Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CDC25B Phosphorylated by pEg3 Localizes to the Centrosome and the Spindle Poles at Mitosis

The phosphatase CDC25B is one of the key regulators that control entry into mitosis throughthe dephosphorylation and subsequent activation of the cyclin-dependent kinases. Here westudy the phosphorylation of CDC25B at mitosis by the kinase pEg3, a member of theKIN1/PAR-1/MARK family. Using mass spectrometry analysis we demonstrate thatCDC25B is phosphorylated in vitro by pEg3 on serine 169, a residue that lies within the Bdomain. Moreover, using phosphoepitope-specific antibodies we show that serine 169 isphosphorylated in vivo, that this phosphorylated form of CDC25B accumulates duringmitosis, and is localized to the centrosomes. This labelling is abrogated when pEg3expression is repressed by RNA interference. Taken together, these results support a model inwhich pEg3 contributes to the control of progression through mitosis by phosphorylation ofthe CDC25 phosphatases.
Development and evaluation of a tool for retrospective exposure assessment of selected endocrine disrupting chemicals and EMF in the car manufacturing industry.

OBJECTIVES A system for retrospective occupational exposure assessment combining the efficiency of a job exposure matrix (JEM) and the precision of a subsequent individual expert exposure assessment (IEEA) was developed. All steps of the exposure assessment were performed by an interdisciplinary expert panel in the context of a case-control study on male germ cell cancer nested in the car manufacturing industries. METHODS An industry-specific JEM was developed and automatic exposure estimation was performed based on this JEM. A subsample of exposure ratings was done by IEEA to identify determinants of disagreement between the JEM and the individual review. Possible determinants were analyzed by calculating odds ratios (ORs) of disagreement between ratings with regard to different dimensions (e.g. high versus low intensity of exposure). Disagreement in ≥20% of the sampled exposure ratings with a statistically significant OR was chosen as a threshold for inclusion of the exposure ratings into a final IEEA. RESULTS The most important determinants of disagreement between JEM and individual review were working outside of the production line (disagreement 80%), low probability of exposure (disagreement 25%), and exposure depending on specific activities like usage of specific lacquers (disagreement 32%) for jobs within the production line. These determinants were the selection criteria of exposure ratings for the subsequent final IEEA. CONCLUSIONS Combining a JEM and a subsequent final IEEA for a selected subset of exposure ratings is a feasible and labor-saving approach for exposure assessment in large occupational epidemiological studies.
Anatomy: simple and effective privacy preservation

This paper presents a novel technique, anatomy, for publishing sensitive data. Anatomy releases all the quasi-identifier and sensitive values directly in two separate tables. Combined with a grouping mechanism, this approach protects privacy, and captures a large amount of correlation in the microdata. We develop a linear-time algorithm for computing anatomized tables that obey the l-diversity privacy requirement, and minimize the error of reconstructing the microdata. Extensive experiments confirm that our technique allows significantly more effective data analysis than the conventional publication method based on generalization. Specifically, anatomy permits aggregate reasoning with average error below 10%, which is lower than the error obtained from a generalized table by orders of magnitude.
Serine 649 Phosphorylation within the Protein Kinase C-Regulated Domain Down-Regulates CARMA1 Activity in Lymphocytes1

Phosphorylation of CARMA1 is a crucial event initiating the assembly of IκB kinase and JNK signaling complexes downstream of activated Ag receptors. We previously mapped three protein kinase C (PKC) target sites in murine CARMA1 in vitro, and demonstrated that mutation of two of these serines (S564 and S657) resulted in reduced NF-κB activation, whereas mutation of the third serine (S649) had no clear effect. In this study, we report that when low concentrations of Ag receptor activators are used, loss of S649 (by mutation to alanine) promotes enhanced IκB kinase and JNK activation in both B and T cell lines. Reconstitution of CARMA1−/− DT40 B cells with CARMA1 S649A leads to increased cell death and reduced cell growth in comparison to wild-type CARMA1, likely a result of enhanced JNK activation. To directly determine whether S649 is modified in vivo, we generated phospho-specific Abs recognizing phospho-S649, and phospho-S657 as a positive control. Although phospho-S657 peaked and declined rapidly after Ag receptor stimulation, phospho-S649 occurred later and was maintained for a significantly longer period poststimulation in both B and T cells. Interestingly, phospho-S657 was completely abolished in PKCβ-deficient B cells, whereas delayed phosphorylation at S649 was partially intact and depended, in part, upon novel PKC activity. Thus, distinct PKC-mediated CARMA1 phosphorylation events exert opposing effects on the activation status of CARMA1. We propose that early phosphorylation events at S657 and S564 promote the initial assembly of the CARMA1 signalosome, whereas later phosphorylation at S649 triggers CARMA1 down-regulation.
Molecular analysis of transferable tetracycline resistance plasmids from Clostridium perfringens

Conjugative tetracycline resistance plasmids from 15 Clostridium perfringens isolates from piggeries were analyzed by restriction endonuclease digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Seven isolates from one farm were found to carry a 47-kilobase pair (kb) plasmid, pJIR5, which had EcoRI, XbaI, and ClaI profiles that were identical to those of a previously characterized plasmid, pCW3. An isolate from a second farm was found to carry a plasmid, pJIR6, which also was indistinguishable from pCW3. Five additional isolates from a third farm carried a 67-kb plasmid, pJIR2, which had at least 29 kb of DNA in common with pCW3. Finally, two isolates from a fourth farm were found to carry a 50-kb plasmid pJIR4, which appeared to consist of an entire pCW3 molecule with a 3-kb insertion. Comparative restriction maps of pCW3, pJIR2, and pJIR4 that identified the regions of homology among these plasmids were constructed. We suggest that many conjugative tetracycline resistance plasmids in C. perfringens may contain a pCW3-like core.
Coreference resolution in BART

In this essay I explore BART, a toolkit for coreference resolution. I test it in a number of different ways, first using its web demo function, and then its experiment function. With the latter, I test the sample data set (provided with BART) in a number of different ways, followed by attempts to test a bigger, Polish corpus. This however turns out to be more difficult than expected, and I leave the first version of this essay without succeeding to do so. Lastly I discuss the results, and lack of results.
The Effect of Propofol on Thermal Pain Perception

We studied the effect of propofol, a widely used sedative-hypnotic drug, on pain perception. Eighteen subjects received propofol in two sedative concentrations that were balanced and randomized in order. Painful (45°C, 47°C, and 49°C) stimulation temperatures were presented in random order, and nonpainful 31°C stimuli were presented on alternate trials. We used a target-controlled infusion and chose effect site concentrations of 0.5 &mgr;g/mL for mild sedation and 1.0 &mgr;g/mL for moderate sedation. Using a visual analog scale, subjects rated both pain intensity and unpleasantness higher when sedated with propofol. The average pain intensity was 28/100 for placebo, 35/100 for mild, and 40/100 for moderate sedation. Pain unpleasantness was 23/100 for placebo, 29/100 for mild, and 33/100 for moderate sedation. This effect was unexpected and may be explained by a difference of subjective pain experience by a patient and the perceived level of analgesia by a health care provider in sedated patients. This finding calls further attention to the need for adequate analgesia in patients sedated with propofol.
Spontaneous Clearance of Mycobacterium ulcerans in a Case of Buruli Ulcer

Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infection of skin and soft tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, a toxin-producing environmental mycobacterium. Significant advances in the treatment of BU have been made over the past decade with the introduction of effective antibiotic therapy and there is a greater understanding of the pathogenesis and host immune response. Although it is generally held that early BU lesions may heal spontaneously, to our knowledge, there are no previously published cases that definitively document spontaneous resolution of culture-confirmed BU.
Comparison of 2 Preparative Regimens for Stem Cell Transplantation from HLA-Matched Sibling Donors in Patients with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndrome

The objective of this study was to compare how cyclophosphamide (CY) and oral busulfan (BU) therapies, each in combination with total body irradiation (TBI), affect the outcome of stem cell transplantation in patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndrome. This study was conducted with 31 patients who received bone marrow from an HLA-matched sibling and underwent treatment with BU-TBI (n = 18) or CY-TBI (n = 13). The incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grades II to IV was higher, but not significantly, in the BU-TBI group (58.8%) than in the CY-TBI group (30.8%). However, the incidences of chronic extensive GVHD were significantly different (41.7% [CY-TBI] versus 80.0% [BU-TBI],P =.04). Trends after BU-TBI conditioning indicated a lower 3-year probability of disease-free survival (DFS) (38.1% versus 53.9%,P =.4), lower relapse rates (28.5% versus 36.4%,P =.8), and higher nonrelapse mortality rates (46.7% versus 15.4%,P =.2). After adjusting for the International Prognostic Scoring System risk group and the cytogenetic risk group, DFS in the CY-TBI group (relative risk, 9.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–52.5;P =.015) was found to be significantly increased compared with the BU-TBI group. Approaches to minimize transplantation-related toxicity should be pursued, and efforts other than the potentiation of the conditioning regimen should be made to reduce the likelihood of posttransplantation relapse.
Disability, distress and unemployment in neurology outpatients with symptoms ‘unexplained by organic disease’

Objectives To determine the disability, distress and employment status of new neurology outpatients with physical symptoms unexplained by organic disease and to compare them with patients with symptoms explained by organic disease. Methods As part of a cohort study (the Scottish Neurological Symptoms Study) neurologists rated the extent to which each new patient's symptoms were explained by organic disease. Patients whose symptoms were rated as ‘not at all’ or only ‘somewhat’ explained by disease were considered cases, and those whose symptoms were ‘largely’ or ‘completely’ explained by disease were considered controls. All patients completed self-ratings of disability, health status (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-Item Scale (SF-12)) and emotional distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and also reported their employment and state financial benefit status. Results 3781 patients were recruited: 1144 (30%) cases and 2637 (70%) controls. Cases had worse physical health status (SF-12 score 42 vs 44; difference in means 1.7 (95% CI –2.5 to 0.9)) and worse mental health status (SF-12 score 43 vs 47; difference in means –3.5 (95% CI –4.3 to to 2.7)). Unemployment was similar in cases and controls (50% vs 50%) but cases were more likely not to be working for health reasons (54% vs 37% of the 50% not working; OR 2.0 (95% CI 1.6 to 2.4)) and also more likely to be receiving disability-related state financial benefits (27% vs 22%; (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6)). Conclusions New neurology patients with symptoms unexplained by organic disease have more disability-, distress- and disability-related state financial benefits than patients with symptoms explained by disease.
When do changes induce fixes?

As a software system evolves, programmers make changes that sometimes cause problems. We analyze CVS archives for fix-inducing changes---changes that lead to problems, indicated by fixes. We show how to automatically locate fix-inducing changes by linking a version archive (such as CVS) to a bug database (such as BUGZILLA). In a first investigation of the MOZILLA and ECLIPSE history, it turns out that fix-inducing changes show distinct patterns with respect to their size and the day of week they were applied.
Speaker identification from the sound of the human breath

This paper examines the speaker identification potential of breath sounds in continuous speech. Speech is largely produced during exhalation. In order to replenish air in the lungs, speakers must periodically inhale. When inhalation occurs in the midst of continuous speech, it is generally through the mouth. Intra-speech breathing behavior has been the subject of much study, including the patterns, cadence, and variations in energy levels. However, an often ignored characteristic is the {\em sound} produced during the inhalation phase of this cycle. Intra-speech inhalation is rapid and energetic, performed with open mouth and glottis, effectively exposing the entire vocal tract to enable maximum intake of air. This results in vocal tract resonances evoked by turbulence that are characteristic of the speaker's speech-producing apparatus. Consequently, the sounds of inhalation are expected to carry information about the speaker's identity. Moreover, unlike other spoken sounds which are subject to active control, inhalation sounds are generally more natural and less affected by voluntary influences. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that breath sounds are indeed bio-signatures that can be used to identify speakers. We show that these sounds by themselves can yield remarkably accurate speaker recognition with appropriate feature representations and classification frameworks.
An online and approximate solver for POMDPs with continuous action space

For agile, accurate autonomous robotics, it is desirable to plan motion in the presence of uncertainty. The Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) provides a principled framework for this. Despite the tremendous advances of POMDP-based planning, most can only solve problems with a small and discrete set of actions. This paper presents General Pattern Search in Adaptive Belief Tree (GPS-ABT), an approximate and online POMDP solver for problems with continuous action spaces. Generalized Pattern Search (GPS) is used as a search strategy for action selection. Under certain conditions, GPS-ABT converges to the optimal solution in probability. Results on a box pushing and an extended Tag benchmark problem are promising.
Aggressive FLC Escape in a Patient with IgD Myeloma

Background. Some patients who are stable or in remission from a myeloma secreting intact monoclonal immunoglobulin (+/− associated free light-chains (FLCs)) relapse with production of FLC. This FLC escape is one of the illustrations of the intraclonal heterogeneity of multiple myeloma. Results. We report FLC escape in a patient with IgD myeloma characterized by a severe outcome. We discuss parameters that negatively impacted prognosis in this patient, including bone lesions, biochemical parameters, and genomic abnormalities. Conclusion. This case illustrates the selective pressure exerted by therapeutic drugs and the variable sensitivity of subclones to these drugs; it also highlights the importance of FLC monitoring in treated MM patients.
Deposition of pathogenic Mycoplasma gallisepticum onto bird feeders: host pathology is more important than temperature-driven increases in food intake

Although ambient temperature has diverse effects on disease dynamics, few studies have examined how temperature alters pathogen transmission by changing host physiology or behaviour. Here, we test whether reducing ambient temperature alters host foraging, pathology and the potential for fomite transmission of the bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), which causes seasonal outbreaks of severe conjunctivitis in house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). We housed finches at temperatures within or below the thermoneutral zone to manipulate food intake by altering energetic requirements of thermoregulation. We predicted that pathogen deposition on bird feeders would increase with temperature-driven increases in food intake and with conjunctival pathology. As expected, housing birds below the thermoneutral zone increased food consumption. Despite this difference, pathogen deposition on feeders did not vary across temperature treatments. However, pathogen deposition increased with conjunctival pathology, independently of temperature and pathogen load, suggesting that MG could enhance its transmission by increasing virulence. Our results suggest that in this system, host physiological responses are more important for transmission potential than temperature-dependent alterations in feeding. Understanding such behavioural and physiological contributions to disease transmission is critical to linking individual responses to climate with population-level disease dynamics.
Nanocarrier-based immunotherapy in cancer management and research

Research in cancer immunotherapy has gained momentum in the last two decades, with many studies and clinical trials showing positive therapeutic outcomes. Immunotherapy can elicit not only a strong anticancer immune response which could even control metastases, but could also induce immunological memory, resulting in long-lasting protection in the prophylactic setting and protection against possible recurrence. Nanocarriers offer an attractive means for delivery of a multitude of therapeutic immunomodulators which are readily taken up by immune cells and can initiate a particular arm of an immunostimulatory cascade leading to tumor cell killing. This review focuses on recent advances in nanocarrier-mediated immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Both in vitro and in vivo studies as well as clinical progress are discussed in various sections. Description of the specific role of nanoparticle technology in immunotherapy highlights the way particles can be tailor-made in terms of size, structure, payload, and surface properties for active targeting to antigen-presenting cells and/or enhanced accumulation in the solid tumor.
Use of dynamically coated capillaries for the routine analysis of methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDA, MDMA, MDEA, and cocaine using capillary electrophoresis.

A rapid, accurate, precise, reproducible, economical, and environmentally gentle method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) is presented for the routine analysis of methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDA, MDMA, MDEA, and cocaine in seized drugs. The methodology uses a 32 cm by 50 microm capillary (length to detector 23.5 cm) with a commercially available buffer kit and diode array UV detection. Dynamic coating of the capillary surface is accomplished by flushing with base for 1 min, a proprietary polycation for 1 min, and then a proprietary polyanion for 2 min. This approach provides a relatively high and stable electroosmotic flow (EOF), even at low pHs. The background electrolyte (BGE) contains 75 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) with the same polyanion as above. Using this methodology, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA, MDEA, and an internal standard (n-butylamphetamine) are baseline resolved in less than 5 min. The run-to-run migration time %RSDs and peak area %RSDs are typically <0.3% and <2.1%, respectively. The day-to-day and capillary-to-capillary migration time %RSDs are <1.5% and <2.1%, respectively. The %RSDs of the relative migration times compared with the internal standard on a day-to-day and capillary-to-capillary basis are <0.2% and <0.06%, respectively. The linear dynamic range using peak areas range from 0.003 to 0.10 mg/mL. The correlation coefficients are >0.9998, with all calibration curves passing at or near the origin. Similar data are obtained for cocaine and its internal standard henyltoloxamine. None of the compounds usually encountered in illicit samples interfere with the target compound (e.g., methamphetamine and cocaine) or the internal standard. Quantitative results for synthetic mixtures and seized exhibits are in good agreement with actual values, and also with results obtained from other techniques. The relatively high EOF for the dynamically coated capillary system allows for the screening of basic, acidic, and neutral adulterants in drug seizures; identification is facilitated by the use of automated UV library searches.
Who's Afraid of the Virtual World? Anxiety and Computer-Mediated Communication

This study integrates the literature on computer anxiety and communication apprehension to determine their joint impact upon individual attitudes toward using and use of computer mediated communication (CMC). We introduce the application-specific CMC anxiety, defined as an individual’s level of fear or apprehension associated with actual or anticipated use of information technology to communicate with others. Furthermore, we advance a new nomological structure that positions CMC anxiety as a proximal mediating construct between the more general constructs of computer anxiety, communication apprehension, and CMC familiarity, and the dependent constructs of CMC attitudes and use. We develop and empirically test this nomological structure, finding that computer anxiety, oral communication apprehension, and CMC familiarity contribute to CMC anxiety, while written communication apprehension does not. CMC anxiety fully mediates the relationship between the general constructs and attitude toward using CMC. CMC anxiety explains 34% of the variance in attitudes, while attitudes, coupled with familiarity, explain 14% of the variance in CMC use.
Identical "Feeding" and "Rewarding" Systems in the Lateral Hypothalamus of Rats

Electrodes were implanted in the lateral hypothalamic feeding system; animals were subjected to both feeding and motivational tests. All animals that demonstrated stimulus-bound feeding behavior also showed high self-stimulation rates. As it was impossible to produce the feeding response without simultaneously producing the rewarding effect of hypothalamic stimulation, it was concluded that the feeding system of the lateral hypothalamus is one among a larger group of places where stimulation causes primary rewarding effects. With electrodes in these same areas, food deprivation often caused a major increment in the self-stimulation rate.
Electrodeposition of prussian blue films: study of deposition time effect on electrochemical properties

In this paper, thin layers of Prussian Blue (PB) have been prepared by electrodeposition method from an aqueous solution containing nitrate precursors. PB films have been electrodeposited, at constant potential of 0.4 V versus SCE at five different deposition times of 25 s, 50 s, 75 s, 100 s, and 150 s employing the chronoamperometry method. The samples have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. CV and EDX analysis confirm the formation of PB on the ITO substrates. The PB sample prepared at higher deposition time shows nonuniform morphology with higher effective surface in FESEM images. The CV method has been employed to investigate the PB to Prussian White (PW) conversion. The extraction charge densities, insertion charge densities, and degradation degree parameter have been calculated according to CVs. The results reveal that the samples have reasonable reversibility and the samples with higher deposition times (thicker films) show lower degradation degree.