Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti‐ and pro‐mutagenic effects of silymarin in the ames bacterial reverse mutation assay

Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid isolated from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), is being used clinically in Europe and Asia for the treatment of liver diseases. Silymarin has a strong antioxidative action capable of scavenging both free radicals and reactive oxygen species responsible for cancer. Silymarin, a powerful hepatoprotective and antioxidant, was chosen in the present study and was tested for its antimutagenic activity using an in vitro test, the Ames bacterial reverse mutation assay. The results indicated that silymarin showed a significant mutagenicity in frame shift mutant strains (TA97a and TA98) with metabolic activation. This compound also showed stronger antimutagenic effect against 2‐aminofluorene and 4‐nitroquinoline N‐oxide induced mutation. When pre‐, co‐ and post‐treatment of silymarin was carried out, it showed stronger antimutagenic activity in the post‐treatment with 2‐aminofluorene and 4‐nitroquinoline N‐oxide in TA97a and TA98 strains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure‐function analyses of the kit receptor for the steel factor

Binding of the Steel factor (SLF) to the product of the c‐kit proto‐oncogene stimulates the receptor's intrinsic tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates a set of cytoplasmic signaling molecules. Germ‐line mutations in the genes that encode the receptor or the ligand result in remarkably similar phenotypes that affect melanogenesis, erythropoiesis and gametogenesis in mice. We concentrated on the initial events of the signal transduction pathway that underlies these processes. The extracellular portion of Kit is comprised of five immunoglobulin‐(Ig)‐like domains. Ligand binding to this domain induces rapid and extensive dimerization of the receptor molecules in a mechanism that involves monovalent binding of the dimeric ligand, followed by an increase in receptors' affinity and gradual stabilization of the dimers. It thus appears that Kit has at least two functions: ligand binding and ligand‐induced receptor dimerization, in addition to the kinase activity. Both functions are independent of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, as a recombinant soluble ectodomain retained high affinity to SLF and ligand‐dependent dimerization. In order to correlate these functions with specific structures, we employed ligand‐competitive monoclonal antibodies, soluble deletion mutants of the ectodomain and chimeric human‐mouse Kit proteins. These approaches indicated that the N‐terminal three Ig‐like domains constitute the binding site, whose core is the second domain. Further experiments suggested that a putative dimerization site is distinct from the binding cleft and may be located on the fourth Ig‐like domain.
A user scheduling scheme in LTE/LTE-A networks for a mixed traffic environment

This paper evaluates the performance of a new cross-layer based user scheduling scheme for mixed traffic scenario in a Long Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network. The need for an effective use of the limited radio resources still remains a huge challenge in mobile networks. The design of a dynamic user scheduling scheme that will address the different requirements of the various traffic types and also effectively utilize the limited spectrum is very important towards achieving the targets of LTE/LTE-A networks. Hence, the need for a dynamic user scheduling scheme cannot be overemphasized. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of a new user scheduling scheme called Channel Aware Queue Aware (CAQA) scheduler that is expected to provide a good trade-off among Quality of Service (QoS), fairness and throughput in a mixed traffic scenario. The performance evaluation is actualized through simulations and various performance indices like throughput, average delay, fairness and spectral efficiency have been considered in this paper.
Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections: risk factors, outcomes, and the influence of methicillin resistance in Calgary, Canada, 2000-2006.

BACKGROUND Reports have suggested that the epidemiological profile of invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections is changing. We sought to describe the epidemiological profile of S. aureus bacteremia and to assess whether the incidence and severity of and the antimicrobial resistance rates associated with this bacteremia are increasing. METHODS Population-based surveillance for S. aureus bacteremias was conducted in the Calgary Health Region (population, 1.2 million) during 2000-2006. RESULTS The annual incidence of S. aureus bacteremia was 19.7 cases/100,000 population. Although rates of health care-associated and nosocomial methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) bacteremia were similar throughout the study, rates of community-acquired MSSA bacteremia gradually decreased, and rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bacteremia dramatically increased. The clonal type predominantly isolated was CMRSA-2 (i.e., Canadian [C] MRSA-2), but CMRSA-10 (USA300) strains have been increasingly isolated, especially from community-onset infections, since 2004. Dialysis dependence, organ transplantation, HIV infection, cancer, and diabetes were the most important risk factors and were comparable for MSSA and MRSA bacteremias. The overall case-fatality rate was higher among individuals with MRSA (39%) than among those with MSSA (24%; P< .0001). The annual overall population mortality rate associated with S. aureus bacteremia did not significantly change during the study. CONCLUSIONS Although the overall influence of S. aureus bacteremia has not significantly changed, MRSA has emerged as an important etiology in our region.
Estimation of annual energy output of a wind turbine using wind speed probability distribution

In this work, annual energy output of a variable speed wind turbine is analyzed using annual Weibull wind speed probability distribution function. The power coefficient variation with tip speed ratio in torque control region as well as pitch angle variation for maximum power output from wind turbine are analyzed for identifying control system parameters. The wind turbine power output and variation of power coefficient with tip speed ratio as well as pitch angle are examined / reported using annual Weibull distribution function. Finally the variation of the estimated annual energy output of the given wind turbine with the mean wind speed is presented.
Contact allergy to ingredients of hair cosmetics in female hairdressers and clients – an 8‐year analysis of IVDK * data

Not only hairdressers, but also their clients or home‐users of hair cosmetic products may become sensitized to one of the product constituents. The present analysis addresses the question whether the pattern of sensitization is different in these 2 groups and includes female patients who consulted with the participating centres of the IVDK (http://www.ivdk.org) between 1995 and 2002, and in whom hair cosmetics have been considered as being causative of their contact dermatitis. Among these, 2 subgroups were identified: (i) patients, currently or previously working as hairdressers, diagnosed with occupational skin disease (H, n = 884) and (ii) patients who never worked as hairdressers, i.e. clients (C, n = 1217). Previous atopic eczema was twice as common among H, who were also much younger (median age 24 versus 46 in C). Analysis of sensitization frequencies and patterns showed the well‐known decline of contact allergy to glyceryl monothioglycolate (GMTG) in H from 31.2% to 8.5%. Among the C, 1.7% were allergic to GMTG. Concerning p‐phenylenediamine, a steady decline from 27.6% to 17.2% was observed in H, while no trend was found in C (12.6% and 16.6% in the first and the last 2‐year period, respectively). Conversely, a very slight decline of p‐toluenediamine sensitization was observed in H (from 29.5% to 24.8%), while at the same time a significant increase was noted in C (from 8.7% to 16.7%). A slighter increase was also noted with ammonium persulfate in C (3.1–6.8%), while the proportion of H sensitized remained largely constant at about 26%.
Spatial variation in landscape‐level CO2 and CH4 fluxes from arctic coastal tundra: influence from vegetation, wetness, and the thaw lake cycle

Regional quantification of arctic CO2 and CH4 fluxes remains difficult due to high landscape heterogeneity coupled with a sparse measurement network. Most of the arctic coastal tundra near Barrow, Alaska is part of the thaw lake cycle, which includes current thaw lakes and a 5500‐year chronosequence of vegetated thaw lake basins. However, spatial variability in carbon fluxes from these features remains grossly understudied. Here, we present an analysis of whole‐ecosystem CO2 and CH4 fluxes from 20 thaw lake cycle features during the 2011 growing season. We found that the thaw lake cycle was largely responsible for spatial variation in CO2 flux, mostly due to its control on gross primary productivity (GPP). Current lakes were significant CO2 sources that varied little. Vegetated basins showed declining GPP and CO2 sink with age (R2 = 67% and 57%, respectively). CH4 fluxes measured from a subset of 12 vegetated basins showed no relationship with age or CO2 flux components. Instead, higher CH4 fluxes were related to greater landscape wetness (R2 = 57%) and thaw depth (additional R2 = 28%). Spatial variation in CO2 and CH4 fluxes had good satellite remote sensing indicators, and we estimated the region to be a small CO2 sink of −4.9 ± 2.4 (SE) g C m−2 between 11 June and 25 August, which was countered by a CH4 source of 2.1 ± 0.2 (SE) g C m−2. Results from our scaling exercise showed that developing or validating regional estimates based on single tower sites can result in significant bias, on average by a factor 4 for CO2 flux and 30% for CH4 flux. Although our results are specific to the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, the degree of landscape‐scale variability, large‐scale controls on carbon exchange, and implications for regional estimation seen here likely have wide relevance to other arctic landscapes.
Propagation of focal motor seizures in the pubescent monkey

The rate of local cerebral glucose utilization was determined for quantification of energy metabolism in macrostructures of the sensorimotor system during propagation of focal motor seizures in 24‐month‐old monkeys. The rate was measured in 4 control animals and in 4 monkeys each with seizures limited to the contralateral face, seizures of the contralateral face and upper extremity, and bilateral expression of seizures. Glucose utilization increased significantly, primarily unilaterally, with propagation. The increase was greatest in the sensory and motor cerebral cortices, putamen, and globus pallidus, was somewhat less in sensory and motor thalamic relay nuclei, and was least in the cerebellar cortex.
The Potential of Next‐Generation Microbiological Diagnostics to Improve Bioterrorism Detection Speed

Emerging, rapid, multivalent, microbial diagnostic technologies can produce results in hours, as contrasted to the standard methods that require at least the better part of a week. Used in bioterrorism surveillance in medical settings, the new biodetectors could significantly reduce the time between a covert attack and its detection. By how much is determined by the intensity of sampling. If used to screen all patients reporting flu‐like symptoms to their doctors, this basic level of “front‐line” sampling would reduce life‐threatening medical floundering and missteps and give responders 3–5 days of warning that they otherwise would not have had. Being miniaturized and amenable to mass production, these devices could reduce the cost of screening to a fraction of current costs and so it is tempting to imagine their use in more intensive bioterrorism screening programs aimed at the apparently healthy population, programs that could detect a covert attack even before the victims felt ill. This article examines the tradeoffs between surveillance effort and probability of detection for such programs. Dual‐use deployment, where the biodetector provides some medically useful information in addition to bioterrorism surveillance, is discussed.
How Does the Ketogenic Diet Work? Four Potential Mechanisms

The ketogenic diet and its newer variants are clinically useful in treating epilepsy. They can also have antiepileptogenic properties and can eventually have a role in treating other neurologic and nonneurologic conditions. Despite being nearly a century old, identifying the molecular underpinnings of the ketogenic diet has been challenging. However, recent studies provide experimental evidence for 4 distinct mechanisms that could contribute to the antiseizure and other beneficial effects of these diets. These mechanisms include carbohydrate reduction, activation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–sensitive potassium channels by mitochondrial metabolism, inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, and inhibition of glutamatergic excitatory synaptic transmission.
Corticosteroids in Sepsis: From Bench to Bedside?

The use of corticosteroids in patients with septic shock has been recently revisited and the use of low dose corticosteroids led to very promising results, particularly in patients with corticosteroid insufficiency. We review the different mechanisms that can account for their beneficial effects in patients. Glucocorticoids display a wide spectrum of anti-inflammatory properties that have been identified in in vitro and in vivo experimental models (e.g., inhibition of production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, free radicals, prostaglandins and inhibition of chemotaxis, and adhesion molecule expressions.) In addition, glucocorticoids have profound effects on the cardiovascular system (e.g., increasing mean blood pressure, increasing pressor sensitivity, and therefore decreasing the duration of use of catecholamines during septic shock.) Through these anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular effects, low doses of glucorticoids may improve septic shock survival.
Glucoregulatory function of thyroid hormones: role of pancreatic hormones.

Glucose metabolism was investigated in humans before and 14 days after 300 micrograms L-thyroxine (T4)/day using a sequential clamp protocol during short-term somatostatin infusion (500 micrograms/h, 0-6 h) at euglycemia (0-2.5 h), at 165 mg/dl (2.5-6 h), and during insulin infusion (1.0 mU.kg-1.min-1, 4.5-6 h). T4 treatment increased plasma T4 (+96%) and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3, +50%), energy expenditure (+8%), glucose turnover (+32%), and glucose oxidation (Glucox +87%) but decreased thyroid-stimulating hormone (-96%) and nonoxidative glucose metabolism (Glucnonox, -30%) at unchanged lipid oxidation (Lipox). During somatostatin and euglycemia glucose production (Ra, -67%) and disposal (Rd, -28%) both decreased in euthyroid subjects but remained at -22% and -5%, respectively, after T4 treatment. Glucox (control, -20%; +T4, -25%) fell and Lipox increased (control, +42%; +T4, +45%) in both groups, whereas Glucnonox decreased before (-36%) but increased after T4 (+57%). During somatostatin infusion and hyperglycemia Rd (control, +144%; +T4, +84%) and Glucnonox (control, +326%; +T4, +233%) increased, whereas Glucox and Lipox remained unchanged. Insulin further increased Rd (+76%), Glucox (+155%), and Glucnonox (+50%) but decreased Ra (-43%) and Lipox (-43%). All these effects were enhanced by T4 (Rd, +38%; Glucox, +45%; Glucnonox, +35%; Ra, +40%; Lipox, +11%). Our data provide evidence that, in humans, T3 stimulates Ra and Rd, which is in part independent of pancreatic hormones.
Effect of different design preparations on the flexural and fracture strength of fiber-reinforced composite fixed partial dentures: an in vitro study.

PURPOSE To determine and compare the flexural and fracture strength of three-unit fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) fixed partial dentures (FPDs) using three abutment design preparations. MATERIAL AND METHODS The flexural and fracture strength of three-unit FRC FPDs were evaluated using three design preparations of the abutments (conventional full crown [group A], box-shaped [group B], and tub-shaped [group C]). Thirty three-unit FRC FPDs were fabricated (10 specimens per group) for the replacement of missing mandibular first molars and were adhesively luted to extracted human teeth. The flexural and fracture strength were determined using a universal testing machine with a steel loading pin of 20 mm diameter with a 3-mm-diameter hardened circular tip. Each specimen was evaluated under SEM to determine mode of failure. RESULTS Mean fracture strength for group A was 820.00 ± 56.51 N, group B was 536.94 ± 65.62 N, and group C was 501.24 ± 66.71 N. The highest mean flexural strength was found in group A (68.33 ± 4.71 MPa), followed by group B (44.74 ± 5.46 MPa) and lowest in group C (41.77 ± 5.56 MPa). The SEM evaluation showed partial or complete debonding of veneering composite from fiber framework, leaving intact fiber frameworks in all the specimens. CONCLUSION Full-coverage design had significantly higher flexural and fracture strengths than box and tub-shaped designs. Since both values were noted to be in the order of masticatory stresses, the full coverage design is a good alternative for the replacement of missing molar teeth; however, the framework veneering composite interface was the weakest phase of FRC FPDs, thus indicating that further improvement in veneering composite or fiber framework is needed to improve the compatibility of veneering composite with that of fiber framework for long-term clinical implications.
Molecular composition and distribution of gap junctions in the sensory epithelium of the human cochlea—a super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) study

Abstract Background: Mutations in the GJB2 gene, which encodes the Connexin26 (Cx26) protein, are the most common cause of childhood hearing loss in American and European populations. The cochlea contains a gap junction (GJ) network in the sensory epithelium and two connective tissue networks in the lateral wall and spiral limbus. The syncytia contain the GJ proteins beta 2 (GJB2/Cx26) and beta 6 (GJB6/Cx30). Our knowledge of their expression in humans is insufficient due to the limited availability of tissue. Here, we sought to establish the molecular arrangement of GJs in the epithelial network of the human cochlea using surgically obtained samples. Methods: We analyzed Cx26 and Cx30 expression in GJ networks in well-preserved adult human auditory sensory epithelium using confocal, electron, and super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM). Results: Cx30 plaques (<5 μm) dominated, while Cx26 plaques were subtle and appeared as ‘mini-junctions’ (2–300 nm). 3-D volume rendering of Z-stacks and orthogonal projections from single optical sections suggested that the GJs are homomeric/homotypic and consist of assemblies of identical GJs composed of either Cx26 or Cx30. Occasionally, the two protein types were co-expressed, suggesting functional cooperation. Conclusions: Establishing the molecular composition and distribution of the GJ networks in the human cochlea may increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of Cx-related hearing loss. This information may also assist in developing future strategies to treat genetic hearing loss.
Fragmentação Internacional Da Produção, Cadeias Globais De Valor E Crescimento Econômico: Uma Nova Abordagem Empírica

Resumo: Este artigo desenvolve uma abordagem empírica pioneira sobre a relação entre comércio e crescimento econômico de longo prazo a partir da compreensão das novas configurações de comércio expressas na fragmentação internacional da produção e na formação das Cadeias Globais de Valor. Para tanto, utilizou-se uma nova metodologia de decomposição das exportações brutas em medidas de valor adicionado, desenvolvida por Koopman et al. (2010; 2014), e indicadores estimados a partir de dados provenientes da matriz de insumo-produto global WIOT. Duas hipóteses gerais foram testadas para uma amostra de 40 países no período de 2003 a 2011 via painel dinâmico (Difference GMM e System GMM). As evidências econométricas apresentadas corroboram a hipótese de que a fragmentação e a participação em CGV asseguram maiores taxas de crescimento para os países, mas também denota que a posição dos países nas CGV se faz relevante: países especializados em atividades a montante em setores de alta tecnologia e serviços tendem a crescer mais que países localizados a montante em setores primários.
Induction Patterns of Chitinases in Yam Callus by Inoculation with Autoclaved Fusarium oxysporum, Ethylene, and Chitin and Chitosan Oligosaccharides.

Chitinase involved in plant self-defense was investigated by inoculation of yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb) callus with autoclaved mycelia of Fusarium oxysporum Schl. f. sp. raphani Kend. et Snyd. , ethylene, and chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides. The induction of chitinase was followed by measuring the enzyme activity, and the isozyme pattern was also analyzed by activity staining and immunoblotting after disc- and SDS-PAGE. Autoclaved Fusarium oxysporum induced acidic chitinases named El and E3 with MW 33, 500 in the callus, while ethylene and oligosaccharides of chitin and chitosan induced some chitinases more basic than E1 and E3, in addition to E1 and E3. These included large chitinases with MW 38, 000 and immunologically different chitinases from E1 and E3. In total, nine chitinases were induced. Isozyme patterns of chitinase induced were different among the elicitors used, although E1 and E3 were commonly induced in all cases. Oligosaccharides of chitin and chitosan showed different chain-length dependences on the induction of chitinase activity. In a series of chitin oligosaccharides, the induction time was more shortened by longer chain-length saccharide, although the highest levels of the activity were almost the same. In a series of chitosan oligosaccharides, the activity level was most induced by mono-saccharide, followed by hexa-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and hepta-saccharides, although the induction times were almost the same. In all cases, as the concentration of the elicitor increased, the induction time was shorter. The results of this study suggest that the plant cells response to various elicitors, and then produce different chitinase isozymes in a specific induction pattern.