Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Septins Are Required for the Mitosis-specific Activation of the Gin4 Kinase

In budding yeast, a protein kinase called Gin4 is specifically activated during mitosis and functions in a pathway initiated by the Clb2 cyclin to control bud growth. We have used genetics and biochemistry to identify additional proteins that function with Gin4 in this pathway, and both of these approaches have identified members of the septin family. Loss of septin function produces a phenotype that is very similar to the phenotype caused by loss of Gin4 function, and the septins are required early in mitosis to activate Gin4 kinase activity. Furthermore, septin mutants display a prolonged mitotic delay at the short spindle stage, consistent with a role for the septins in the control of mitotic events. Members of the septin family bind directly to Gin4, demonstrating that the functions of Gin4 and the septins must be closely linked within the cell. These results demonstrate that the septins in budding yeast play an integral role in the mitosis-specific regulation of the Gin4 kinase and that they carry out functions early in mitosis.
Clinical Holistic Medicine: Holistic Sexology and Acupressure Through the Vagina (Hippocratic Pelvic Massage)

Many gynecological and sexological problems (like urine incontinence, chronic pelvic pains, vulvodynia, and lack of lust, excitement, and orgasm) are resistant to standard medical treatment. In our work at the Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine in Copenhagen, we have found that vaginal acupressure, or Hippocratic pelvic massage, can help some of these problems. Technically, it is a very simple procedure as it corresponds to the explorative phase of the standard pelvic examination, supplemented with the patient's report on the feelings it provokes and the processing and integration of these feelings. Sometimes it can be very difficult to control the emotions released by the technique, i.e., regression to earlier traumas from childhood sexual abuse. This review discusses the theory behind vaginal acupressure, ethical aspects, and presentation of a case story. This procedure helped the patient to become present in her pelvis and to integrate old traumas with painful emotions. Holistic gynecology and sexology can help the patient to identify and let go of negative feelings, beliefs, and attitudes related to sex, gender, sexual organs, body, and soul at large. Shame, guilt, helplessness, fear, disgust, anxiety, anger, hatred, and other strong feelings are almost always an important part of a sexual or functional problem as these feelings are “held” by the tissue of the pelvis and sexual organs. Acupressure through the vagina/pelvic massage must be done with great care by an experienced physician, with a third person present, after obtaining consent and the necessary trust of the patient. It must be followed by conversational therapy and further holistic existential processing.
Fast Polynomial Factorization and Modular Composition

We obtain randomized algorithms for factoring degree $n$ univariate polynomials over $F_q$ requiring $O(n^{1.5 + o(1)} log^{1+o(1)} q+ n^{1 + o(1)}log^{2+o(1)} q)$ bit operations. When $log q < n$, this is asymptotically faster than the best previous algorithms (von zur Gathen & Shoup (1992) and Kaltofen & Shoup (1998)); for $log q ge n$, it matches the asymptotic running time of the best known algorithms. The improvements come from new algorithms for modular composition of degree $n$ univariate polynomials, which is the asymptotic bottleneck in fast algorithms for factoring polynomials over finite fields. The best previous algorithms for modular composition use $O(n^{(omega + 1)/2})$ field operations, where $omega$ is the exponent of matrix multiplication (Brent & Kung (1978)), with a slight improvement in the exponent achieved by employing fast rectangular matrix multiplication (Huang & Pan (1997)). We show that modular composition and multipoint evaluation of multivariate polynomials are essentially equivalent, in the sense that an algorithm for one achieving exponent $alpha$ implies an algorithm for the other with exponent $alpha + o(1)$, and vice versa. We then give two new algorithms that solve the problem optimally (up to lower order terms): an algebraic algorithm for fields of characteristic at most $n^{o(1)}$, and a nonalgebraic algorithm that works in arbitrary characteristic. The latter algorithm works by lifting to characteristic 0, applying a small number of rounds of {em multimodular reduction}, and finishing with a small number of multidimensional FFTs. The final evaluations are reconstructed using the Chinese Remainder Theorem. As a bonus, this algorithm produces a very efficient data structure supporting polynomial evaluation queries, which is of independent interest. Our algorithms use techniques which are commonly employed in practice, so they may be competitive for real problem sizes. This contrasts with all previous subquadratic algorithsm for these problems, which rely on fast matrix multiplication. This is joint work with Kiran Kedlaya.
Cassini Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR): Earth and Venus observations

The Cassini Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) was operated in scatterometric and radiometric modes during the Venus 1 and Earth swingbys to verify its functionality. At Venus, only the thermal emission from the thick absorbing atmosphere was detected. At Earth both the radar echo and the microwave emission from the surface were detected and reveal ocean surface disturbances, the rough, high, and cold Andes mountains, and surface features including a small reservoir in Brazil. Instrument performance appears to be excellent.
Vowel Category Boundaries Enhance Cortical and Behavioral Responses to Speech Feedback Alterations

Auditory feedback is instrumental in the online control of speech, allowing speakers to compare their self-produced speech signal with a desired auditory target and correct for errors. However, there is little account of the representation of “target” and “error”: does error depend purely on acoustic distance from a target, or is error enhanced by phoneme category changes? Here, we show an effect of vowel boundaries on compensatory responses to a real-time auditory perturbation. While human subjects spoke monosyllabic words, event-triggered functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to characterize neural responses to unexpected changes in auditory feedback. Capitalizing on speakers' natural variability, we contrasted the responses to feedback perturbations applied to two classes of utterances: (1) those that fell nearer to the category boundary, for which perturbations were designed to change the phonemic identity of the heard speech; and (2) those that fell farther from the boundary, for which perturbations resulted in only sub-phonemic auditory differences. Subjects' behavioral compensation was more than three times greater when feedback shifts were applied nearer to a category boundary. Furthermore, a near-boundary shift resulted in stronger cortical responses, most notably in right posterior superior temporal gyrus, than an identical shift that occurred far from the boundary. Across participants, a correlation was found between the amount of compensation to the perturbation and the amount of activity in a network of superior temporal and inferior frontal brain regions. Together, these results demonstrate that auditory feedback control of speech is sensitive to linguistic categories learned through auditory experience.
Bootstrapping POS-taggers using unlabelled data

This paper investigates booststrapping part-of-speech taggers using co-training, in which two taggers are iteratively re-trained on each other's output. Since the output of the taggers is noisy, there is a question of which newly labelled examples to add to the training set. We investigate selecting examples by directly maximising tagger agreement on unlabelled data, a method which has been theoretically and empirically motivated in the co-training literature. Our results show that agreement-based co-training can significantly improve tagging performance for small seed datasets. Further results show that this form of co-training considerably outperforms self-training. However, we find that simply re-training on all the newly labelled data can, in some cases, yield comparable results to agreement-based co-training, with only a fraction of the computational cost.
Alpha-adrenergic stimulation activates a calcium-sensitive chloride current in brown fat cells

The first response of brown adipocytes to adrenergic stimulation is a rapid depolarizing conductance increase mediated by alpha-adrenergic receptors. We used patch recording techniques on cultured brown fat cells from neonatal rats to characterize this conductance. Measurements in perforated patch clamped cells showed that fast depolarizing responses were frequent in cells maintained in culture for 1 d or less, but were seen less often in cells cultured for longer periods. Ion substitution showed that the depolarization was due to a selective increase in membrane chloride permeability. The reversal potential for the depolarizing current in perforated patch clamped cells indicated that intracellular chloride concentrations were significantly higher than expected if chloride were passively distributed. The chloride conductance could be activated by increases in intracellular calcium, either by exposing intact cells to the ionophore A23187 or by using pipette solutions with free calcium levels of 0.2-1.0 microM in whole- cell configuration. The chloride conductance did not increase monotonically with increases in intracellular calcium, and going whole cell with pipette-free calcium concentrations > or = 10 microM rapidly inactivated the current. The chloride currents ran down in whole-cell recordings using intracellular solutions of various compositions, and were absent in excised patches. These findings imply that cytoplasmic factors in addition to intracellular calcium are involved in regulation of the chloride conductance. The chloride currents could be blocked by niflumic acid or flufenamic acid with IC50s of 3 and 7 microM, or by higher concentrations of SITS (IC50 = 170 microM), DIDS (IC50 = 50 microM), or 9-anthracene carboxylic acid (IC50 = 80 microM). The chloride conductance activated in whole cell by intracellular calcium had the permeability sequence PNOS > PI > PBr > PCl >> Paspartate, measured from either reversal potentials or conductances. Instantaneous current-voltage relations for the calcium-activated chloride currents were linear in symmetric chloride solutions. Much of the current was time and voltage independent and active at all membrane potentials between -100 and +100 mV, but an additional component of variable amplitude showed time-dependent activation with depolarization. Volume- sensitive chloride currents were also present in brown fat cells, but differed from the calcium-activated currents in that they responded to cell swelling, required intracellular ATP in whole-cell recordings, showed no sensitivity to intracellular or extracellular calcium levels, and were relatively resistant to block by niflumic and flufenamic acids. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
An Efficient and Operationally Simple Synthesis of Some New Chalcones by Using Grinding Technique

An efficient and operationally simple reaction is shown between substituted 2-acetyl-1-naphthol/2-acetyl-1-naphthol and different substituted benzaldehydes in presence of base afford chalcones in quantitative yield using grindstone technique. Mild reaction condition, no need of catalyst, non-hazardous and environmentally safer, giving excellent yield in short reaction time, are notable advantages of this method.
Rates and relations of mitochondrial genome evolution across the Echinoidea, with special focus on the superfamily Odontophora

Abstract In order to better characterize the placement of genus Tripneustes, as a representative of the Toxopneustidae family within the broader sea urchin mitochondrial (MT) phylogeny, the complete MT genome of Tripneustes gratilla was generated and compared with all published echinoid MT genomes currently available on NCBI GenBank. The MT genome phylogeny supports the existence of the superfamily Odontophora (consisting of the families Strongylocentrotidae, Echinometridae, and Toxopneustidae). A relaxed molecular‐clock time calibration suggests a split between the three key Odontophore MT lineages occurred during the late Eocene/Oligocene. Major global oceanographic changes have been inferred during this time frame, potentially driving species diversification through environmental selection pressures. To test for signatures of selection acting on the mitochondria, the historical rate of gene evolution of individual MT genes was assessed through a branch‐site comparison of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution ratios (ω). Models of positive selection and neutral evolution, as compared via a likelihood ratio test, show no evidence of strong historical positive selection on mitochondrial genes at the genesis of the Odontophora. However, while pairwise ω comparison revealed signatures of strong negative selection, relatively elevated ω values were observed within the Strongylocentrotus genus.
Phase II study of donepezil in irradiated brain tumor patients: effect on cognitive function, mood, and quality of life.

PURPOSE A prospective, open-label phase II study was conducted to determine whether donepezil, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia, improved cognitive functioning, mood, and quality of life (QOL) in irradiated brain tumor patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-four patients received donepezil 5 mg/d for 6 weeks, then 10 mg/d for 18 weeks, followed by a washout period of 6 weeks off drug. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 12, 24 (end of treatment), and 30 weeks (end of wash-out). All tests were administered by a trained research nurse. RESULTS Of 35 patients who initiated the study, 24 patients (mean age, 45 years) remained on study for 24 weeks and completed all outcome assessments. All 24 patients had a primary brain tumor, mostly low-grade glioma. Scores significantly improved between baseline (pretreatment) and week 24 on measures of attention/concentration, verbal memory, and figural memory and a trend for verbal fluency (all P < .05). Confused mood also improved from baseline to 24 weeks (P = .004), with a trend for fatigue and anger (all P < .05). Health-related QOL improved significantly from baseline to 24 weeks, particularly, for brain specific concerns with a trend for improvement in emotional and social functioning (all P < .05). CONCLUSION Cognitive functioning, mood, and health-related QOL were significantly improved following a 24-week course of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil. Toxicities were minimal. We are planning a double blinded, placebo-controlled, phase III trial of donepezil to confirm these favorable results.
Functional constraints and frequency of deleterious mutations in noncoding DNA of rodents

Selection against deleterious mutations imposes a mutation load on populations because individuals die or fail to reproduce. In vertebrates, estimates of genomic rates of deleterious mutations in protein-coding genes imply the existence of a substantial mutation load, but many functionally important regions of the genome are thought to reside in noncoding DNA, and the contribution of noncoding DNA to the mutation load has been unresolved. Here, we infer the frequency of deleterious mutations in noncoding DNA of rodents by comparing rates of substitution at noncoding nucleotides with rates of substitution at the fastest evolving intronic sites of adjacent genes sampled from the whole genome sequences of mouse and rat. We show that the major elements of selectively constrained noncoding DNA are within 2,500 bp upstream and downstream of coding sequences and in first introns. Our estimate of the genomic deleterious point mutation rate for noncoding DNA (0.22 per diploid per generation) is similar to that for coding DNA. Mammalian populations therefore experience a substantial genetic load associated with selection against deleterious mutations in noncoding DNA. Deleterious mutations in noncoding DNA have predominantly quantitative effects and could be an important source of the burden of complex genetic disease variation in human populations.
To establish whether alpha/gamma enolase, a putative autoantigen, plays a role in the pathogenesis of antibasal ganglia antibody (ABGA) associated disorders

Group A streptococcus infections can result in immune-mediated brain diseases which are characterised by a spectrum of movement and psychiatric disorders. Anti-neuronal antibodies previously identified in patients, bind to a restricted group of brain antigens with molecular weights of 40 kDa, 45 kDa, 60 kDa and 98 kDa. These antigens have been defined by proteomic methods and are neuronal glycolytic enzymes. The 40 kDa, 45 kDa and 60 kDa antigens are expressed on cell surfaces and intracellularly. All these putative autoantigens have homologous proteins in Group A Streptococcus, which also expresses these glycolytic enzymes on its cell surface and share a 25-49% identity with human neuronal glycolytic enzymes. This suggests that perhaps autoimmune cross reactivity may be the pathogenic mechanism in post streptococcal CNS disease. Two 45 kDa isoforms exist; the 98 kDa band has been sequenced and is a heterodimer of these 45 kDa band isoforms. The 98 kDa band is of particular interest in that there is preliminary evidence that it is exclusively expressed in the heart and the brain. Thus the 98 kDa band may explain the link between the brain and the heart in Sydenham’s chorea (i.e., why patients with streptococcal-associated acute rheumatic fever develop Sydenham’s chorea). In addition, Giovannoni and colleagues have noted that encephalitis lethargica (EL; a neuropsychiatric syndrome) patients who were positive for the 98 kDa band tended to have more clinically severe forms of EL. Preliminary denaturing Western immunoblot experiments have revealed that the 98 kDa antigen is expressed in neurons, but whether this is in the cytosol or membrane is not clear. The aim of this study was to try to establish whether the 98 kDa band has a pathological role in neuropsychiatric disorders by performing a native western immunoblot (which will maintain intact structure of membranous proteins) and seeing whether purified 98 kDa positive patient IgGs have effects on energy metabolism and apoptosis in neuronal cells.
Depletion of Inositol Polyphosphate 4-Phosphatase II Suppresses Callosal Axon Formation in the Developing Mice

The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and is essential for coordinated transmission of information between them. Disruption of early stages of callosal development can cause agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC), including both complete and partial callosal absence, causing mild to severe cognitive impairment. Despite extensive studies, the etiology of AgCC remains to be clarified due to the complicated mechanism involved in generating AgCC. The biological function of PI3K signaling including phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate is well established in diverse biochemical processes including axon and dendrite morphogenesis, but the function of the closely related phosphatidylinositol-3,4,-bisphosphate (PI(3,4)P2) signaling, particularly in the nervous system, is largely unknown. Here, we provide the first report on the role of inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase II (INPP4B), a PI(3,4)P2 metabolizing 4-phosphatase in the regulation of callosal axon formation. Depleting INPP4B by in utero electroporation suppressed medially directed callosal axon formation. Moreover, depletion of INPP4B significantly attenuated formation of Satb2-positive pyramidal neurons and axon polarization in cortical neurons during cortical development. Taken together, these data suggest that INPP4B plays a role in the regulating callosal axon formation by controlling axon polarization and the Satb2-positive pyramidal neuron population. Dysregulation of INPP4B during cortical development may be implicated in the generation of partial AgCC.
Face Super-Resolution via Multilayer Locality-Constrained Iterative Neighbor Embedding and Intermediate Dictionary Learning

Based on the assumption that low-resolution (LR) and high-resolution (HR) manifolds are locally isometric, the neighbor embedding super-resolution algorithms try to preserve the geometry (reconstruction weights) of the LR space for the reconstructed HR space, but neglect the geometry of the original HR space. Due to the degradation process of the LR image (e.g., noisy, blurred, and down-sampled), the neighborhood relationship of the LR space cannot reflect the truth. To this end, this paper proposes a coarse-to-fine face super-resolution approach via a multilayer locality-constrained iterative neighbor embedding technique, which intends to represent the input LR patch while preserving the geometry of original HR space. In particular, we iteratively update the LR patch representation and the estimated HR patch, and meanwhile an intermediate dictionary learning scheme is employed to bridge the LR manifold and original HR manifold. The proposed method can faithfully capture the intrinsic image degradation shift and enhance the consistency between the reconstructed HR manifold and the original HR manifold. Experiments with application to face super-resolution on the CAS-PEAL-R1 database and real-world images demonstrate the power of the proposed algorithm.
University of

China is undergoing a rapid transformation from a rural, peasant based society into an urban one. This radical change has had a profound effect on the Chinese population due to advancement through job opportunities and new modes of consumption, contributing to a huge spatial shift of population from countryside to city. This effect on China’s urban growth has resulted in a rise in the middle classes and in wealth. However this urban growth generates a number of key health issues and inequities, which present challenges for the future. The purpose of this paper is to explore these health issues and challenges that China’s urbanization growth poses. The policyimplications will be significant.
Comparison of a new tumour marker, CA 199TM, with a-fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with upper gastrointestinal diseases

SUMMARY Serum CA 19-9Tm antigen concentrations were measured in 246 patients with benign and histologically confirmed malignant gastrointestinal diseases. The CA 19-9 concentration was above the upper limit of the normal range (0-37 U/ml) in 76% of patients with pancreatic carcinoma, 73% of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, 42% of patients with gastric carcinoma, and 22% of patients with hepatoma. High CA 19-9 concentrations were found mainly in patients with a metastasised cancer, whereas 71% of patients with a localised carcinoma had normal CA 19-9 concentrations. All of the patients with benign gastric diseases had normal CA 19-9 values. Moderately increased concentrations were found in 15-36% of the patients with benign pancreatic, liver, and biliary tract diseases. a-fetoprotein was a better marker for hepatomas than CA 19-9. CA 19-9 was better than carcinoembryonic antigen in differentiating malignant from benign diseases. The results indicate that the CA 19-9 assay is not completely specific for cancer but serves as a valuable adjunct, especially in the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. CA 1 99TM radioimmunoassay is a new solid phase assay for the measurement of a diagnostic tumour marker defined by a monoclonal antibody. ' 2 This antibody was originally raised against a human cell line, SW 1116, which was derived from a colorectal carcinoma. ' The CA 19-9 antigen has been isolated and characterised as sialylated lacto-N-fucopentaose