Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Involvement of epsilon and kappa opioid receptors in inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by bremazocine in the mouse.

Bremazocine, a benzomorphan, has been reported to have kappa, mu and epsilon opioid receptor binding activities. The present studies were then designed to determine what types of opioid receptors and neurotransmitters were involved in inhibiting the tail-flick response induced by bremazocine in male ICR mice. U50, 488H, a prototypic kappa agonist, was used for comparison. Bremazocine, at doses from 0.1 to 1 microgram given i.c. v. , dose-dependently inhibited the tail-flick response. The paw-licking hot plate response, even at high doses of bremazocine, was not completely inhibited. The inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by bremazocine (1 microgram) given i.c. v. was blocked by i.c. v. coadministration of beta-endorphin-(1-27) (3 and 6 micrograms), an epsilon opioid receptor antagonist and norbinaltorphimine (4 micrograms), a kappa opioid receptor antagonist. On the other hand, the inhibition induced by i.c. v. U50,488H (40 micrograms) was blocked by i.c. v. norbinaltorphimine, but not beta-endorphin-(1-27). D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Try-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTOP; 0.5 microgram) and beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA; 2.5 micrograms), selective mu opioid receptor antagonists, and ICI 174,864 (10 micrograms), a delta-opioid receptor antagonist, which blocked the effects induced by DAMGO (16 ng) and DPDPE (20 micrograms), respectively, did not block inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by bremazocine (1 microgram) given i.c. v. The inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by i.t. administration of bremazocine (1 microgram) was blocked by i.t. coadministration of norbinaltorphimine but not CTOP, ICI 174,864, or beta-endorphin-(1-27). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Programmed cell death in bacteria: proteic plasmid stabilization systems

Bacterial plasmids are stabilized by a number of different mechanisms. Here we describe the molecular aspects of a group of plasmid‐encoded gene systems called the proteic killer gene systems. These systems mediate plasmid maintenance by selectively killing plasmid‐free cells (post‐segregational killing or plasmid addiction). The group includes ccd of F, parD/pem of R1/R100, parDE of RP4/RK2, and phd/doc of P1. All of these systems encode a stable toxin and an unstable antidote. The antidotes prevent the lethal action of their cognate toxins by forming tight complexes with them. The antidotes are degraded by cellular proteases. Thus, the different decay rates of the toxins and antidotes seem to be the molecular basis of toxin activation in plasmid‐free cells. The operons encoding the toxins and antidotes are autoregulated at the level of transcription either by a complex formed by the toxins and the cognate antidotes or by the antidote alone. The cellular targets of the killer proteins have been determined to be DNA gyrase in the case of ccd of F and DnaB in the case of parD of R1. Surprisingly, the Escherichia coli chromosome encodes at least two of these peculiar gene systems.
Generalized Arithmetic Coding using discrete Chaotic Maps

Making use of the Lebesgue measure preserving property of the piecewise linear chaotic map, a discrete piecewise linear chaotic map is employed to perform the generalized arithmetic coding, which is an optimal entropy coding algorithm adopted by international standards. After a number of message symbols have been encoded by the reverse interval mapping, an enlargement on the encoding interval is performed and some codeword bits are exported accordingly. Based on the enlarged encoding interval, the subsequent symbols are encoded with the modified chaotic maps, the lower and upper bounds of which are determined by the final encoding interval of the symbols already encoded. In the decoding process, the message symbols are recovered by iterating the corresponding chaotic map from an appropriate initial value. The encoding interval enlargement is tracked by performing reverse interval mapping on the decoded symbols. More codeword bits are shifted into the register to form the initial value for decoding the subsequent symbols. Simulation results verify that the compression performance of our scheme is very close to the entropy bound and is comparable to traditional finite-precision arithmetic coding. In addition, cryptographic capability can be integrated into our scheme to make it a joint compression and encryption scheme. Its security is enhanced when compared with the existing schemes based on traditional arithmetic coding.
Iterative interference cancellation for DS-CDMA systems with high system loads using reliability-dependent feedback

In this paper, coded transmission over time-variant multipath Rayleigh-fading channels employing direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) is considered. Assuming ideal knowledge of the actual channel state and randomly chosen spreading sequences, we show that iterative multi-user interference suppression based on adapted minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) filters combined with serial successive cancellation and single user decoding can reach near optimum performance within a few iteration cycles. This holds even for doubly loaded systems, i.e., when the number of users K in the system is two times as large as the spreading factor N. Further, we evidence that for sufficiently reliable symbol estimates soft decision feedback can be replaced by hard decision feedback without any performance degradation but with significant savings in complexity.
Thymosin α1: the regulator of regulators?

The peripheral immune system can promote either immunity or tolerance when presented with new antigens. Current knowledge withholds that populations of suppressor or regulatory T cells (Treg cells) constitute a pivotal mechanism of immunological tolerance. The potential role of malfunctioning Treg cells in chronic inflammatory immune and auto‐immune diseases is well‐documented. Learning how to successfully manipulate Treg responses could result in more effective vaccines and immunomodulators. We have already shown that Thymosin α1 (Tα1), a naturally occurring thymic peptide first described and characterized by Allan Goldstein in 1972, by modulating signals delivered through innate immune receptors on dendritic cells, affects adaptive immune responses via modulation of Th cell effector and regulatory functions. We will discuss recent molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of Tα1 to activate or inhibit immune responses.
Educating end-stage renal disease patients on dialysis modality selection

Nephrology Clinic, ‘Dr. C. I. Parhon’ University Hospital, Iasi, Romania, Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals, Leuven, Belgium, Nephrology Department, CHU Clemenceau, Caen, France, Department of Clinical Science, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, Renal Division, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium and Department of Nephrology, ‘E. Herriot’ Hospital, Lyon, France
Dynamics of biochemical and biophysical reactions: insight from computer simulations

1. Introduction 563 2. Obtaining rate constants from molecular-dynamics simulations 564 2.1 General relationships between quantum electronic structures and reaction rates 564 2.2 The transition-state theory (TST) 569 2.3 The transmission coefficient 572 3. Simulating biological electron-transfer reactions 575 3.1 Semi-classical surface-hopping and the Marcus equation 575 3.2 Treating quantum mechanical nuclear tunneling by the dispersed-polaron/spin-boson method 580 3.3 Density-matrix treatments 583 3.4 Charge separation in photosynthetic bacterial reaction centers 584 4. Light-induced photoisomerizations in rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin 596 5. Energetics and dynamics of enzyme reactions 614 5.1 The empirical-valence-bond treatment and free-energy perturbation methods 614 5.2 Activation energies are decreased in enzymes relative to solution, often by electrostatic effects that stabilize the transition state 620 5.3 Entropic effects in enzyme catalysis 627 5.4 What is meant by dynamical contributions to catalysis? 634 5.5 Transmission coefficients are similar for corresponding reactions in enzymes and water 636 5.6 Non-equilibrium solvation effects contribute to catalysis mainly through Δg[Dagger], not the transmission coefficient 641 5.7 Vibrationally assisted nuclear tunneling in enzyme catalysis 648 5.8 Diffusive processes in enzyme reactions and transmembrane channels 651 6. Concluding remarks 658 7. Acknowledgements 658 8. References 658 Obtaining a detailed understanding of the dynamics of a biochemical reaction is a formidable challenge. Indeed, it might appear at first sight that reactions in proteins are too complex to analyze microscopically. At room temperature, even a relatively small protein can have as many as 1034 accessible conformational states (Dill, 1985). In many cases, however, we have detailed structural information about the active site of an enzyme, whereas such information is missing for corresponding chemical systems in solution. The atomic coordinates of the chromophore in bacteriorhodopsin, for example, are known to a resolution of 1–2 Å. In addition, experimental studies of biological processes such as photoisomerization and electron transfer have provided a wealth of detailed information that eventually may make some of these processes classical problems in chemical physics as well as biology.
Nonsurgical periodontal therapy in 2000: a literature review.

BACKGROUND This article addresses the advantages and limitations of nonsurgical periodontal therapies to treat patients with mild-to-moderate chronic periodontitis. TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED Controlled clinical trials were selected that assessed the efficacy of the following treatment methods: mechanical instrumentation, ultrasonic débridement, supragingival irrigation, subgingival irrigation, local drug delivery, administration of systemic antibiotics and host-response modulation. Evidently, data with regard to alterations of probing depth, clinical attachment levels and inflammatory status were evaluated. RESULTS Comparison of the data from test and control groups revealed the following results. Manual and ultrasonic débridement can be used to treat most patients with mild-to-moderate chronic periodontitis. Patients who do not practice optimal plaque control can enhance their personal hygiene procedures by using supragingival irrigation. Subgingival irrigation usually does not provide any benefit beyond that achieved with root planing. Systemic and locally delivered antimicrobial agents appear to be most beneficial among patients who do not respond to conventional treatment. Host modulation may enhance root planing modestly. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The data indicate that most patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis can be treated with nonsurgical therapies. However, clinicians need to be aware of the limitations of each technique with regard to the magnitude of improvement that it can induce at specific sites.
A 3 Mb deletion in 14q12 causes severe mental retardation, mild facial dysmorphisms and Rett‐like features

The present report describes a 7‐year‐old girl with a de novo 3 Mb interstitial deletion of chromosome 14q12, identified by oligo array‐CGH. The region is gene poor and contains only five genes two of them, FOXG1B and PRKD1 being deleted also in a previously reported case with a very similar phenotype. Both patients present prominent metopic suture, epicanthic folds, bulbous nasal tip, tented upper lip, everted lower lip and large ears and a clinical course like Rett syndrome, including normal perinatal period, postnatal microcephaly, seizures, and severe mental retardation. FOXG1B (forkhead box G1B) is a very intriguing candidate gene since it is known to promote neuronal progenitor proliferation and to suppress premature neurogenesis and its disruption is reported in a patient with postnatal microcephaly, corpus callosum agenesis, seizures, and severe mental retardation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Amino Acid Homeostasis Modulates Salicylic Acid–Associated Redox Status and Defense Responses in Arabidopsis[C][W][OA]

This study investigates the relationship between nitrogen metabolism and disease responses in Arabidopsis and shows that knockout of Arabidopsis LHT1, a single amino acid transporter, imparts broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens. The tight association between nitrogen status and pathogenesis has been broadly documented in plant–pathogen interactions. However, the interface between primary metabolism and disease responses remains largely unclear. Here, we show that knockout of a single amino acid transporter, LYSINE HISTIDINE TRANSPORTER1 (LHT1), is sufficient for Arabidopsis thaliana plants to confer a broad spectrum of disease resistance in a salicylic acid–dependent manner. We found that redox fine-tuning in photosynthetic cells was causally linked to the lht1 mutant-associated phenotypes. Furthermore, the enhanced resistance in lht1 could be attributed to a specific deficiency of its main physiological substrate, Gln, and not to a general nitrogen deficiency. Thus, by enabling nitrogen metabolism to moderate the cellular redox status, a plant primary metabolite, Gln, plays a crucial role in plant disease resistance.
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in the Elderly

ABSTRACT: In this study an attempt was made to determine the relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy (AA) and other cerebrovascular lesions in the aged. The brains of 128 autopsy patients over 60 years of age were examined by both light and electron microscopy. The frequency of cerebral AA increased with age and was 58 percent in patients over the age of 90. The change was observed more often in women than in men. In 7 cases of severe AA, the temporal or occipital cortex was the most common site. Most cases of AA were complicated by the formation of senile plaques in the cortex. Electron microscopic examination revealed amyloid fibrils deposited in clusters in the media and adventitia of the vessels, destroying their structure. Some blood vessels on the surface of the cortex showed hyalinosis, angionecrosis, duplication of the wall, or fibrotic occlusion. AA is sometimes a cause of cerebral bleeding. Five cases of massive cerebral bleeding were found among patients aged 90 or older, including a temporal hematoma in a 92‐year‐old woman which was believed to be due to the marked AA noted in the temporal lobes. Small cortical infarctions were common in the temporal lobes.
An Automated Recommender System for Course Selection

Most of electronic commerce and knowledge management` systems use recommender systems as the underling tools for identifying a set of items that will be of interest to a certain user. Collaborative recommender systems recommend items based on similarities and dissimilarities among users’ preferences. This paper presents a collaborative recommender system that recommends university elective courses to students by exploiting courses that other similar students had taken. The proposed system employs an association rules mining algorithm as an underlying technique to discover patterns between courses. Experiments were conducted with real datasets to assess the overall performance of the proposed approach.
The Effect of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction on Patellofemoral Contact Pressures in the Knee Joint under Simulated Muscle Loads

Background The mechanism of cartilage degeneration in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) and medial compartment of the knee following posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury remains unclear. PCL reconstruction has been recommended to restore kinematics and prevent long-term degeneration. The effect of current reconstruction techniques on PFJ contact pressures is unknown. Purpose To measure PFJ contact pressures after PCL deficiency and reconstruction. Method Eight cadaveric knees were tested with the PCL intact, deficient, and reconstructed. Contact pressures were measured at 30 °, 60 °, 90 °, and 120 ° of flexion under simulated muscle loads. Knee kinematics were measured by a robotic testing system, and the PFJ contact pressures were measured using a thin film transducer. A single bundle achilles tendon allograft was used in the reconstruction. Results PCL deficiency significantly increased the peak contact pressures measured in the PFJ relative to the intact knee under both an isolated quadriceps load of 400 N and a combined quadriceps/hamstrings load of 400 N/200 N. Reconstruction did not significantly reduce the increased contact pressures observed in the PCL-deficient knee. Conclusion The elevated contact pressures observed in the PCL-deficient knee and reconstructed knee might contribute to the long-term degeneration observed in both the non-operatively treated and PCL-reconstructed knees.
Natural Resource Extraction in a Federation

We analyze a natural resource extraction problem in a two-region economy with mobile labour. One region produces manufacturing goods while the other produces agriculture and extracts a non-renewable resource. Manufacturing production exhibits increasing returns-to-scale if the production level is sufficiently high. There are multiple long-run equilibrium labour allocations towards which the economy may converge. Under decentralized resource management, a tendency to over-extract the resource relative to the federal optimum makes convergence to a low-income equilibrium more likely. Optimal extraction from the federation's perspective satisfies a modified Hotelling's rule that takes into account the impact of resource extraction on manufacturing production.
Fatal amebiasis complicating corticosteroid management of pemphigus vulgaris.

A NUMBER of papers dealing with the use of ACTH and adrenocorticosteroids in infectious diseases have appeared in recent years. In a review of the subject in this journal Spink1 concluded that these hormones, when given for brief periods to patients critically ill with infectious diseases, often produce dramatic improvement, without harmful effects. He also warns, however, that the drugs are potentially dangerous and must be used judiciously. Thomas2 states that cortisone has the property of completely disorganizing the natural host-parasite relation, with enhancement of the infection and the outcome overwhelmingly in favor of the parasite. Deaths due to Staphylococcus .
The Research of Underwater Target Tracking Adaptive Algorithm Based on Bearings and Time-Delay

The adaptive algorithm of underwater target tracking has been presented in this thesis. Based on the range information induced by time-delay, equations of state and measurement have been established. According to the thought of attenuating memory, Sage-Husa statistics estimator is introduced to the algorithm. Then, the target tracking is discussed with adaptive Extended Kalman Filter. It is showed in the Monte-Carlo simulation results that the algorithm has better performance. The system is practical and effective.
Doing it … wild? On the role of the cerebral cortex in human sexual activity

Background Objective Design Results Conclusion : We like to think about sexual activity as something fixed, basic and primal. However, this does not seem to fully capture reality. Even when we relish sex, we may be capable of mentalizing, talking, voluntarily postponing orgasm, and much more. This might indicate that the central control mechanisms of sexual activity are quite flexible and susceptible to learning mechanisms, and that cortical brain areas play a critical part. : This study aimed to identify those cortical areas and mechanisms most consistently implicated in sexual activity. : A comprehensive review of the human functional neuroimaging literature on sexual activity, i.e. genital stimulation and orgasm, is made. : Genital stimulation recruits the classical somatosensory matrix, but also areas far beyond that. The posterior insula may be particularly important for processing input from the engorged penis and coordinating penile responses. Extrastriate visual cortex tracks sexual arousal and responds to genital stimulation even when subjects have their eyes closed. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is also tightly coupled to sexual arousal, but low activity in this area predicts high sexual arousal. : This review has indicated cortical sites where activity is moderated by tactile genital inflow and high sexual arousal. Behavioral implications are discussed and where possible the relevance for learning mechanisms is indicated. Overall, it is clear that the cerebral cortex has something to say about sexual activity.
Methoden zur Erhöhung des visuellen Realismus für die Simulation minimal-invasiver chirurgischer Eingriffe

Ein Hauptziel fur die Anwendung von Chirurgiesimulatoren ist die Erzeugung einer virtuellen Trainingsumgebung fur angehende Chirurgen, mit der sie die verschiedenen Schritte chirurgischer Eingriffe am Computer ohne Risiko fur den Patienten trainieren konnen. Eine masgebliche Voraussetzung fur ein realistisches Training am Computer ist die simulierte Interaktion mit virtuellen medizinischen Instrumenten, wobei speziell die virtuelle Deformation und Entfernung von Gewebe von Bedeutung ist. Fur diese Anwendung wurde ein Neuro-Fuzzy Modell entwickelt, das ein Feder-Masse System simuliert und die Beschreibung von visuellem Deformationsverhalten des simulierten Gewebes in der Form von Expertenwissen und medizinischer Terme erlaubt. Daruber hinaus konnen die fur das zugrundeliegende Feder-Masse System benotigten physikalischen Parameter unter Benutzung von Zeitreihendaten realer Gewebedeformationen automatisch erlernt werden. Eine weitere Voraussetzung fur realistisches, chirurgisches Training ist die Qualitat und Interaktivitat der Visualisierung. Verschiedene Methoden fur die interaktive Visualisierung und Manipulation dreidimensionaler, digitaler medizinischer Datensatze, differenziert nach den Themen Volume-Rendering und Surface-Rendering, werden beschrieben. Um den Realitatslevel weiter zu erhohen, wurde eine Texturierungsmethode entwickelt, die das interaktive Platzieren hochauflosender Bilder anatomischer Details auf jede Position der Modelloberflache ermoglicht. Abschliesend werden die Ergebnisse in Form einer Beschreibung und Evaluierung zweier Chirurgiesimulatoren prasentiert, die unter Benutzung der beschriebenen Deformations- und Visualisierungsmethoden entwickelt worden sind.
The Genetic Relationships Among Aegilops L. and Triticum L. Species

Studying of genetic relationships among Triticum L. and Aegilops L. species is very important for broadening the cultivated wheat genepool, for monitoring genetic erosion and for breeding reasons, because the genus Aegilops represents the largest part of the secondary gene pool of wheat, includes the wild relatives of cultivated wheat which contain numerous unique alleles that are absent in modern wheat cultivars and it can contribute to broaden the genetic base of wheat and improve yield, quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses of wheat. Molecular markers have proved valuable in crop breeding. Selection of the best marker system depends on aim of research and ploid level of studied being.
Influence of Different Yeast Strains on Metabolism of Tryptophan and Indole-3-Acetic Acid During Fermentation

The effect of supplementation of Riesling (Vitis vinifera L.) must with ammonium sulphate (AS) on tryptophan (Trp) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) metabolism during alcoholic fermentation with four commercial yeast strains (Uvaferm CEG, Lalvin Cross Evolution, Anchor VIN 13 and Anchor exotic SPH) were examined. AS addition reduced Trp uptake by yeasts from 1% to 15%. Wines produced by Anchor VIN 13 and Uvaferm CEG yeasts with AS addition had the highest concentrations of Trp (0.60 and 0.59 mg/L respectively). Concentrations of total and bound IAA decreased during all treatments. At the end of fermentation the highest concentration of free IAA was measured in the control must inoculated with Anchor VIN 13 yeast (35.83 μg/L) and the lowest in the sample inoculated with Uvaferm CEG yeast (13.08 μg/L). Anchor VIN 13 yeast showed the strongest change in metabolism due to AS addition during fermentation. 2-Aminoacetophenone (2-AAP) formation was not observed in all the studied wines.