Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The ORC/Cdc6/MCM2-7 complex facilitates MCM2-7 dimerization during prereplicative complex formation

The replicative mini-chromosome-maintenance 2–7 (MCM2-7) helicase is loaded in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other eukaryotes as a head-to-head double-hexamer around origin DNA. At first, ORC/Cdc6 recruits with the help of Cdt1 a single MCM2-7 hexamer to form an ‘initial’ ORC/Cdc6/Cdt1/MCM2-7 complex. Then, on ATP hydrolysis and Cdt1 release, the ‘initial’ complex is transformed into an ORC/Cdc6/MCM2-7 (OCM) complex. However, it remains unclear how the OCM is subsequently converted into a MCM2-7 double-hexamer. Through analysis of MCM2-7 hexamer-interface mutants we discovered a complex competent for MCM2-7 dimerization. We demonstrate that these MCM2-7 mutants arrest during prereplicative complex (pre-RC) assembly after OCM formation, but before MCM2-7 double-hexamer assembly. Remarkably, only the OCM complex, but not the ‘initial’ ORC/Cdc6/Cdt1/MCM2-7 complex, is competent for MCM2-7 dimerization. The MCM2-7 dimer, in contrast to the MCM2-7 double-hexamer, interacts with ORC/Cdc6 and is salt-sensitive, classifying the arrested complex as a helicase-loading intermediate. Accordingly, we found that overexpression of the mutants cause cell-cycle arrest and dominant lethality. Our work identifies the OCM complex as competent for MCM2-7 dimerization, reveals MCM2-7 dimerization as a limiting step during pre-RC formation and defines critical mechanisms that explain how origins are licensed.
Effects of Electroacupuncture with Dominant Frequency at SP 6 and ST 36 Based on Meridian Theory on Pain-Depression Dyad in Rats

Epidemic investigations reveal an intimate interrelationship between pain and depression. The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on pain or depression has been demonstrated individually, but its effect on pain-depression dyad is unknown. Our study aimed to screen a dominant EA frequency on pain-depression dyad and determine the validity of acupoint selection based on meridian theory. The pain-depression dyad rat model was induced by reserpine and treated using EA with different frequencies at identical acupoints to extract a dominant frequency and then administrated dominant-frequency EA at different acupoints in the above models. Paw withdrawal latency (PWL), emotional behavior of elevated zero maze (EZM) test, and open field (OF) test were conducted. We found that 100 Hz EA at Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) (classical acupoints for spleen-deficiency syndrome) were the most effective in improving PWL, travelling distance in the EZM, and maximum velocity in OF compared to EA with other frequencies; ST 36 and SP 6 were proved more effective than other acupoints beyond the meridian theory and nonacupoints under the same administration of EA. Therefore, we concluded that 100 Hz is the dominant frequency for treating the pain-depression dyad with EA, and acupoints on spleen and stomach meridians are preferable choices.
Identification and characterization of the tktB gene encoding a second transketolase in Escherichia coli K-12

We isolated a transposon Tn10 insertion mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 which could not grow on MacConkey plates containing D-ribose. Characterization of the mutant revealed that the level of the transketolase activity was reduced to one-third of that of the wild type. The mutation was mapped at 63.5 min on the E. coli genetic map, in which the transketolase gene (tkt) had been mapped. A multicopy suppressor gene which complemented the tkt mutation was cloned on a 7.8-kb PstI fragment. The cloned gene was located at 53 min on the chromosome. Subcloning and sequencing of a 2.7-kb fragment containing the suppressor gene identified an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 667 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 72,973. Overexpression of the protein and determination of its N-terminal amino acid sequence defined unambiguously the translational start site of the gene. The deduced amino acid sequence showed similarity to sequences of transketolases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. In addition, the level of the transketolase activity increased in strains carrying the gene in multicopy. Therefore, the gene encoding this transketolase was designated tktB and the gene formerly called tkt was renamed tktA. Analysis of the phenotypes of the strains containing tktA, tktB, or tktA tktB mutations indicated that tktA and tktB were responsible for major and minor activities, respectively, of transketolase in E. coli.
Blastogenic response of human lymphocytes to early antigen(s) of human cytomegalovirus

The lymphocytes of asymptomatic, seropositive donors demonstrated blastogenic responses to early antigens of human cytomegalovirus whether or not antibodies to early antigens were detectable. The lymphocytes of six of nine patients with active cytomegalovirus infections gave stimulation indexes of greater than or equal to 2.00 with antigens of productively infected cells, whereas only two patients demonstrated comparable stimulation indexes with early antigens. Four patients with stimulation indexes of greater than or equal to 2.00 to productively infected antigens had stimulation indexes of less than or equal to 2.00 to early antigens. Viral polypeptides with molecular weights of 83,000, 72,000, 62,000, 56,000, and 40,000 were identified in early antigen preparations.
Recent Ice Ages on Mars: The role of radiatively active clouds and cloud microphysics

Global climate models (GCMs) have been successfully employed to explain the origin of many glacial deposits on Mars. However, the latitude‐dependent mantle (LDM), a dust‐ice mantling deposit that is thought to represent a recent “Ice Age,” remains poorly explained by GCMs. We reexamine this question by considering the effect of radiatively active water‐ice clouds (RACs) and cloud microphysics. We find that when obliquity is set to 35°, as often occurred in the past 2 million years, warming of the atmosphere and polar caps by clouds modifies the water cycle and leads to the formation of a several centimeter‐thick ice mantle poleward of 30° in each hemisphere during winter. This mantle can be preserved over the summer if increased atmospheric dust content obscures the surface and provides dust nuclei to low‐altitude clouds. We outline a scenario for its deposition and preservation that compares favorably with the characteristics of the LDM.
Lithium-induced enhancement of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in human brain tissue.

OBJECTIVES Extensive preclinical and clinical evidence suggests mitochondrial dysfunction in bipolar disorder. Studies of brain energy metabolism in bipolar disorder suggest an impairment of energy generation by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Lithium is an effective drug widely used in treating bipolar disorder, but its mechanism of action has remained uncertain. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of lithium on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. METHODS We spectrophotometrically determined the activities of the respiratory chain complexes I + III [antimycin A-sensitive nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) cytochrome c oxidorductase], complexes II + III (succinate cytochrome c oxidoreductase), succinate dehydrogenase, and complex IV [cytochrome c oxidase (COX)], and of the mitochondrial matrix enzyme citrate synthase in postmortem human brain cortex homogenates following exposure to lithium (up to 10 mM). RESULTS Activities of complexes I + III and of complexes II + III were dose-dependently increased by lithium with maximum values at 1 mM (165%, p = 0.03, and 146%, p = 0.00002, of controls). Activity of succinate dehydrogenase remained unchanged up to 2 mM, but was raised at higher drug concentrations (maximum 220%, p = 0.01, of controls). In contrast, activity of COX was not significantly affected by the drug (decrease of 12% at 1 mM, p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that lithium stimulates mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activities at clinically relevant concentrations. Lithium's effect on the mitochondrial respiratory chain presents further evidence of the pathophysiological significance of mitochondrial dysfunction in bipolar disorder. The effect may be relevant to the therapeutic efficacy of the drug by potentially reversing a disease-related alteration.
Crafting a balance between work and home

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored the unofficial techniques and activities that individuals use to shape their own work–life balance. It theorizes that this behaviour may be usefully conceptualized as physical, relational and cognitive work–life balance crafting. It identifies the physical, relational and cognitive techniques that young professionals employ to manage their work–life balance and shows that distinct approaches to work–life balance crafting exist, each of which features a specific range of techniques.
Two stage camera calibration modeling and simulation

Camera calibration is the process of determining the extrinsic and intrinsic parameters of camera. It is a necessary step in 3D computer vision to extract metric information from 2D images. This paper is realization of Zhengyou Zhang method, with tangential distortions and determining the robust initial values for fast convergence. This distortion is unavoidable in case of fish eye lens and becomes essential to be compensated for improving upon the metrics. Initial parameters are solved as a closed form solution, which are further refined by using non linear least square method. The proposed method is compared with the Zhang's method and results visualised of proposed method are in close proximity which are presented to validate. The method converges fast and has an accuracy of 1. 2σ.
PEG10 promotes the migration of human Burkitt's lymphoma cells by up-regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9.

PURPOSE Paternally expressed gene 10 (PEG10) is important for apoptosis resistance in cancer cells; however, the effect of PEG10 on tumor cell migration remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of PEG10 on proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and migration in the Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Raji. METHODS Apoptosis was induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in pcDNA3.0/PEG10 transiently transfected HEK293T cells and PEG10-suppressed Raji cells. siRNAPEG10 was used to inhibit PEG10 expression. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) were performed to analyze the effect of PEG10 on apoptosis. CCK-8 were performed to detect cell proliferation and adhesion. Matrigel invasion were performed using PEG10-suppressed Raji cells to investigate cell migration. The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases -2and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) were analyzed in PEG10-suppressed Raji cells using both real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. RESULTS HEK293T cells that overexpressed PEG10 exhibited greater viability 48 h following treatment with 5-FU, relative to control cells. Specific inhibition of PEG10 expression by siRNA resulted in inhibition of growth and apoptosis in Raji cells. Adherence and invasion capabilities were downregulated and expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were reduced in PEG10-suppressed Raji cells. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated that PEG10 enhances the apoptotic resistance and viability of Raji cells. The migration and adherence invasion capacity of Raji cells could potentially be affected by regulation of the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Our research provides a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy of lymphoma.
Identifying the Career Decision-Making Needs of Nontraditional College Students

As the number of nontraditional college students (defined as students over the age of 25) continues to increase on college campuses nationwide, there is a clear need to address the career development needs of this growing population. This article critically reviews the results of recent research evaluating the relationship between the age of college students and various aspects of their career development. On the basis of this review, several implications for career counselors who work with nontraditional college students are discussed, and ideas for future research in this domain are presented.
Monitoring Trends in Re-offending among Offenders Released from Prison

Internationally, governments are making renewed efforts to reduce rates of re-offending. Measuring progress against this objective is difficult because officially recorded reconviction rates are determined not only by the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in dealing with offenders, but also by the characteristics of offenders moving through the justice system. The Group Risk Assessment Model (GRAM) is a statistical technique designed to obtain more accurate estimates of trends in re-offending by adjusting for the characteristics of offenders coming through the justice system (see Smith & Jones 2008). This earlier work focussed only on offenders given non-custodial sanctions. The purpose of the current study was to extend GRAM to adjust for the characteristics of prisoners being released from the NSW adult prison system. A number of groups of prisoners were found to be at greater risk of reconviction within two years of release: younger offenders, Indigenous offenders, offenders released to parole (compared with those released without supervision), offenders who had served medium-length sentences (61-364 days, compared with those serving less than 61 days or greater than 364 days), offenders who had more prior convictions and offenders who had a prior conviction for a breach of a justice order, a non-aggravated violent offence or a theft offence. An application of the model revealed that, after adjusting for offender characteristics, there was no significant change in rates of re-offending among prisoners released in 2003 or 2004 when compared to prisoners released in 2002.
Regional climatic warming drives long–term community changes of British marine fish

Climatic change has been implicated as the cause of abundance fluctuations in marine fish populations worldwide, but the effects on whole communities are poorly understood. We examined the effects of regional climatic change on two fish assemblages using independent datasets from inshore marine (English Channel, 1913–2002) and estuarine environments (Bristol Channel, 1981–2001). Our results show that climatic change has had dramatic effects on community composition. Each assemblage contained a subset of dominant species whose abundances were strongly linked to annual mean sea–surface temperature. Species' latitudinal ranges were not good predictors of species–level responses, however, and the same species did not show congruent trends between sites. This suggests that within a region, populations of the same species may respond differently to climatic change, possibly owing to additional local environmental determinants, interspecific ecological interactions and dispersal capacity. This will make species–level responses difficult to predict within geographically differentiated communities.
Monensin toxicity in chickens.

It is common for poultry-flock owners to suspect that feed is at fault when a disease outbreak or production loss coincides with the delivery of a new load of feed. Usually, however, the disease or production drop and the use of new feed are unrelated. Feeding trials at these laboratories have been used on many occasions to resolve this type of problem. Monensin is a biologically active compound that has antibacterial and anticoccidial properties. It is used extensively in the poultry industry to control coccidiosis. Monensin belongs to the ionophore or ion carrier group of antibiotics. These compounds facilitate the transport of alkali metal ions across biological membranes. Monensis preferably transports sodium ions and, as a result of this uncontrolled movement, ionic gradients and concentrations are altered and physiological processes of cell are disturbed (2). Three unrelated cases of poisoning by monensin sodium in improperly prepared feeds are described. Although routine analyses did not detect the cause, feeding trials confirmed suspicions that the feed was at fault; the cause was eventually found. These three flocks of chickens exhibited feed refusal, paralysis, and death. The symptoms started within a day of delivery of a new
Making students' thinking explicit in writing and discussion: An analysis of formative assessment prompts

The National Research Council ([NRC], 2001) has stated that formative assessment is essential to fulfilling the mission of the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996). This paper explores the relative utility of four different types of formative assessment prompts in eliciting middle school students' ideas about sinking and floating. Students' written responses and statements in classroom discussions around each of the prompts are compared. Results indicate that the relative success of the prompts in eliciting a range of conceptions may depend on the openness and familiarity of the prompts. Prompts with fewer constraints and unfamiliar settings elicited a range of student conceptions in writing; however, discussions surrounding the prompts were more likely to elicit ideas at the expected level, or no student ideas at all. A comparison of the prompts revealed that the diversity of students' responses in writing was not reflected in classroom discussions. The study suggests that open-format formative assessment prompts may function better when used as a basis for teachers to elicit a range of student ideas in writing, whereas constrained-outcome space prompts may be more appropriate for whole-class conversations that focus students upon scientifically appropriate responses. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed92:799–824, 2008
Catholic Schools in New Orleans in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Changes in the education system following Hurricane Katrina have received considerable attention from scholars in recent years. However, the role of Catholic schools is often overlooked in such discussions of school reform, which most often concentrate on the dramatic changes in the public school sector. This oversight is significant given that some segments of Catholic schools are devoted to serving populations similar to those targeted by emerging charter schools. At the national level, Catholic schools have struggled with declining enrollments and waves of school closures since the mid-1960s. This article aims to consider how well these national trends map onto the case of New Orleans. The authors discuss both how Catholic schools in New Orleans responded to Katrina and how they have changed in the midst of ongoing educational reforms in the city. They suggest that in spite of the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city as a whole, the storm and ensuing changes in the provision of public education have had, with a few notable exceptions, little independent influence on the organization of Catholic schools in the city. Rather, Catholic schools in the city are faced with many of the same challenges being faced by Catholic schools across the United States.
Continuous Separation of White Blood Cells From Whole Blood Using Viscoelastic Effects

White blood cells (WBCs) are the only cellular constituent containing genetic materials, and, hence, are candidate biomarkers for a host of diseases. However, conventional methods for WBC separation tend to have low sample purity and separation efficiency, which will have adverse implications on downstream polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. In this study, we introduce a two-stage microfluidic device which harnesses the elastic property of a non-Newtonian fluid for size-based separation of WBCs from whole blood. The device displayed high resolution and efficiency in separating polystyrene particles and blood cells of different sizes up to a flow rate of 150 μL/min in polyvinylpyrrolidone solutions. We performed a separate parametric study to evaluate the effects of the fluid elasticity and flow rate on the separation performance. The hematocrit of the blood sample was varied from 0.01% to 20% to investigate the effect of increased intercellular interactions on the separation efficiency. An optimized set of parameters was selected to demonstrate the applicability of the device to the separation of WBCs from diluted whole blood, with excellent efficiency and purity (>90%). This microfluidic device will be especially useful for blood fractionation applications requiring high sample purity and speedy processing. Additionally, the apparent flow-rate insensitivity of the separation allows for its potential use in point-of-care applications.
On coherent structure in wall turbulence

Abstract A new theory of coherent structure in wall turbulence is presented. The theory is the first to predict packets of hairpin vortices and other structure in turbulence, and their dynamics, based on an analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations, under an assumption of a turbulent mean profile. The assumption of the turbulent mean acts as a restriction on the class of possible structures. It is shown that the coherent structure is a manifestation of essentially low-dimensional flow dynamics, arising from a critical-layer mechanism. Using the decomposition presented in McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382), complex coherent structure is recreated from minimal superpositions of response modes predicted by the analysis, which take the form of radially varying travelling waves. The leading modes effectively constitute a low-dimensional description of the turbulent flow, which is optimal in the sense of describing the resonant effects around the critical layer and which minimally predicts all types of structure. The approach is general for the full range of scales. By way of example, simple combinations of these modes are offered that predict hairpins and modulated hairpin packets. The example combinations are chosen to represent observed structure, consistent with the nonlinear triadic interaction for wavenumbers that is required for self-interaction of structures. The combination of the three leading response modes at streamwise wavenumbers $6, ~1, ~7$ and spanwise wavenumbers $\pm 6, ~\pm 6, ~\pm 12$ , respectively, with phase velocity $2/ 3$ , is understood to represent a turbulence ‘kernel’, which, it is proposed, constitutes a self-exciting process analogous to the near-wall cycle. Together, these interactions explain how the mode combinations may self-organize and self-sustain to produce experimentally observed structure. The phase interaction also leads to insight into skewness and correlation results known in the literature. It is also shown that the very large-scale motions act to organize hairpin-like structures such that they co-locate with areas of low streamwise momentum, by a mechanism of locally altering the shear profile. These energetic streamwise structures arise naturally from the resolvent analysis, rather than by a summation of hairpin packets. In addition, these packets are modulated through a ‘beat’ effect. The relationship between Taylor’s hypothesis and coherence is discussed, and both are shown to be the consequence of the localization of the response modes around the critical layer. A pleasing link is made to the classical laminar inviscid theory, whereby the essential mechanism underlying the hairpin vortex is captured by two obliquely interacting Kelvin–Stuart (cat’s eye) vortices. Evidence for the theory is presented based on comparison with observations of structure in turbulent flow reported in the experimental and numerical simulation literature and with exact solutions reported in the transitional literature.