Search

Background: Hormonal oral contraceptive pills (OCP) may increase the risk of carcinoma cervix by changing the susceptibility of cervical cells to persistent infection with high-risk human papilloma virus. There is a causal and promoting association with long-term use of these pills for more than 5 years of use, and the association is diminished 10 years after last use. Aims and Objectives: In this study, retrospective data were collected to analyze the risk of association of carcinoma cervix with hormonal contraceptive pill use. Materials and Methods: Interview-based retrospective observational study to enquire about the history of hormonal OCP use and duration of intake in all diagnosed cases of cervical carcinoma attending gynecology and oncology outpatient departments over the period of 2 years in two medical colleges in suburban West Bengal. Results: Of the total 401 subjects, 119 have a history of intake of hormonal OCPs, and 198 have a history of other methods of contraception. Among the subjects, 67.58% had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 31.67% had adenocarcinoma of the cervix, and 0.75% had other varieties. There is no correlation between the duration of hormonal OCP use and SCC cervix (P=0.269), whereas there is a significant correlation between adenocarcinoma of the cervix and duration of intake of hormonal OCP (P=0.002). Conclusion: Studies have shown that women who have used OCPs for 5 or more years have a higher risk of cervical cancer than women who have never used oral contraceptives. This study reported a statistically significant increase in the relative risk of adenoca of the cervix but not of the SCC of the cervix, even after long-term use of hormonal OCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital down converter (DDC) is one of the crucial components in digital radio receiver. The working function of DDC is to convert the frequency translation from Intermediate Frequency (IF) band to baseband signal. This paper briefs a hardware efficient DDC architecture which is made of COordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) processor act as a digital oscillator followed by multi-stage Cascaded Integrator Comb (CIC) performs as a high rate decimation filter and then Multi-channel Systolic Finite Impulse Response (MSFIR) decimation filter allows perfect output. All of these components of the proposed DDC architecture have been designed in Xilinx ISE 14.7 simulator using optimization techniques and targeted to the Xilinx Kintex-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Implementation of DDC on FPGA provides high flexibility, moderate cost and customizability. The result analysis of the proposed DDC model is superior to the similar design with regard to area, operating speed and power consumption. The implemented DDC design is used to transform input bandwidth from about 70 MHz to 137 kHz, matching in Software Defined Radio (SDR) system requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the signal integrity problem arising due to resistive drop, inductive noise and electro- migration, causing voltage fluctuations known as supply noise in an integrated circuit. Insertion of decoupling capacitor is a commonly used technique for reducing the supply noise. In this article symbiotic organism search (SOS) algorithm is used to estimate the decap. Another relevant issue addressed is the distribution of the decap over the chip. To get the best possible results in the post-layout stage pruning technique is used for partitioning and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied in the floorplanning stage. The purpose of this work is to reduce the supply noise without much affecting other design parameters of the chip. Simulation results show that supply noise has been reduced by up to 74.07% and the decap budget has been reduced by up to 37.4%. This approach can be used for any system-on-chip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In March 2020, the greater New York metropolitan area became an epicenter for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The initial evolution of case incidence has not been well characterized. Methods Northwell Health Laboratories tested 46 793 persons for SARS-CoV-2 from 4 March through 10 April. The primary outcome measure was a positive reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction test for SARS-CoV-2. The secondary outcomes included patient age, sex, and race, if stated; dates the specimen was obtained and the test result; clinical practice site sources; geolocation of patient residence; and hospitalization. Results From 8 March through 10 April, a total of 26 735 of 46 793 persons (57.1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Males of each race were disproportionally more affected than females above age 25, with a progressive male predominance as age increased. Of the positive persons, 7292 were hospitalized directly upon presentation; an additional 882 persons tested positive in an ambulatory setting before subsequent hospitalization, a median of 4.8 days later. Total hospitalization rate was thus 8174 persons (30.6% of positive persons). There was a broad range (>10-fold) in the cumulative number of positive cases across individual zip codes following documented first caseincidence. Test positivity was greater for persons living in zip codes with lower annual household income. Conclusions Our data reveal that SARS-CoV-2 incidence emerged rapidly and almost simultaneously across a broad demographic population in the region. These findings support the premise that SARS-CoV-2 infection was widely distributed prior to virus testing availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of efficient power distribution network is a challenging task in modern day system-on-chip. During switching of transistors the signal integrity problems arises, such as, resistive drop, inductive noise and electro-migration, causing voltage fluctuations known as supply noise. This supply noise may result in malfunctioning of the integrated circuit. Insertion of decoupling capacitance is a commonly used technique for suppression of supply noise. In this article flower pollination algorithm has been used to estimate the decoupling capacitor budget to reduce power supply noise. Another major issue is allocation of decoupling capacitors in the floorplan of the design. To get the best possible results in the post-layout stage particle swarm optimization algorithm has been used in the floorplan stage. The purpose of this work is to reduce the supply noise without having much effect on the other design parameters of the chip. Simulation results show that noise voltage has been reduced significantly without much effecting other design parameters. This approach can be used in any system-on-chip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A manganese-based coordination polymer, [Mn2L2(µ-MeOH)2]n (H2L = 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde isonicotinoylhydrazone) was obtained by self-assembly of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde isonicotinoylhydrazone and manganese(II) acetate. The coordination polymer was characterized by IR, EPR and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that the dibasic tridentate ligand (L2−) is bound via ONO donor sites to manganese(II). Two such [ML] fragments are connected by µ2-bridged methanol (MeOH) to form a di-manganese species. The sixth site of each of the manganese is occupied by the pyridyl N atom of the isonicotinoyl group. This arrangement gives a polynuclear complex of the formula [Mn2L2(µ-MeOH)2]n. The coordination geometry of manganese is distorted octahedral. The X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurement of the complex at 77 K shows a six-line spectrum and a signal at the half field, with g = 4.88. The half-field signal indicates the dimeric nature of the complex in the solution state. The cyclic voltammetric measurement of the complex shows a reversible MnIII/MnII redox couple. The complex catalyzes the conversion of 3,5-di-tert-butyl catechol to the corresponding o-quinone with a catalytic turnover rate of (kcat) 27.22 h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute leukaemias express high levels of MYB which are required for the initiation and maintenance of the disease. Inhibition of MYB expression or activity has been shown to suppress MLL-fusion oncoprotein-induced acute myeloid leukaemias (AML), which are among the most aggressive forms of AML, and indeed MYB transcription has been reported to be regulated by the MLL-AF9 oncoprotein. This highlights the importance of understanding the mechanism of MYB transcriptional regulation in these leukaemias. Here we have demonstrated that the MLL-AF9 fusion protein regulates MYB transcription directly at the promoter region, in part by recruiting the transcriptional regulator kinase CDK9, and CDK9 inhibition effectively suppresses MYB expression as well as cell proliferation. However, MYB regulation by MLL-AF9 does not require H3K79 methylation mediated by the methyltransferase DOT1L, which has also been shown to be a key mediator of MLL-AF9 leukemogenicity. The identification of specific, essential and druggable transcriptional regulators may enable effective targeting of MYB expression, which in turn could potentially lead to new therapeutic approaches for acute myeloid leukaemia with MLL-AF9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern system-on-chip, the number of transistors has grown exponentially. This requires an efficient electrical power distribution network for proper functioning of the chip. Voltages at different nodes with respect to the desired level may vary which correspond to generation of supply noise. This paper deals with the estimation and allocation of decoupling capacitance for reduction of supply noise at the pre-layout level. Usually, decoupling capacitors are placed near the noisy functional modules, which acts as local charge storing devices and effectively reduce the transients. In this work, analysis of various sources of supply noises has been performed. Depending on the amount of supply noise, the decoupling capacitance has been estimated and allocated with minimum increment in power consumption and propagation delay. We have considered 512-points, 1-k point, 2-k point and 4-k point Fast Fourier Transform processors and International Test Conference 1999 (b14 and b17) benchmark circuits as our test circuits. This work reports up to 51.9% reduction of peak supply noise at the cost of 0.48 and 1.44% increase in power consumption and delay respectively. This estimation and subsequent allocation of decoupling capacitances will help for more accurate design and implementation at the layout stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery of an N-dimensional, K-sparse solution x from an M-dimensional vector of measurements y for multivariate linear regression can be accomplished by minimizing a suitably penalized least-mean-square cost | | y - H x | | 2 2 + λ V (x) . Here H is a known matrix and V (x) is an algorithm-dependent sparsity-inducing penalty. For 'random' H , in the limit λ → 0 and M , N , K → ∞ , keeping ρ = K / N and α = M / N fixed, exact recovery is possible for α past a critical value α c = α (ρ) . Assuming x has iid entries, the critical curve exhibits some universality, in that its shape does not depend on the distribution of x . However, the algorithmic phase transition occurring at α = α c and associated universality classes remain ill-understood from a statistical physics perspective, i.e. in terms of scaling exponents near the critical curve. In this article, we analyze the mean-field equations for two algorithms, Basis Pursuit ( V (x) = | | x | | 1 ) and Elastic Net ( V (x) = | | x | | 1 + g 2 | | x | | 2 2 ) and show that they belong to different universality classes in the sense of scaling exponents, with mean squared error (MSE) of the recovered vector scaling as λ 4 3 and λ respectively, for small λ on the critical line. In the presence of additive noise, we find that, when α > α c , MSE is minimized at a non-zero value for λ , whereas at α = α c , MSE always increases with λ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We provide a restricted-isometry-property (RIP) based theoretical analysis and convergence guarantee for Distributed Hard Thresholding Pursuit (DHTP) algorithm. For error-free condition, that means with zero observation noise, learned estimates at all nodes converge to the true signal under some technical conditions. • Using simulations, we show instances where DHTP provides better learning performance than the alternate Distributed Hard thresholding (DiHaT) algorithm. For a fair comparison, we evaluate practical performance using doubly stochastic network matrix. • We show that DHTP performs good for a general network matrix, not necessarily a doubly stochastic matrix. Abstract We investigate an existing distributed algorithm for learning sparse signals or data over networks. The algorithm is iterative and exchanges intermediate estimates of a sparse signal over a network. This learning strategy using exchange of intermediate estimates over the network requires a limited communication overhead for information transmission. Our objective in this article is to show that the strategy is good for learning in spite of limited communication. In pursuit of this objective, we first provide a restricted isometry property (RIP)-based theoretical analysis on convergence of the iterative algorithm. Then, using simulations, we show that the algorithm provides competitive performance in learning sparse signals vis-a-vis an existing alternate distributed algorithm. The alternate distributed algorithm exchanges more information including observations and system parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the influence of manganese incorporation on ionic conductivity and dielectric relaxation mechanism of C d O thin films synthesized by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. Structural, optical and ac electrical characterization of C d O and Mn:CdO thin films has been carried. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction and UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Increase in grain size and decrease in average microstrain in doped films were confirmed from XRD analysis. Decrease in band gap in doped films were observed from spectrophotometric measurements. Impedance spectroscopy analysis confirmed enhancement of ac conductivity with M n incorporation suggesting an enhancement in charge carrier concentration due to doping. Enhancement in both real and imaginary part of dielectric constant was observed with M n doping. Cole-Cole plot shows contribution of both grain and grain boundary towards total resistance and capacitance. The overall resistance was found to decrease with M n incorporation in C d O film. Activation energy to electrical transport process was determined from dc conductivity analysis and migration energy of charge carriers was determined from modulus spectroscopy analysis. The observed results suggest hopping mechanism of charge carriers towards electrical conduction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline thin films of silver oxide were synthesised by chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The particle size in the deposited films was found to decrease with increasing bath temperature while the porosity was found to increase with increasing temperature of deposition. The band gap in the film was found to increase with decreasing particle size. The sensitivity in the presence of alcohol was found to increase with working temperature before reaching maximum at 250°C. A maximum sensitivity of ~35% was observed at 250°C in presence of 1000 ppm ethanol for films deposited at highest deposition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have gained much interest in recent years as it is the largest class among cell surface receptors. G proteins lie in the heart of GPCRs signalling and therefore can be therapeutically targeted to overcome complexities in GPCR responses and signalling. G proteins are classified into four families (G, G, G and G); G is further subdivided into four classes. Among them G and G isoforms are most crucial and ubiquitously expressed; these isoforms are almost 88% similar at their amino acid sequence but may exhibit functional divergences. However, uncertainties often arise about G and G inhibitors, these G proteins might also have suitability to the invention of novel-specific inhibitors for each isoforms. YM-254890 and UBO-QIC are discovered as potent inhibitors of G functions and also investigated in thrombin protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1 inhibitors and platelet aggregation inhibition. The most likely G protein involved in PAR-1 stimulates responses is one of the G family isoforms. In this review, we highlight the molecular structures and pharmacological responses of G family which may reflect the biochemical and molecular role of G and G. The advanced understanding of G and G role in GPCR signalling may shed light on our understanding on cell biology, cellular physiology and pathophysiology and also lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents for a number of diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With few exceptions, members of the Leishmania donovani complex such as L. donovani, L. infantum and L. chagashi are the etiological agents of visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar. Promastigotes of Leishmania spp. lose their Pathogenicity; the ability to establish infection in a susceptible host, after prolonged culture. The molecular basis of this evolution of pathogenic to nonpathogenic culture has not been very well understood. It has been proposed that the loss of pathogenicity is associated with the gradual disappearance of selective parasite proteins. An alternative hypothesis is that during prolonged culture, the pathogenic clonal population of the parasite is deleted from the mixed population due to their selection pressure. This clonal deletion is proposed to be responsible for the emergence of the nonpathogenic population. Study Methodology and Results: We have a done a series of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by western blot experiments to study the antigenic profile of few L. donovani isolates of Indian origin. We observed a gradual and significant downregulation of expression of a group of low molecular weight proteins (LMW, molecular weight 20-30 kDa) which are associated with loss of pathogenicity. These proteins are recognized only by antiserum raised against the whole cell extract of one of the pathogenic Indian L.donovani isolates, Ag83, and remained undetected by antiserum raised against the nonpathogenic AG83 isolates. These LMW proteins were also present in the nonpathogenic extract in very low levels and remained undetected by the virulent serum, indicating a phenomenon of simultaneous downregulation of the expression and altered immunogenicity. LMW proteins were universally expressed in all early passage Indian isolate we tested and also detected in two clones obtained from pathogenic parasite culture. The antigenic patterns of none of the eight clones obtained from nonpathogenic culture were not exactly similar with the pathogenic clones. Conclusion: Therefore, our data strongly support the hypothesis that the loss of pathogenicity of L. donovani is associated with a change in antigenic profile, but not due the selective deletion of pathogenic clones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is an increasing interest in brain-mapping projects, including the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative project in the USA, the Human Brain Project (HBP) in Europe, and the Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS) project in Japan. These projects aim to map the structure and function of neuronal circuits to ultimately understand the vast complexity of the human brain. Brain/MINDS is focused on structural and functional mapping of the common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus ) brain. This non-human primate has numerous advantages for brain mapping, including a well-developed frontal cortex and a compact brain size, as well as the availability of transgenic technologies. In the present review article, we discuss strategies for structural and functional mapping of the marmoset brain and the relation of the common marmoset to other animals models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims Our earlier gene-expression studies with a Slovak PCBs-exposed population have revealed possible disease and disorder development in accordance with epidemiological studies. The present investigation aimed to develop an in vitro model system that can provide an indication of disrupted biological pathways associated with developing future diseases, well in advance of the clinical manifestations that may take years to appear in the actual human exposure scenario. Methods We used human Primary Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) and exposed them to a mixture of human equivalence levels of PCBs (PCB-118, -138, -153, -170, -180) as found in the PCBs-exposed Slovak population. The microarray studies of global gene expression were conducted on the Affymetrix platform using Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array along with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to associate the affected genes with their mechanistic pathways. High-throughput qRT-PCR Taqman Low Density Array (TLDA) was done to further validate the selected 6 differentially expressed genes of our interest, viz. , ARNT, CYP2D6, LEPR, LRP12, RRAD, TP53, with a small population validation sample ( n =71). Results Overall, we revealed a discreet gene expression profile in the experimental model that resembled the diseases and disorders observed in PCBs-exposed population studies. The disease pathways included endocrine system disorders, genetic disorders, metabolic diseases, developmental disorders, and cancers, strongly consistent with the evidence from epidemiological studies. Interpretation These gene finger prints could lead to the identification of populations and subgroups at high risk for disease, and can pose as early disease biomarkers well ahead of time, before the actual disease becomes visible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate brains of even moderate size are composed of astronomically large numbers of neurons and show a great degree of individual variability at the microscopic scale. This variation is presumably the result of phenotypic plasticity and individual experience. At a larger scale, however, relatively stable species-typical spatial patterns are observed in neuronal architecture, e.g., the spatial distributions of somata and axonal projection patterns, probably the result of a genetically encoded developmental program. The mesoscopic scale of analysis of brain architecture is the transitional point between a microscopic scale where individual variation is prominent and the macroscopic level where a stable, species-typical neural architecture is observed. The empirical existence of this scale, implicit in neuroanatomical atlases, combined with advances in computational resources, makes studying the circuit architecture of entire brains a practical task. A methodology has previously been proposed that employs a shotgun-like grid-based approach to systematically cover entire brain volumes with injections of neuronal tracers. This methodology is being employed to obtain mesoscale circuit maps in mouse and should be applicable to other vertebrate taxa. The resulting large data sets raise issues of data representation, analysis, and interpretation, which must be resolved. Even for data representation the challenges are nontrivial: the conventional approach using regional connectivity matrices fails to capture the collateral branching patterns of projection neurons. Future success of this promising research enterprise depends on the integration of previous neuroanatomical knowledge, partly through the development of suitable computational tools that encapsulate such expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The [Zn(SRaaiNR′)(H2O)X2] (SRaaiNR′=1-alkyl-2-{(o-thioalkyl)phenylazo}imidazole; X=Cl, Br, I) complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic studies. The X-ray structure of [Zn(SEtaaiNEt)(H2O)Cl2] (where SEtaaiNEt=1-ethyl-2-{(o-thioalkyl)phenylazo}imidazole) shows bidentate imidazolyl-N, azo-N chelation of SEtaaiNEt and the other donors are H2O and 2Cl−. UV light irradiation to a MeCN solution of the complexes shows E-to-Z (E and Z refer to trans and cis-configurations about –N N–, respectively) isomerisation of the coordinated azoimidazole. The rate of isomerisation follows the sequence: [Zn(SRaaiNR′)(H2O)Cl2]<[Zn(SRaaiNR′)(H2O)Br2]<[Zn(SRaaiNR′)(H2O)I2]. The quantum yields (ϕ E→Z) and the activation energies (E a) of the isomerisation of the complexes are lower than those of the free ligands. The observation has been explained considering the molecular association that increases the mass and rotor volume of the complexes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Azahomosteroid ring systems were synthesized through two-component coupling of γ,δ-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes with o-alkynylheteroaryl carbonyl derivatives. The reaction occurs through the formation of azaisobenzofuran as transient intermediate; the latter undergoes a subsequent Diels–Alder cycloaddition reaction with in-built dienophile with high regio- and stereoselectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A short and efficient synthetic route to three stereoisomeric aminocyclohexane tetrols of the quercitol type has been developed from L-serine, which featured stereoselective allylation, stereocontrolled dihydroxylation, and ring-closing metathesis as key steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The goal of the present study is to understand the probable molecular mechanism of toxicities and the associated pathways related to observed pathophysiology in high PCB-exposed populations. We have performed a microarray-based differential gene expression analysis of children (mean age 46.1months) of Central European descent from Slovak Republic in a well-defined study cohort. The subset of children having high blood PCB concentrations (>75 percentile) were compared against their low PCB counterparts (<25 percentile), with mean lipid-adjusted PCB values of 3.02±1.3 and 0.06±0.03ng/mg of serum lipid, for the two groups, respectively (18.1±4.4 and 0.3±0.1ng/ml of serum). The microarray was conducted with the total RNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the children using an Affymetrix platform (GeneChip Human genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array) and was analyzed by Gene Spring (GX 10.0). A highly significant set of 162 differentially expressed genes between high and low PCB groups (p value <0.00001) were identified and subsequently analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool. The results indicate that Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction, Cellular Movement, Cell Signaling, Molecular Transport, and Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism were the major molecular and cellular functions associated with the differentially altered gene set in high PCB-exposed children. The differential gene expressions appeared to play a pivotal role in the development of probable diseases and disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, in the PCB-exposed population. The analyses also pointed out possible organ-specific effects, e.g., cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, in high PCB-exposed subjects. A few notable genes, such as BCL2, PON1, and ITGB1, were significantly altered in our study, and the related pathway analysis explained their plausible involvement in the respective disease processes, as mentioned. Our results provided insight into understanding the associated molecular mechanisms of complex gene–environment interactions in a PCB-exposed population. Future endeavors of supervised genotyping of pathway-specific molecular epidemiological studies and population biomarker validations are already underway to reveal individual risk factors in these PCB-exposed populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The chemical composition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment is not uniform throughout the world, and these contaminants contain many structurally different lipophilic compounds. In a well-defined study cohort in the Slovak Republic, the POP chemicals present in the peripheral blood of exposed children were chemically analyzed. The chemical analysis data revealed that the relative concentration and profile of structurally different organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE), 2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloro-ethane (p,p′-DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), may vary from individual to individual, even within the same exposure area. These chemicals can be broadly classified into two groups. The first group, the PCB congeners, primarily originated from industrial compounds and their byproducts. The second group of compounds originated from or was commonly used in the agricultural sector (e.g., DDT, HCB). The objective of this study was to examine the effects of the two POP exposure profiles on gene expression. For the study population, we selected pre-pubertal girls (mean age of 46.2±1.4months) with high POP concentrations in their blood (>75% tile of total POP) and classified them in the high ‘PCB’ group when the total PCB concentration was significantly higher than the total concentration of other POP components and in the ‘Other Than PCB’ (OTP) group, when the total PCB concentration was significantly lower than the concentration of the other major POP constituents. A matched control group of girls (<25% tile of total POP) was selected for comparison purpose (n=5 per group). Our aims were to determine whether there were any common effects of high POP exposure at a toxicogenomic level and to investigate how exposure may affect physiological functions of the children in two different exposure scenarios. Global gene expression analysis using a microarray (Affymetrix Gene Chip Human genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array) platform was conducted on the total RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the girls. The results were analyzed by Partek GS, Louis, MI, which identified twelve genes (ATAD2B, BIVM, CD96, CXorf39, CYTH1 ETNK1, FAM13A, HIRA, INO80B, ODG1, RAD23B, and TSGA14) and two unidentified probe sets, as regulated differentially in both the PCB and OTP groups against the control group. The qRT-PCR method was used to validate the microarray results. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software package identified the possible molecular impairments and disease risks associated with each gene set. Connective tissue disorders, genetic disorders, skeletal muscular disorders and neurological diseases were associated with the 12 common genes. The data therefore identified the potential molecular effects of POP exposure on a genomic level. This report underscores the importance of further study to validate the results in a random population and to evaluate the use of the identified genes as biomarkers for POP exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The connectivity architecture of neuronal circuits is essential to understand how brains work, yet our knowledge about the neuronal wiring diagrams remains limited and partial. Technical breakthroughs in labeling and imaging methods starting more than a century ago have advanced knowledge in the field. However, the volume of data associated with imaging a whole brain or a significant fraction thereof, with electron or light microscopy, has only recently become amenable to digital storage and analysis. A mouse brain imaged at light-microscopic resolution is about a terabyte of data, and 1mm3 of the brain at EM resolution is about half a petabyte. This has given rise to a new field of research, computational analysis of large-scale neuroanatomical data sets, with goals that include reconstructions of the morphology of individual neurons as well as entire circuits. The problems encountered include large data management, segmentation and 3D reconstruction, computational geometry and workflow management allowing for hybrid approaches combining manual and algorithmic processing. Here we review this growing field of neuronal data analysis with emphasis on reconstructing neurons from EM data cubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One monomeric neutral Cu(II) complex [(pmtpm)CuCl2] (1) is reported by Lindoy and Livingstone . Two new complexes namely, μ-Cl bridged binuclear Cu(II) complex [{(pmtpm)Cu(Cl)}2 μ-Cl](ClO4) (2) and a bis μ-Cl bridged binuclear Cu(II) complex [{(pmtpm)Cu}2(μ-Cl)2](ClO4)2 (3) derived from a tridentate Schiff base ligand, 2-pyridyl-N-(2′-methylthiophenyl)methyleneimine (pmtpm) were synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic methods and by X-ray crystallography. (N2S)CuCl2 chromophore(s) of distorted square pyramidal coordination geometries around Cu(II) ion(s) have been observed for all the complexes 1–3. The equatorial sites of the square plane comprise two N and a thioether S donor atoms of the pmtpm ligand as well as one Cl− ion (terminal in 1 and 2, and bridging in 3) while the remaining axial site is occupied by a terminal Cl− ion (for 1) or a bridging Cl− ion (for 2 and 3). The equatorial Cu–Cl distances are much shorter [1: 2.2511(4)Å, 2: 2.2307(12)Å, 3: 2.2513(12)Å] than the axial Cu–Cl distances [1: 2.4394(4)Å, 2: 2.5597(9)Å, 3: 2.7037(12)Å]. The correlation of an axial Cu–Cl bond elongation with a lower g|| value in the solid state EPR spectrum and a blue shifted ligand field transition in the solid and solution phase absorption spectrum has been observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Whereas UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-2B7 is widely distributed in different tissues, it preferentially detoxifies genotoxic 4-OH-estradiol and 4-OH-estrone (4-OHE1) with barely detectable 17β-estradiol ( E2) conversion following expression in COS-1 cells. Consistent with the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase requirement for regulated phosphorylation, we discovered that 2B7 requires Src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation. Y236F-2B7 and Y438F-2B7 mutants were null and 90% inactive, respectively, when expressed in COS-1. We demonstrated that 2B7 incorporated immunoprecipitable [33P]orthophosphate and that 2B7His, previously expressed in SYF-(Src,Yes,Fyn)-/- cells, was Src-supported or phosphorylated under in vitro conditions. Unexpectedly, 2B7 expressed in SYF-/- and SYF+/- cells metabolized 4-OHE1 at 10- and 3-fold higher rates, respectively, than that expressed in COS-1, and similar analysis showed that E2 metabolism was 16- and 9-fold higher than in COS-1. Because anti-Tyr(P)-438-2B7 detected Tyr(P)-438-2B7 in each cell line, results indicated that unidentified tyrosine kinase(s) (TKs) phosphorylated 2B7 in SYF-/-. 2B7-transfected COS-1 treated with increasing concentrations of the Src-specific inhibitor PP2 down-regulated 4-OHE1 glucuronidation reaching 60% maximum while simultaneously increasing E2 metabolism linearly. This finding indicated that increasing PP2 inhibition of Src allows increasing E2 metabolism caused by 2B7 phosphorylation by unidentified TK(s). Importantly, 2B7 expressed in SYF-/- is more competent at metabolizing E2 in cellulo than 2B7 expressed in COS-1. To confirm Src-controlled 2B7 prevents toxicity, we showed that 2B7-transfected COS-1 efficiently protected against 4-OH-E1-mediated depurination. Finally, our results indicate that Src-dependent phosphorylation of 2B7 allows metabolism of 4-OHE1, but not E2, in COS-1, whereas non-Src-phosphorylated 2B7 metabolizes both chemicals. Importantly, we determined that 2B7 substrate selection is not fixed but varies depending upon the TK(s) that carry out its required phosphorylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mammary gland-distributed and ER-bound UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)-2B7 metabolizes genotoxic catechol-estrogens (CE) associated with breast cancer initiation. Although UGT2B7 has 3 PKC- and 2 tyrosine kinase (TK)-sites, its inhibition by genistein, herbimycin-A and PP2 with parallel losses in phospho-tyrosine and phospho-Y438-2B7 content indicated it requires tyrosine phosphorylation, unlike required PKC phosphorylation of UGT1A isozymes. 2B7 mutants at PKC-sites had essentially normal activity, while its TK-sites mutants, Y236F- and Y438F-2B7, were essentially inactive. Overexpression of regular or active Src, but not dominant-negative Src, in 2B7-transfected COS-1 cells increased 2B7 activity and phospho-Y438-2B7 by 50%. Co-localization of 2B7 and regular SrcTK in COS-1 cells that was dissociated by pretreatment with Src-specific PP2-inhibitor provided strong evidence Src supports 2B7 activity. Consistent with these findings, evidence indicates an appropriate set of ER proteins with Src-homology binding-domains, including 2B7 and well-known multi-functional Src-engaged AKAP12 scaffold, supports Src-dependent phosphorylation of CE-metabolizing 2B7 enabling it to function as a tumor suppressor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cell cycle progression into S phase requires the induction of histone gene expression to package newly synthesized DNA as chromatin. Cyclin E stimulation of CDK2 at the Restriction point late in G1 controls both histone gene expression by the p220NPAT/HiNF-P pathway and initiation of DNA replication through the pRB/E2F pathway. The three CDK inhibitors (CKIs) p21CIP1/WAF1, p27KIP1, and p57KIP2 attenuate CDK2 activity. Here we find that γ-irradiation induces p21CIP1/WAF1 but not the other two CKIs, while reducing histone H4 mRNA levels but not histone H4 gene promoter activation by the p220NPAT/HiNF-P complex. We also show that p21CIP1/WAF1 is less effective than p27KIP1 and p57KIP2 in inhibiting the CDK2 dependent phosphorylation of p220NPAT at subnuclear foci and transcriptional activation of histone H4 genes. The greater effectiveness of p57KIP2 in blocking the p220NPAT/HiNF-P pathway is attributable in part to its ability to form a specific complex with p220NPAT that may suppress CDK2/cyclin E phosphorylation through direct substrate inhibition. We conclude that CKIs selectively control stimulation of the histone H4 gene promoter by the p220NPAT/HiNF-P complex. J. Cell. Physiol. 219: 438–448, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation sequencing is limited to short read lengths and by high error rates. We systematically analyzed sources of noise in the Illumina Genome Analyzer that contribute to these high error rates and developed a base caller, Alta-Cyclic, that uses machine learning to compensate for noise factors. Alta-Cyclic substantially improved the number of accurate reads for sequencing runs up to 78 bases and reduced systematic biases, facilitating confident identification of sequence variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental trajectory of nervous system dynamics shows hierarchical structure on time scales spanning ten orders of magnitude from milliseconds to years. Analyzing and characterizing this structure poses significant signal processing challenges. In the context of birdsong development, we have previously proposed that an effective way to do this is to use the dynamic spectrum or spectrogram, a classical signal processing tool, computed at multiple time scales in a nested fashion. Temporal structure on the millisecond timescale is normally captured using a short time Fourier analysis, and structure on the second timescale using song spectrograms. Here we use the dynamic spectrum on time series of song features to study the development of rhythm in juvenile zebra finch. The method is able to detect rhythmic structure in juvenile song in contrast to previous characterizations of such song as unstructured. We show that the method can be used to examine song development, the accuracy with which rhythm is imitated, and the variability of rhythms across different renditions of a song. We hope that this technique will provide a standard, automated method for measuring and characterizing song rhythm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study memoryless, discrete time, matrix channels with additive white Gaussian noise and input power constraints of the form Y i = ∑ j H ij X j + Z i , where Y i , X j and Z i are complex, i = 1... m, j = 1... n, and H is a complex m× n matrix with some degree of randomness in its entries. The additive Gaussian noise vector is assumed to have uncorrelated entries. Let H be a full matrix (non-sparse) with pairwise correlations between matrix entries of the form E[ H ik H * jl] = 1/ n C ij D kl, where C, D are positive definite Hermitian matrices. Simplicities arise in the limit of large matrix sizes (the so called large- n limit) which allow us to obtain several exact expressions relating to the channel capacity. We study the probability distribution of the quantity f( H) = log (1+ PH † SH) . S is non-negative definite and hermitian, with TrS = n and P being the signal power per input channel. Note that the expectation E[ f( H)], maximised over S, gives the capacity of the above channel with an input power constraint in the case H is known at the receiver but not at the transmitter. For arbitrary C, D exact expressions are obtained for the expectation and variance of f( H) in the large matrix size limit. For C = D = I, where I is the identity matrix, expressions are in addition obtained for the full moment generating function for arbitrary (finite) matrix size in the large signal to noise limit. Finally, we obtain the channel capacity where the channel matrix is partly known and partly unknown and of the form α; I+ β H, α,β being known constants and entries of H i.i.d. Gaussian with variance 1/ n. Channels of the form described above are of interest for wireless transmission with multiple antennae and receivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear inverse problems arise in biomedicine electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG) and geophysics. The kernels relating sensors to the unknown sources are Green's functions of some partial differential equation. This knowledge is obscured when treating the discretized kernels simply as matrices. Consequently, physical understanding of the fundamental resolution limits has been lacking. We relate the inverse problem to spatial Fourier analysis. and the resolution limits to uncertainty principles, providing conceptual links to underlying physics. Motivated by the spectral concentration problem and multitaper spectral analysis, our approach construct local basis sets using maximally concentrated linear combinations of the measurement kernels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep affects learning and development in humans and other animals, but the role of sleep in developmental learning has never been examined. Here we show the effects of night-sleep on song development in the zebra finch by recording and analysing the entire song ontogeny. During periods of rapid learning we observed a pronounced deterioration in song structure after night-sleep. The song regained structure after intense morning singing. Daily improvement in similarity to the tutored song occurred during the late phase of this morning recovery; little further improvement occurred thereafter. Furthermore, birds that showed stronger post-sleep deterioration during development achieved a better final imitation. The effect diminished with age. Our experiments showed that these oscillations were not a result of sleep inertia or lack of practice, indicating the possible involvement of an active process, perhaps neural song-replay during sleep. We suggest that these oscillations correspond to competing demands of plasticity and consolidation during learning, creating repeated opportunities to reshape previously learned motor skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the G[sub 1]/S phase cell cycle transition, multiple histone genes are expressed to ensure that newly synthesized DNA is immediately packaged as chromatin. Here we have purified and functionally characterized the critical transcription factor HiNF-P, which is required for E2F-independent activation of the histone H4 multigene family. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and ligation-mediated PCR-assisted genomic sequencing, we show that HiNF-P interacts with conserved H4 cell cycle regulatory sequences in vivo. Antisense inhibition of HiNF-P reduces endogenous histone H4 gene expression. Furthermore, we find that HiNF-P utilizes NPAT/p220, a substrate of the cyclin E/cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) kinase complex, as a key coactivator to enhance histone H4 gene transcription. The biological role of HiNF-P is reflected by impeded cell cycle progression into S phase upon antisense-mediated reduction of HiNF-P levels. Our results establish that HiNF-P is the ultimate link in a linear signaling pathway that is initiated with the growth factor-dependent induction of cyclin E/CDK2 kinase activity at the restriction point and culminates in the activation of histone H4 genes through HiNF-P at the G[sub 1]/S phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the function of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductase regulator (CFTR). Use of adenosine triphosphatase activity to regulate opening and closing of channel gate; Need for quaternary structure to mediate conduction and catalysis; Size of CFTR dimers.

Focuses on a study which examined the information capacity of an optical fiber. Formula for measuring information capacity; Nonlinear propagation effects in the evolution of the electric field amplitude; Modeling of the propagation channel in the presence of cross-phase modulation.

Deals with a study which examined the mammalian brains. Comparison of brain components across species; Variation in the cerebrotype of insects and primate; Taxonomic distinctions of brain composition and sizes; Differences in brain architecture.

Studies the basic biology of vocal learning in the zebra finch. Indirect imitation trajectories; Phases of the song development process; Transition from repetitive to serial production; Sound differentiation in situ.

Investigates the flow of blood through individual capillaries in cortex through two-photon laser scanning microscopy. Literature on brain homeostasis; Methodology; Results and discussion.

No abstract available Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work primarily focuses on grain growth dependent electrical properties of spinel nano-cobaltite MnCo 2 O 4 prepared by co-precipitation method and sintered at different temperatures between 400 and 1000 °C. XRD confirms formation of cubic manganese cobaltite. Rietveld method was used to estimate different microstructural parameters. Crystallite size increases with increasing sintering temperature from ~12.18 nm to ~97.95 nm which is comparable with grain growth noticed from FESEM micrographs. TGA-DSC curve shows long range phase stability of the materials. Cole-Cole plot obtained from complex impedance spectroscopy analysis shows non-Debye type depressed semi-circular nature. Activation energies evaluated from ac conductivity, migration energy and relaxation time approaches are consistent with each other indicating that the charge carriers have same barrier potential for conducting, migrating and relaxing. Hopping mechanism of charge carriers was confirmed from ac conductivity analysis. Conductivity is higher for sample sintered at higher temperature which might be associated with lowering of inter granular hopping distance. Master curves show good scaling behaviour of different spectra. It depicts that time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) is valid for the samples and conduction mechanism is same at all temperatures. • Synthesis of highly phase stable MnCo 2 O 4 via co-precipitation method. • Detailed electrical properties of MnCo 2 O 4 described for the first time. • Conductivity enhancement with sintering temperature correlated to grain growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T i O 2 incorporated M n C o 2 O 4 host matrix has been investigated for its electrical properties with an objective to get an insight about electrical conduction mechanism in such samples. This unique material has been synthesized using a combination of chemical and physical method. Host spinel was prepared through chemical method and mechanical milling was used to incorporate the dopant. To explore successful substitution of T i O 2 in M n C o 2 O 4 , XPS analysis was done. Structural, microstructural and compositional characterization has been carried out using XRD, TEM, EDX, and PL. XRD confirms pure cubic phase of nanocrystalline material. Rietveld analysis was appointed to estimate the structural parameters such as lattice parameters, microstrain and crystallite size etc. Impedance analysis shows maximum conductivity for 10% T i O 2 incorporated M n C o 2 O 4 , beyond which there is a decrease in conductivity. Real part of dielectric constant is also maximum for this particular level of incorporation. The results indicates that T i ions acts as donor states to increase conductivity. Beyond this particular level of incorporation, the T i ions goes to grain boundaries and increases the sample resistance. Nyquist plot shows resistance behaviour of the samples and conductivity mechanism has been explained by Godet variable range hopping theory. • Synthesis of TiO 2 incorporated MnCo 2 O 4 using chemical method followed by physical ball milling. • Electrical characterization of the system for the first time to the best of our knowledge. • Analysis of electrical conduction process using Godet's VRH model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a systematic in situ study of the effect of postdeposition low-energy (200 eV) ion bombardment on resistance and surface topography of ultrathin iron (<50 Å) and copper (<130 Å) films. The ion-beam-induced nanosmoothening occurs while material is being removed and gives rise to an initial decrease in resistance followed by a steady increase as the film is subsequently uniformly eroded. The shunt resistance associated with the resistance decrease is found to be independent of the thickness of the underlying film, thus indicating that the conductivity enhancement is due primarily to surface modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shows that, in a scattering environment, an extra factor of three in channel capacity can be obtained, relative to the conventional limit using dual-polarized radio signals. Methods; Conclusions; Applications for wireless communications.

[Display omitted] • Control of particle size of chemically synthesized ZnSnO 3 by high energy ball milling. • Frequency and temperature dependent ac conductivity/dielectric studies in ZnSnO 3 nanomaterial. • Non-Debye type relaxation; contribution of grain and grain boundary to conductivity. • Inflexion in particle size and band gap beyond a certain milling span. • ac conductivity increases with decreasing particle size upto inflexion. In this work, we have reported the electrical impedance, frequency dependent ac conductivity and dielectric properties of zinc stannate (ZnSnO 3) nanoparticles synthesized by facile co-precipitation method followed by ball milling for different time span to control particle size. Particle size shows decreasing nature upto a certain span of milling time (2 h) followed by an increase and opposite trend is reflected in band gap. Complex impedance analysis depicts presence of non-Debye type or multiple relaxations and depressed semicircles due to grain and grain boundary. Frequency dependent electrical conductivity analysis shows highest conductivity for two hour milled sample followed by a decrease beyond this. Both real and imaginary component of dielectric constant is also maximum for two hour milled sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classic approach to measure the spiking response of neurons involves the use of metal electrodes to record extracellular potentials. Starting over 60 years ago with a single recording site, this technology now extends to ever larger numbers and densities of sites. We argue, based on the mechanical and electrical properties of existing materials, estimates of signal-to-noise ratios, assumptions regarding extracellular space in the brain, and estimates of heat generation by the electronic interface, that it should be possible to fabricate rigid electrodes to concurrently record from essentially every neuron in the cortical mantle. This will involve fabrication with existing yet nontraditional materials and procedures. We further emphasize the need to advance materials for improved flexible electrodes as an essential advance to record from neurons in brainstem and spinal cord in moving animals. • Physical limits do not preclude simultaneous recordings of all spikes in neocortex • Future electrodes need nontraditional materials and fabrication procedures • Challenges for dense recording include heat dissipation from interface electronics Understanding cognition can, in principle, require simultaneous records of spikes from every neuron in cortex. Can this be achieved? The results from back-of-the-envelope calculations show that such measurements may be obtained using electrodes fabricated with existing yet nontraditional materials and procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a variational framework for dense diffeomorphic atlas-mapping onto high-throughput histology stacks at the 20 μm meso-scale. The observed sections are modelled as Gaussian random fields conditioned on a sequence of unknown section by section rigid motions and unknown diffeomorphic transformation of a three-dimensional atlas. To regularize over the high-dimensionality of our parameter space (which is a product space of the rigid motion dimensions and the diffeomorphism dimensions), the histology stacks are modelled as arising from a first order Sobolev space smoothness prior. We show that the joint maximum a-posteriori, penalized-likelihood estimator of our high dimensional parameter space emerges as a joint optimization interleaving rigid motion estimation for histology restacking and large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping to atlas coordinates. We show that joint optimization in this parameter space solves the classical curvature non-identifiability of the histology stacking problem. The algorithms are demonstrated on a collection of whole-brain histological image stacks from the Mouse Brain Architecture Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing cellular diversity at different levels of biological organization and across data modalities is a prerequisite to understanding the function of cell types in the brain. Classification of neurons is also essential to manipulate cell types in controlled ways and to understand their variation and vulnerability in brain disorders. The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) is an integrated network of data-generating centers, data archives, and data standards developers, with the goal of systematic multimodal brain cell type profiling and characterization. Emphasis of the BICCN is on the whole mouse brain with demonstration of prototype feasibility for human and nonhuman primate (NHP) brains. Here, we provide a guide to the cellular and spatial approaches employed by the BICCN, and to accessing and using these data and extensive resources, including the BRAIN Cell Data Center (BCDC), which serves to manage and integrate data across the ecosystem. We illustrate the power of the BICCN data ecosystem through vignettes highlighting several BICCN analysis and visualization tools. Finally, we present emerging standards that have been developed or adopted toward Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) neuroscience. The combined BICCN ecosystem provides a comprehensive resource for the exploration and analysis of cell types in the brain. Characterizing cellular diversity is necessary to understand the function of different cell types in the brain. This Consensus View provides a guide to the cellular and spatial approaches used in cell type surveys by the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN), as well as information on accessing and using the BICCN data and its extensive resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 1:1 condensate of benzil and 2-hydrazinopyridine as the ligand HL (H: a dissociable proton), a new zinc(II) complex ZnL 2 is synthesized. It is obtained as a mixture of three types of deep red crystals – diamond shaped ( 1a ), rectangular ( 1b ) and pointed tetragonal ( 1c ) which can be separated manually. Their different crystal structures have been determined. 1a crystallizes in the space group P2 1 /c, 1b in Pbca and 1c in P-1. The asymmetric unit of 1c contains two independent molecules labeled A and B. Thus ZnL 2 can assume at least four different molecular conformations in the solid state, namely 1a , 1b , 1c -A and 1c -B. But in the DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G (2d,p) and BP86/LanL2DZ levels 1a , 1b , 1c -A and 1c -B converge to a single structure in the gas phase. The DFT structure is found to possess a C 2 axis though no symmetry constraint was imposed in the calculations. Interestingly 1a , 1b , 1c -A and 1c -B yield the same NMR spectra in solution revealing a C 2 axis. So it is concluded that the gas phase DFT structure is realized experimentally only in solution. Further, our DFT calculations show that the four species are distributed along a “potential energy curve” of ZnL 2 . Anyway, our ZnL 2 presents a case of concomitant polymorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]