Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Co-expression of a Ca2+-inhibitable Adenylyl Cyclase and of a Ca2+-sensing Receptor in the Cortical Thick Ascending Limb Cell of the Rat Kidney

The Ca2+-sensing receptor protein and the Ca2+-inhibitable type 6 adenylyl cyclase mRNA are present in a defined segment of the rat renal tubule leading to the hypothesis of their possible functional co-expression in a same cell and thus to a possible inhibition of cAMP content by extracellular Ca2+. By using microdissected segments, we compared the properties of regulation of extracellular Ca2+-mediated activation of Ca2+ receptor to those elicited by prostaglandin E2 and angiotensin II. The three agents inhibited a common pool of hormone-stimulated cAMP content by different mechanisms as follows. (i) Extracellular Ca2+, coupled to phospholipase C activation via a pertussis toxin-insensitive G protein, induced a dose-dependent inhibition of cAMP content (1.25 mm Ca2+ eliciting 50% inhibition) resulting from both stimulation of cAMP hydrolysis and inhibition of cAMP synthesis; this latter effect was mediated by capacitive Ca2+ influx as well as release of intracellular Ca2+. (ii) Angiotensin II, coupled to the same transduction pathway, also decreased cAMP content; however, its inhibitory effect on cAMP was mainly accounted for by an increase of cAMP hydrolysis, although angiotensin II and extracellular Ca2+ can induce comparable release of intracellular Ca2+. (iii) Prostaglandin E2, coupled to pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein, inhibited the same pool of adenylyl cyclase units as extracellular Ca2+ but by a different mechanism. The functional properties of the adenylyl cyclase were similar to those described for type 6. The results establish that the co-expression of a Ca2+-inhibitable adenylyl cyclase and of a Ca2+-sensing receptor in a same cell allows an inhibition of cAMP accumulation by physiological concentrations of extracellular Ca2+.
Understanding the recent evolution of the human genome: insights from human–chimpanzee genome comparisons

The sequencing of the chimpanzee genome and the comparison with its human counterpart have begun to reveal the spectrum of genetic changes that has accompanied human evolution. In addition to gross karyotypic rearrangements such as the fusion that formed human chromosome 2 and the human‐specific pericentric inversions of chromosomes 1 and 18, there is considerable submicroscopic structural variation involving deletions, duplications, and inversions. Lineage‐specific segmental duplications, detected by array comparative genomic hybridization and direct sequence comparison, have made a very significant contribution to this structural divergence, which is at least three‐fold greater than that due to nucleotide substitutions. Since structural genomic changes may have given rise to irreversible functional differences between the diverging species, their detailed analysis could help to identify the biological processes that have accompanied speciation. To this end, interspecies comparisons have revealed numerous human‐specific gains and losses of genes as well as changes in gene expression. The very considerable structural diversity (polymorphism) evident within both lineages has, however, hampered the analysis of the structural divergence between the human and chimpanzee genomes. The concomitant evaluation of genetic divergence and diversity at the nucleotide level has nevertheless served to identify many genes that have evolved under positive selection and may thus have been involved in the development of human lineage‐specific traits. Genes that display signs of weak negative selection have also been identified and could represent candidate loci for complex genomic disorders. Here, we review recent progress in comparing the human and chimpanzee genomes and discuss how the differences detected have improved our understanding of the evolution of the human genome. Hum Mutat 28(2), 99–130, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Selection for Increased Production and the Welfare of Dairy Cows: Are New Breeding Goals Needed?

Abstract In many European countries, milk production per cow has more than doubled in the last 40 years. The increase in production has been accompanied by declining ability to reproduce, increasing incidence of health problems, and declining longevity in modern dairy cows. Genetic selection for increased milk yield increasingly is viewed as increasing profit at the expense of reducing animal welfare. The economic future of the dairy industry is related directly to public acceptance of its breeding and production practices. It is important to the dairy industry that welfare problems should be addressed before there is widespread condemnation of breeding and management practices. A new breeding goal aimed at improving fitness and tolerance of metabolic stress is necessary to prevent the decrease in the quality of life of dairy cows and instead, perhaps, enhance it.
Hybridization during altitudinal range shifts: nuclear introgression leads to extensive cyto‐nuclear discordance in the fire salamander

Ecological models predict that, in the face of climate change, taxa occupying steep altitudinal gradients will shift their distributions, leading to the contraction or extinction of the high‐elevation (cold‐adapted) taxa. However, hybridization between ecomorphologically divergent taxa commonly occurs in nature and may lead to alternative evolutionary outcomes, such as genetic merger or gene flow at specific genes. We evaluate this hypothesis by studying patterns of divergence and gene flow across three replicate contact zones between high‐ and low‐elevation ecomorphs of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) that have experienced altitudinal range shifts over the current postglacial period. Strong population structure with high genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA suggests that vicariant evolution has occurred over several glacial–interglacial cycles and that it has led to cryptic differentiation within ecomorphs. In current parapatric boundaries, we do not find evidence for local extinction and replacement upon postglacial expansion. Instead, parapatric taxa recurrently show discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear markers, suggesting nuclear‐mediated gene flow across contact zones. Isolation with migration models support this hypothesis by showing significant gene flow across all five parapatric boundaries. Together, our results suggest that, while some genomic regions, such as the mitochondria, may follow morphologic species traits and retreat to isolated mountain tops, other genomic regions, such as nuclear markers, may flow across parapatric boundaries, sometimes leading to a complete genetic merger. We show that despite high ecologic and morphologic divergence over prolonged periods of time, hybridization allows for evolutionary outcomes alternative to extinction and replacement of taxa in response to climate change.
Theoretical rationale for music selection in oncology intervention research: an integrative review.

BACKGROUND Music-based interventions have helped patients with cancer improve their quality of life, decrease treatment related distress, and manage pain. However, quantitative findings from music intervention studies are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review was to explore the theoretical underpinnings for the selection of the music stimuli used to influence targeted outcomes. It was hypothesized that disparate findings were due in part to the atheoretical nature of music selection and the resulting diversity in music stimuli between and within studies. METHODS A systematic research synthesis including a comprehensive database and reference list search resulted in 22 studies. Included studies were compiled into two tables cataloging intervention theory, intervention content, and outcomes. RESULTS A majority of studies did not provide a rationale or intervention theory for the delivery of music or choice of outcomes. Recorded music was the most common delivery method, but the specific music was rarely included within the report. Only two studies that included a theoretical framework reported null results on at least some of the outcomes. Null results are partially explained by an incomplete or mismatch in intervention theory and music selection and delivery. CONCLUSIONS While the inclusion of an intervention theory does not guarantee positive results, including a theoretical rationale for the use of music, particular therapeutic processes or mechanisms, and the specifics of how music is selected and delivered increases scientific rigor and the probability of clinical translation.
Medullary visceral reflex circuits: Local afferents to nucleus tractus solitarii synthesize catecholamines and project to thoracic spinal cord

Visceral feedback circuits in lower brainstem were elucidated with retrograde tracers by mapping neurons that issue local projections to the general visceral afferent division of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and dorsomotor vagal nucleus (DMX) in adult male rats. In study 1, spinal and intramedullary afferents to the visceral‐sensorimotor complex (NTS‐X) were traced to contiguous populations of cell bodies arranged in cylindrical segmental organization. NTS‐X afferents derive from curvilinear arrays of neurons that parallel the efferent radiations of the solitariotegmental tract. Newly discovered afferents arise from circumscribed cell groups in the dorsal reticular formation and periventricular zone. Another source was traced to a paraambigual cell column in the apex of the rostral ventrolateral reticular nucleus (n.RVL). In study 2, catecholaminergic afferents were initially defined with combined retrograde transport‐immunocytochemical methods. Deposits of retrograde tracers into NTS‐X transported to neurons containing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the A1, C1, and C3 areas or phenylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase (PNMT) in the C1 area of the n.RVL and C3 area. In study 3, it was revealed that NTS‐X afferents arise, in part, as collaterals of thoracic reticulospinal neurons. Deposits of the retrograde fluorescent tracer Fluorogold into the upper thoracic cord and rhodamine‐labeled microbeads into NTS‐X transported to the same neurons within a subambigual locus in n.RVL and parts of nucleus raphe magnus. In study 4, dual retrograde tracer‐immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that catecholamines are synthesized by a subset of neurons in the n.RVL that issue collaterals to the NTS‐X and thoracic cord. Double retrogradely labeled TH‐or PNMT‐immunoreactive cell bodies were restricted to the C1 area within a 450‐μm column bordered rostrally by the facial nucleus and ventrally by the medullary subpial surface. We conclude that visceral reflex arcs are reciprocally organized. Targets of NTS projection are also sources of local NTS‐X afferent innervation. Catecholaminergic and other local afferents from reticular formation, periventricular, and spinal gray may, via collaterals, simultaneously modulate visceral reflex excitability at the level of NTS and the outflow of autonomic and respiratory motoneurons. © 1995 Willy‐Liss, Inc.
Continuous Inkjet Drop Generators Fabricated From Plastic Substrates

Fabrication of a functional continuous inkjet drop generator from plastic substrates by exclusively using micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) processing steps is reported. Polyimide and poly(ethylene naphthalate) sheets that are laminated to a silicon carrier wafer are investigated as the drop generator substrate, and the MEMS processing methods used and associated challenges are discussed in detail. Successful generation of drops in a 600-nozzles-per-inch array that are as small as 2.4 pL in volume (16.5 mum in diameter) at drop velocities of 15.5 m/s is realized with these devices.
Guest editorial: accessible and affordable hearing health care for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders/National Institutes of Health (NIDCD/NIH) sponsored a research working group on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care for Adults with Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss on August 25 - 27, 2009 in Bethesda, Maryland. The purpose of the working group was to develop a research agenda to increase accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, including accessible and low cost hearing aids. For the purposes of the working group, mild HL was defined as 26-40 dB HL averaged across 0.5 - 4.0 kHz, and moderate HL was defined as 41-60 dB HL averaged across 0.5 - 4.0 kHz. Why is this working group important at this time? Hearing loss (HL) is a public health issue and is among the leading public health concerns. Approximately 17% of American adults, or 36 million people, report some degree of HL1. HL is the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing seniors2. Yet, fewer than 20% of those with HL who require intervention and treatment seek help for their condition3. Untreated HL has social and economic ramifications. Most hearing aid users have lived with HL for over 10 years and their impairments have progressed to moderate-to-severe levels before seeking a hearing aid4. For many reasons, the current hearing health care (HHC) system in the United States is not meeting the needs of the vast majority of adults with HL. As the lead Federal agency to promote the Nation's HHC, NIDCD has the responsibility and is actively seeking to address this problem from the public health perspective. NIDCD Senate Report Language for FY2010 appropriations “recommends that the NIDCD support research to develop, improve and lower the cost of hearing aids. ”5. Further, Healthy People 2020, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) activity that provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease, includes increasing the adoption rate of hearing aid usage as a Healthy People 2020 goal6. NIDCD is committed to addressing these recommendations and goals through well-developed and targeted research initiatives.
Human resources for PV market growth: A tool for PV market expansion in Argentina

There is a measure of agreement that the size of the PV market in South America, particularly in Argentina, is far from its potential and that much larger market sizes can be developed if the barriers to the adoption of PV technology can be promptly addressed. While evidence suggests growing Government interest in Renewable Energy and significant private initiatives in PV industry in San Juan, a privileged area in terms of irradiation, the relatively small size of the human resource pool stands as a major barrier to adoption of PV. In this paper, we describe the effort made by the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional in Argentina (UTN) to develop an engineering workforce that can translate policy challenges into specific technology-based, Renewable Energy (RE) projects including not only Solar Power, but also Wind Power and Biomass.
Characterization of Neisseria meningitidis Isolates from Recent Outbreaks in Ethiopia and Comparison with Those Recovered during the Epidemic of 1988 to 1989

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to collect and characterize epidemic meningococcal isolates from Ethiopia from 2002 to 2003 and to compare them to 21 strains recovered during the previous large epidemic of 1988 to 1989. Ninety-five patients in all age groups with clinical signs of meningitis and a turbid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample were included in the study of isolates from 2002 to 2003. Seventy-one patients (74.7%) were confirmed as having Neisseria meningitidis either by culture (n = 40) or by porA PCR (n = 31) of their CSF. The overall case fatality rate (CFR) was 11.6%; the N. meningitidis-specific CFR was 4.2%. All 40 strains were fully susceptible to all antibiotics tested except sulfonamide, were serotyped as A:4/21:P1.20,9, and belonged to sequence type 7 (ST-7). The strains from 1988 to 1989 were also equally susceptible and were characterized as A:4/21:P1.20,9, but they belonged to ST-5. Antigenic characterization of the strains revealed differences in the repertoire of lipooligosaccharides and Opa proteins between the old and the recent strains. PCR analysis of the nine lgt genes revealed the presence of the lgtAHFG genes in both old and recent strains; lgtB was present in only some of the strains, but no correlation with sequence type was observed. Further analysis showed that in addition to their pgm alleles, the Ethiopian ST-5 and ST-7 strains also differed in their tbpB, opa, fetA, and lgtA genes. The occurrence of new antigenic structures in strains sharing the same serogroup, PorA, and PorB may help explain the replacement of ST-5 by ST-7 in the African meningitis belt.
Analytical Solutions for PCB Assembly Subjected to Mismatched Thermal Expansion

Thermal stress due to mismatched thermal expansion is a problem that has challenged the electronics packaging industry for decades. Analytical solutions are available in the literature for a tri-material in which the sandwiched layer is an adhesive, but the solutions may not be suitable for a sandwiched layer consisting of discrete elements such as solder joints which experience significant bending. In this paper, closed-form analytical solutions have been developed for both continuous and discrete sandwiched layers by modelling the interconnects as a slab of spring elements capable of transferring axial, shear, and bending load. The analytical solutions have been successfully validated with finite element analysis.
Oxidative Stress in the Newborn – A 30-Year Perspective

In this review the development of the concept ‘hypoxia-reoxygenation injury’ is outlined. An update of some important factors and mechanisms related to oxidative stress injury in newborn infants is presented, including the metabolism of glutathione, the role of antioxidants, iron and nitric oxide, and how these may influence health and disease in the newborn and contribute to ‘oxygen radical disease of the newborn’. New insight into how hyperoxia and hypoxia may induce changes leading to retinopathy of prematurity by vascular endothelial growth factor acting in concert with insulin-like growth factor is briefly summarized. Inflammation and oxidative stress seem to be two sides of the same coin in newborn babies both contributing to injury partly through similar mechanisms.
CDK2 is Dispensable for Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Granule neurons of the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus undergo continuous renewal throughout life. Among cell-cycle regulators, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) is considered as a major regulator of S-phase entry. We used Cdk2-deficient mice to decipher the requirement of Cdk2 for the generation of new neurons in the adult hippocampus. The quantification of cell cycle markers first revealed that the lack of Cdk2 activity does not influence spontaneous or seizure-induced proliferation of neural progenitor cells (NPC) in the adult DG. Using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays, we showed that the number of mature newborn granule neurons generated de novo was similar in both wild-type (WT) and Cdk2-deficient adult mice. Moreover, the apparent lack of cell output reduction in Cdk2-/- mice DG did not result from a reduction in apoptosis of newborn granule cells as analyzed by TUNEL assays. Our results therefore suggest that Cdk2 is dispensable for NPC proliferation, differentiation and survival of adult-born DG granule neurons in vivo. These data emphasize that functional redundancies between Cdks also occur in the adult brain at the level of neural progenitor cell cycle regulation during hippocampal neurogenesis.
Earth-to-space laser beam transmission for spacecraft attitude measurement.

A method for attitude determination of spacecraft by means of an optical technique is presented in which a laser beam is transmitted from a ground station and detected by a TV camera on a satellite. The principle of determining three attitude parameters using the sequential multiple spot images of the laser beam transmitter appearing in the TV camera’s image plane is discussed briefly. Experiments of attitude determination by this method have been conducted, where a TV camera onboard the Japanese Engineering Test Satellite-3 (ETS-3) and a ground-based optical station were used. In the experiments, argon laser transmission from the earth to space and satellite observation by the optical system were done simultaneously. The attitude of this satellite, i.e., a set of pitch, roll, and yaw angles, was determined with high accuracy for some orbits, which permitted us to evaluate the three-axes attitude control system and some attitude control experiments of the satellite.
Th1-Directing Adjuvants Increase the Immunogenicity of Oligosaccharide-Protein Conjugate Vaccines Related to Streptococcus pneumoniae Type 3

ABSTRACT Oligosaccharide (OS)-protein conjugates are promising candidate vaccinesagainst encapsulated bacteria, such as Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Although the effects of several variables such as OS chain length and protein carrier have been studied, little is known about the influence of adjuvants on the immunogenicity of OS-protein conjugates. In this study, a minimal protective trisaccharide epitope of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 conjugated to the cross-reacting material of diphtheria toxin was used for immunization of BALB/c mice in the presence of different adjuvants. Subsequently, half of the mice received a booster immunization with conjugate alone. Independent of the use and type of adjuvant, all mice produced long-lasting anti-polysaccharide type 3 (PS3) antibody levels, which provided full protection against challenge with pneumococcal type 3 bacteria. All adjuvants tested increased the anti-PS3 antibody levels and opsonic capacities as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an in vitro phagocytosis assay. The use of QuilA or a combination of the adjuvants CpG and dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium bromide resulted in the highest phagocytic capacities and the highest levels of Th1-related immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses. Phagocytic capacity correlated strongly with Th1-associated IgG2a and IgG2b levels, to a lesser extent with Th2-associated IgG1 levels, and weakly with thiocyanate elution as a measure of avidity. Thus, the improved immunogenicity of OS-protein conjugates was most pronounced for Th1-directing adjuvants.
Factors influencing discretionary ICT corporate social responsibility decisions made by financial services organisations

Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) promotes the use of technology in development. Business organisations are realising that ICT solutions can be used to solve certain developmental issues and businesses are deciding to invest into these kinds of technology solutions as part of its Corporate social responsibility (CSR). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this intersection of these two concepts (ICT4D and CSR) by identifying the factors that influence ICT4D CSR decisions made by South African financial services organisations. This evaluation is performed by interviewing representatives of financial services organisations that participate in CSR projects as well as by analysing corporate websites and documentation on these organisations’ CSR strategy and activities to identify major factors that influence ICT CSR decisions. These factors when grouped into categories highlight that businesses are searching for the projects that align with the business organisation’s corporate strategy, projects that make use of solutions that the business consider the most appropriate and projects where businesses can partner with the correct partner. This research paper proposes a new theoretical framework that combines elements of the Strategic IT decision making (SITDM) model with the Technological organisational and environmental (TOE) model with which to identify the factors that influence ICT CSR projects.