainic acid produced a large 10‐fold increase in spectrin breakdown products in the frontal cortex, which was also significantly attenuated (−80%) by ADX. Induction of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) by neurotoxic insults has been suggested to be a sensitive indicator of cellular stress in neurons. Kainic acid induced large amounts of hsp70 in both hippocampus and frontal cortex of sham‐operated rats that was markedly attenuated (85–95%) by ADX. There was a strong positive correlation between the amount of spectrin proteolysis and the degree of hsp70 induction in both the hippocampus and frontal cortex. In contrast, kainic acid did not significantly produce spectrin proteolysis and induced only a very modest and inconsistent increase of hsp70 in the hypothalamus. This is consistent with the observation that the hypothalamus is relatively insensitive to the neurotoxic effects of systemically administered kainic acid. The dose of kainic acid (10 mg/kg) used in this experiment produces a 10‐fold elevation in circulating corticosterone levels at both 1 and 3 h after administration. These results suggest that part of the endangering effects of glucocorticoids on hippocampal and cortical neurons may be due to augmentation of calpain‐induced spectrin proteolysis. The attenuation of kainic acid‐induced synthesis of hsp70 by ADX indicates that the cellular stress produced by EAAs is regulated in part by glucocorticoids. In addition, the elevation in endogenous corticosterone levels produced by kainic acid appears to be a significant factor contributing to the neuronal damage produced by this agent.
Share Repurchases as a Tool to Mislead Investors: Evidence from Earnings Quality and Stock Performance

Classic signaling theory suggests that in an economic environment which results in a pooling equilibrium, investors who have difficulty ascertaining firm quality should expect managers in low-quality firms to occasionally mimic valuation signals otherwise associated with high-quality firms. Few papers have empirically validated this simple, well-established idea. As such, we consider open market share repurchases, a transaction long held in suspicion as lacking the credibility of a costly signal, and thus potentially susceptible to mimicking. No clean measure of managerial intent exists; program size and ex-post completion rates are ineffectual in the context of this transaction. Instead, we use earnings quality as a noisy proxy. Firms which aggressively employ discretionary accruals, particularly those which also show lagging stock performance, exhibit traits which suggest that executives may have been under pressure to boost stock prices. Using this measure, we ex-ante identify a set of firms which, while benefiting in the short-term from a buyback announcement, do not show the same improvement in post-announcement operating and stock performance otherwise observed. Consistent with simple notions of signaling theory, this evidence suggests that some open market buybacks may be announced with the intent of manipulating investor opinion. While not complete, this paper provides some insight into the more general empirical phenomenon of underreaction; some level of investor skepticism about this type of corporate announcement is justified.
Investigation of the I–V and P-V characteristics of the photovoltaic module using ATP

The effect of temperature and irradiance on photovoltaic cell outputs was studied using Alternating Transient Program (ATP). A non linear current source was implemented in ATP to model a PV module under varying solar irradiance and temperature conditions. In this study, the mathematical equations were implemented and MathCad software was used to confirm the obtained results. The implemented PV module using ATP shows that increasing the temperature has negative influence on output power. On the same trend, increasing the irradiance at the constant temperature increases the power. The obtained implemented PV module model is useful for further study of stand-alone and grid-connected PV generation systems.
Associated expression of HLA class I and class II antigens on melanoma cells in surgically removed metastases

Malignant transformation of melanocytes and further neoplastic progression may be associated with qualitative and/or quantitative changes in expression of HLA class I and class II antigens. Since previous immunohistochemical studies of surgically removed melanoma lesions have suggested a relationship in the expression of HLA class I and class II antigens, we have investigated the expression of these antigens at the single cell level. Double immunofluorescence staining of frozen sections of melanoma metastases and immunoelectron microscopic double labelling of melanoma cell suspensions prepared from three of these lesions has detected three HLA phenotypes on the large majority of melanoma cells: either both HLA class I and class II antigens, neither HLA antigen or only HLA class I antigens. In four out of the 11 lesions a few melanoma cells were found to express HLA class II antigens and to lack HLA class I antigens. A relationship was also found in the level of expression of HLA class I and class II antigens, as estimated by the intensity of staining with monoclonal antibodies. The level of expression of HLA class II antigens appeared to be similar to or lower than that of HLA class I antigens on the large majority of melanoma cells. This coordinated heterogeneity in the expression of HLA class I and class II antigens by melanoma cells may have implications in the interactions of tumour cells with the host's immune system.
Myocardial protection with verapamil during ischaemia and reperfusion: dissociation between myocardial salvage and the degree of ATP depletion during ischaemia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The aim was to evaluate the protective effect of verapamil during myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion. DESIGN In vivo phosphorus-31 (31P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed on rats pretreated with verapamil (mg.kg-1 intraperitoneal) and controls during a 45 min left coronary artery occlusion and 60 min reperfusion. In separate groups of animals, haemodynamic measurements were taken at baseline, during ischaemia, and during reperfusion. Infarct size was determined by staining with triphenyltetrazolium chloride. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL Female Sprague-Dawley rats were used (control group n = 25, experimental group n = 24). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Infarct size was significantly reduced in the verapamil group compared to controls: 9.9(SEM 2.3)%, n = 19 v 28.5(2.7)%, n = 19, p less than 0.001 (infarct % of left ventricular mass). Myocardial phosphocreatine and ATP levels were reduced to similar levels in both verapamil and control animals after 45 min ischaemia: 56.8(3.4)%, n = 10, v 61.4(1.8)%, n = 11 NS; 67.7(2.7)%, n = 10 v 69.7(2.9)%, n = 11, NS (% of baseline value). After 60 min reflow, there was significant recovery of phosphocreatine [91.1(4.2)% of baseline, p less than 0.05] and ATP [86.8(2.7)% of baseline, p less than 0.05] in the verapamil group, but no recovery of high energy phosphates in controls [66.3(2.8), NS; 69.6(2.7), NS]. The left ventricular systolic pressure, heart rate, rate-pressure product, and maximum rate of left ventricular pressure development were similar prior to ischaemia, and during ischaemia in both groups. There was an inverse correlation between infarct size and the degree of phosphocreatine recovery after 60 min of reperfusion (PCr recovery (%) = -0.99 x infarct size (%) + 101; r = 0.91; p less than 0.01; n = 14). Furthermore, in a separate group of animals (n = 9), there was a significant correlation between the size of the ischaemic area at risk and the degree of phosphocreatine decline after 15 min of coronary occlusion (PCr reduction (%) = 0.91 x risk area (%) + 5.6; r = 0.97; p less than 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Pretreatment with verapamil extends the ischaemic time after which reperfusion results in myocardial salvage in this model of ischaemia and reperfusion. This protective effect is independent of the haemodynamic determinants of myocardial oxygen demand and the degree of ATP and phosphocreatine depletion during the ischaemic period. In this model of reversible ischaemia, 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy is useful for quantitating both the size of the ischaemic region during coronary artery occlusion and infarct size after reperfusion.
A low complexity MCMC algorithm for MIMO system with bias technique

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulator is proposed as promising method for multiple-input multiple-out (MIMO) system, which provides a good tradeoff between performance and hardware complexity. But the conventional MCMC algorithm needs to calculate conditional distributions in every sampling, where nonlinear exponent calculations are involved and the values of conditional log likelihood ratio (CLLR) have large dynamic range. It also suffer stalling problem at high signal-to-noise (SNR) regimes. In this paper, we propose a low complexity MCMC algorithm based on Max-Log updating. Samples are directly updated in log-domain with small dynamic range of CLLR. A bias technique is also proposed to remedy the stalling issue. Results show that the proposed MCMC detector can reduce 50% complexity with 2 dB gains at high SNR regimes compared with the conventional enhanced MCMC detector. The enhanced MCMC algorithm also outperforms minimum mean square error based on parallel interference cancellation (MMSE-PIC) by 2dB performance gains with 10% less complexity.
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation is required for insulin stimulation of pp70 S6 kinase, DNA synthesis, and glucose transporter translocation

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) is stimulated by insulin and a variety of growth factors, but its exact role in signal transduction remains unclear. We have used a novel, highly specific inhibitor of PT 3-kinase to dissect the role of this enzyme in insulin action. Treatment of intact 3T3-L1 adipocytes with LY294002 produced a dose-dependent inhibition of insulin-stimulated PI 3-kinase (50% inhibitory concentration, 6 microM) with > 95% reduction in the levels of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate without changes in the levels of phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate or its derivatives. In parallel, there was a complete inhibition of insulin-stimulated phosphorylation and activation of pp70 S6 kinase. Inhibition of PI 3-kinase also effectively blocked insulin- and serum-stimulated DNA synthesis and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by inhibiting translocation of GLUT 4 glucose transporters to the plasma membrane. By contrast, LY294002 had no effect on insulin stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase or pp90 S6 kinase. Thus, activation of PI 3-kinase plays a critical role in mammalian cells and is required for activation of pp70 S6 kinase and DNA synthesis and certain forms of intracellular vesicular trafficking but not mitogen-activated protein kinase or pp90 S6 kinase activation. These data suggest that PI 3-kinase is not only an important component but also a point of divergence in the insulin signaling network.
Species-Specific Identification of Campylobacters by PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and PCR Targeting of the Gyrase B Gene

ABSTRACT PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of a 960-bp fragment of the Campylobacter gyrB gene with either DdeI or XspI restriction enzymes generated unique digestion patterns for 12 different Campylobacter species. In addition, PCR assays using species-specific primer sets targeting gyrB were specific for the respective Campylobacter species. Therefore, PCR-RFLP analysis and species-specific PCR assays based on the gyrB gene provide valuable tools for rapid and unambiguous identification of the majority of Campylobacter species.
The Sialic Acid Component of the β1 Subunit Modulates Voltage-gated Sodium Channel Function*

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) are responsible for initiation and propagation of nerve, skeletal muscle, and cardiac action potentials. Nav are composed of a pore-forming α subunit and often one to several modulating β subunits. Previous work showed that terminal sialic acid residues attached to α subunits affect channel gating. Here we show that the fully sialylated β1 subunit induces a uniform, hyperpolarizing shift in steady state and kinetic gating of the cardiac and two neuronal α subunit isoforms. Under conditions of reduced sialylation, the β1-induced gating effect was eliminated. Consistent with this, mutation of β1 N-glycosylation sites abolished all effects of β1 on channel gating. Data also suggest an interaction between the cis effect of α sialic acids and the trans effect of β1 sialic acids on channel gating. Thus, β1 sialic acids had no effect gating on the of the heavily glycosylated skeletal muscle α subunit. However, when glycosylation of the skeletal muscle α subunit was reduced through chimeragenesis such that α sialic acids did not impact gating, β1 sialic acids caused a significant hyperpolarizing shift in channel gating. Together, the data indicate that β1 N-linked sialic acids can modulate Nav gating through an apparent saturating electrostatic mechanism. A model is proposed in which a spectrum of differentially sialylated Nav can directly modulate channel gating, thereby impacting cardiac, skeletal muscle, and neuronal excitability.
Depletion of Dendritic Cells, But Not Macrophages, in Patients with Sepsis

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a group of APCs that have an extraordinary capacity to interact with T and B cells and modulate their responses to invading pathogens. Although a number of defects in the immune system have been identified in sepsis, few studies have examined the effect of sepsis on DCs, which is the purpose of this study. In addition, this study investigated the effect of sepsis on macrophages, which are reported to undergo apoptosis, and MHC II expression, which has been noted to be decreased in sepsis. Spleens from 26 septic patients and 20 trauma patients were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Although sepsis did not decrease the number of macrophages, sepsis did cause a dramatic reduction in the percentage area of spleen occupied by FDCs, i.e., 2.9 ± 0.4 vs 0.7 ± 0.2% in trauma and septic patients, respectively. The number of MHC II-expressing cells, including interdigitating DCs, was decreased in septic, compared with trauma, patients. However, sepsis did not appear to induce a loss of MHC II expression in those B cells, macrophages, or DCs that were still present. The dramatic loss of DCs in sepsis may significantly impair B and T cell function and contribute to the immune suppression that is a hallmark of the disorder.
Surveys of plasma vitellogenin and intersex in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) as measures of endocrine disruption by estrogenic contamination in United Kingdom estuaries: Temporal trends, 1996 to 2001

Plasma vitellogenin (VTG) concentrations and the presence of the ovo‐testis (intersex) condition have been recorded in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) captured from several United Kingdom (UK) estuaries since 1996 as part of the endocrine disruption in the Marine Environment (EDMAR) project and earlier programs. It has been confirmed that plasma VTG concentrations in male flounder have remained elevated in several UK estuaries (e.g., Tees, Mersey, and Tyne) throughout the period covered by this study. However, the time‐series data indicate that plasma VTG, a measure of environmental estrogen contamination, has decreased in fish captured from several estuaries, especially those of the Tyne and Mersey. Shorter time‐series data sets from the Forth and Clyde estuaries also suggest a decrease in estrogen contamination at these sites. Trends associated with specific point sources of estrogenic contamination show site‐specific patterns. For instance, plasma VTG levels in male flounder captured near the Howdon sewage treatment outfall (Tyne) have shown a steady decline to near baseline levels in 2001, while the plasma of male fish captured at a site adjacent to the Dabholm Gut discharge in the Tees estuary have shown little evidence of a sustained decline. The occurrence of the intersex condition was detected at a low but consistent prevalence through the study period, with the majority of cases recorded in fish captured from the Tyne and Mersey estuaries. The data set does not allow conclusions to be drawn about any temporal trends associated with this condition. The significance of the findings and possible mitigating influences are discussed in terms of the impacts on wild fish and the role of effluent treatment in reducing these.
Ultra-low voltage standard cell libraries: Design strategies and a case study

In this paper, design guidelines and criteria to design ultra-low voltage standard cell libraries are introduced in a unitary framework. Indeed, libraries for ultra-low voltages need to be fully redesigned according to criteria that are very different from traditional above-threshold libraries. To this aim, critical issues arising at ultra-low voltages down to sub-threshold are identified and analyzed according to simple and general principles. Guidelines to address these issues and enable robust ultra-low voltage operation are derived at the transistor level. The same design principles are also employed to design the composition of the CMOS standard cell library. As a case study, a standard cell library is designed in 180-nm CMOS technology.
Significance of bacteriophages for controlling bacterioplankton growth in a mesotrophic lake

Bacterium-specific viruses have attracted much interest in aquatic microbial ecology because they have been shown to be about 10 times more abundant than planktonic bacteria. So far most of the studies of interactions of planktonic bacteria and viruses have been done in marine environments, and very little is known about these interactions in lakes. Therefore, we studied phage proliferation in Lake Constance, a large mesotrophic lake in Germany. We enumerated bacteria and quantified the fraction of bacteria with mature intracellular phage particles and the number of free viruses by transmission electron microscopy. Between the end of March and early August 1992, peaks of bacterial abundance were followed in 1 to 2 weeks by peaks in the fraction of bacteria containing visible phage particles (0 to 1.7%) and in the number of free viruses (1 x 10(sup7) to 4 x 10(sup7) ml(sup-1)). We estimated that 1 to 17% +/- 12% of all bacteria were phage infected, implying that phage-induced mortality was <34% +/- 24% of total mortality. A direct comparison between phage-induced mortality, the net decrease of bacterial numbers, and bacterial growth rates indicated that phage-induced mortality accounted for <11% of total bacterial mortality during the phytoplankton spring bloom and 18 to 21% following the bloom. Estimated burst sizes ranged from 21 to 121 phages. Phage production rates of 0.5 x 10(sup6) to 2.5 x 10(sup6) ml(sup-1) day(sup-1) accounted for 70 to 380% of the observed net increase rates of free phages, implying high rates of simultaneous phage decay. The cyclic dynamics between bacteria and phages and the varying size structure of the intracellular mature phage particles suggested that phage infection was important in structuring the bacterial host assemblage during the study period.
Adriamycin, bleomycin, DIC, CCNU, and prednisone (ABDIC) chemotherapy in MOPP‐resistant Hodgkin's disease

ABDIC was administered to 32 patients with MOPP‐resistant Hodgkin's disease. Three were considered nonevaluable because of early death. All patients had received MOPP (median of eight cycles), and five had also received other chemotherapy. Major radiotherapy had been used in 18 of the 29. Complete remission (CR) occurred in 10 of 29 (34.5%), partial remissions (PR) in 14 (48.2%), and no remissions (NR) in five (17.2%). Median survival and relapse‐free survival for CR patients exceeded 28 months. Two relapsed at 8 and 18 months; one died at 91/2 months, and the other is disease‐free with other treatment at 35 months. Seven of the remaining eight patients are alive without disease (10–35 months); 4 are on maintenance therapy, and the other died from an infection and eosinophilic granuloma of lung without evidence of recurrent Hodgkin's disease. Median survival of PR patients was eight months. One patient with Hodgkin's disease involving the liver is alive at 36 months with further therapy. Median survival of NR patients is 2.5 months, and all died within seven months. Survival of CR patients is greater than PR and NR patients (P = 0.002), and that of PR is greater than NR (P = 0.01). Four of the 29 patients had nodal relapse, and 25 had parenchymal relapse, with no difference in response rates (P = 0.47), ABDIC is useful in Hodgkin's disease patients who have had extensive prior chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Optimal filtering for uncertain linear stochastic systems

This paper presents the optimal joint filtering and parameter identification problem for uncertain linear stochastic systems with unknown parameters in both state and observation equations, where the unknown parameters are considered Wiener processes. The original problem is reduced to the filtering problem for an extended state vector that incorporates parameters as additional states. The resulting filtering system is polynomial in state and linear in observations. The obtained optimal filter for the extended state vector also serves as the optimal identifier for the unknown parameters. Performance of the designed optimal state filter and parameter identifier is verified for both, positive and negative, parameter values.