Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of primary response genes by interleukin 11 in B9-TY1 cells.

Interleukin (IL) 11 is a multifunctional cytokine derived from bone marrow stromal cells. To understand the mechanisms by which IL-11 exerts its pleiotropic actions, we have analyzed IL-11-mediated signal transduction pathways in IL-11-dependent B9-TY1, which is a subclone of an IL-6-dependent B-cell hybridoma, B9. IL-11 stimulation of B9-TY1 cells resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of a 97/95 kilodalton cellular protein in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A, but not by a serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, H7. We next examined the early nuclear events in the IL-11-triggered intracellular signaling cascade. The data showed that tis11, tis21, and junB early response genes were rapidly activated following IL-11 treatment. The kinetic studies indicated that activation of tis11 and junB genes peaked at 30-60 min and then declined slowly afterward. The tis21 gene was constitutively expressed, and the level of tis21 mRNA was significantly increased and maintained at the elevated level following IL-11 stimulation. Inhibitor studies with genistein, herbimycin A, and H7 revealed that tyrosine kinases and H7-sensitive serine/threonine kinases are required for the IL-11-mediated activation of tis11, tis21, and junB genes. Using a variety of known protein kinase inhibitors or activators, we have demonstrated that H7-sensitive protein kinases activated by IL-11 are distinct from those of well-characterized protein kinase-second messenger systems. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Semantic interference deficits and the detection of mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment without dementia

Impairment in delayed recall has traditionally been considered a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, vulnerability to semantic interference may reflect early manifestations of the disorder. In this study, 26 mildly demented AD patients (mild AD), 53 patients with mild cognitive impairment without dementia (MCI), and 53 normal community-dwelling elders were first presented 10 common objects that were recalled over 3 learning trials. Subjects were then presented 10 new semantically related objects followed by recall for the original targets. After controlling for the degree of overall memory impairment, mild AD patients demonstrated greater proactive but equivalent retroactive interference relative to MCI patients. Normal elderly subjects exhibited the least amount of proactive and retroactive interference effects. Recall for targets susceptible to proactive interference correctly classified 81.3% of MCI patients and 81.3% of normal elderly subjects, outperforming measures of delayed recall and rate of forgetting. Adding recognition memory scores to the model enhanced both sensitivity (84.6%) and specificity (88.5%). A combination of proactive and retroactive interference measures yielded sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 96.2% in differentiating mild AD patients from normal older adults. Susceptibility to proactive semantic interference may be an early cognitive feature of MCI and AD patients presenting for clinical evaluation. (JINS, 2004, 10, 91–100.)
Dietary Reconstruction of Pliocene Parapapio whitei from Makapansgat, South Africa, Using Dental Microwear Texture Analysis

Pliocene Parapapio whitei fossils from Makapansgat have yielded stable isotope values suggesting some foraging on C4 plants and possibly underground storage organs (USOs). Dental microwear texture analysis on Pp.whitei (M 3147, MP 62, MP 223 and MP 239) from Makapansgat Members 3-4 is performed to examine whether tooth surface damage from mastication agrees with prior dietary inferences from isotopes. The enamel surface texture of Pp. whitei is relatively complex, resembling Lophocebus albigena and Cebusapella, and lacks the anisotropy of Trachypithecuscristatus and Alouattapalliata. The textural fill volume of Pp. whitei is distinct from extant forest primates suggesting extremes in hard-object consumption. Grit adhering to USOs is offered as an explanation for these enamel textural properties, corroborating the inference that Pp. whitei supplemented its diet with terrestrial resources.
Temporal scales for the coordination of tree carbon and water economies during droughts.

The study of the responses of woody plants to environmental stresses has occupied plant ecologists and foresters for a long time, but interest in how plants cope with stressful condi-tions, particularly drought and high temperatures, has taken on a new dimension in recent years as a result of the realization that climate change may already be causing important mortality events and shifts in vegetation abundance, distribution and function (e.g., Allen et al. 2010, Peng et al. 2011, Reichstein et al. 2013). Efforts to determine the processes affecting plant responses to drought are producing insights that break estab-lished research boundaries and encourage re-examining topics under a new light. Understanding how trees respond to a reduction in water availability requires a multi-disciplinary perspective, drawing from the biophysics of water uptake, transport and utilization in the xylem and the phloem (Hölttä the biochemistry of carbon (C)-based com-pounds and their metabolism (including their enzymatic and hormonal regulation; the integration of short-term regulation of photosynthetic processes
Attenuation of short-period seismic waves at Mt Vesuvius, Italy

We analysed short-period seismograms from about 250 very local events recorded by a network of high dynamic range short-period seismic stations deployed on Mt Vesuvius to estimate the site-corrected short-period seismic attenuation. We calculated QC− 1, the inverse of the quality factor for coda waves, for short lapse times (12 s), and QP− 1 and QS− 1, the inverse of the direct body wave quality factors for P and S waves follow- ing shallow ray paths. We used the single scattering assumption to fit the amplitude envelopes of the coda at different frequency bands, obtaining a QC− 1 slowly varying with frequency, similar to values measured for other volcanoes at the same lapse time. Site-corrected QP− 1 and QS− 1 were estimated using the frequency decay method for both P and S waves in two frequency bands, 1–6 Hz and 15–24 Hz. Results show that QP− 1 is 0.028 in both frequency bands, and QS− 1 is 0.015 and 0.017 at low and high frequencies respectively, almost independent of the frequency, and that the value of QP− 1 is about twice that of QS− 1, as measured worldwide. A check was made by measuring the broadening of the first P-wave pulse with station–source distance, finding QP− 1=0.024. Using the independent estimates of QC− 1 and QS− 1, we separated the intrinsic from the scattering quality factor at Mt Vesuvius, obtaining a high scattering and a low intrinsi c Q− 1, as already observed for other volcanoes. This result confirms the hypothesis of the predominant role of the scattering phenomena with respect to the intrinsic dissipation in the seismogram formation for volcanic earthquakes.
Benefits of adversity?! How life history affects the behavioral profile of mice varying in serotonin transporter genotype

Behavioral profiles are influenced by both positive and negative experiences as well as the genetic disposition. Traditionally, accumulating adversity over lifetime is considered to predict increased anxiety-like behavior (“allostatic load”). The alternative “mismatch hypothesis” suggests increased levels of anxiety if the early environment differs from the later-life environment. Thus, there is a need for a whole-life history approach to gain a deeper understanding of how behavioral profiles are shaped. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of life history on the behavioral profile of mice varying in serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genotype, an established mouse model of increased anxiety-like behavior. For this purpose, mice grew up under either adverse or beneficial conditions during early phases of life. In adulthood, they were further subdivided so as to face a situation that either matched or mismatched the condition experienced so far, resulting in four different life histories. Subsequently, mice were tested for their anxiety-like and exploratory behavior. The main results were: (1) Life history profoundly modulated the behavioral profile. Surprisingly, mice that experienced early beneficial and later escapable adverse conditions showed less anxiety-like and more exploratory behavior compared to mice of other life histories. (2) Genotype significantly influenced the behavioral profile, with homozygous 5-HTT knockout mice displaying highest levels of anxiety-like and lowest levels of exploratory behavior. Our findings concerning life history indicate that the absence of adversity does not necessarily cause lower levels of anxiety than accumulating adversity. Rather, some adversity may be beneficial, particularly when following positive events. Altogether, we conclude that for an understanding of behavioral profiles, it is not sufficient to look at experiences during single phases of life, but the whole life history has to be considered.
Toward a Better Understanding of the Moist Atmosphere: Cooperative Interaction between Moist Convection and the Larger-Scale

The author’s understanding of atmospheric phenomena in which moist convection plays an important role is described, based on the studies made by the author and other researchers in these 50 years. The atmospheric phenomena include tropical cyclones, the Madden-Julian oscillation, and mesoscale lows associated with Baiu/Meiyu fronts. The emphasis is placed on the various mechanisms involved in the cooperative interaction between these phenomena and moist convection. The instability of the larger-scale due to this cooperative interaction is referred to as conditional instability of the second kind (CISK), and wave-CISK in the case of waves. Important factors that contribute to CISK include the latent and sensible heat supplied from the sea surface, the surface friction, the Coriolis force (in many cases), and others. The importance of examining the field of latent instability, which corresponds to positive buoyancy of the rising air (convective available potential energy, CAPE), is emphasized in studying the CISK phenomena. The behavior of mesoscale organized convection is also described with emphasis.
Neural correlates and structural markers of emotion dysregulation in traumatized civilians

Abstract Emotion dysregulation (ED) reflects deficits in understanding and managing negative emotions and may serve as a transdiagnostic mechanism of risk for trauma-related psychiatric disorders. Therefore, understanding neurobiological substrates of ED in traumatized individuals is critical. The present study examined associations between ED and baseline structural differences and patterns of functional activity during an emotional task in a sample of African American women (n = 136) recruited from an urban hospital. Participants engaged in a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session. A subsample (n = 92) also viewed emotional face stimuli during functional MRI. ED was related to greater dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) surface area (Pcorr < 0.05) and increased dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and ventromedial PFC activation to fearful stimuli (Pcorr < 0.05), independent of the trauma and psychiatric symptoms. DMPFC activation was also associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Mediation analyses showed a significant mediation effect of ED on the relation between dmPFC activation and psychiatric symptoms. These findings are important since dACC and dmPFC play central roles in fear expression and attention to emotional stimuli. Future longitudinal research is needed to help solidify a model of risk for how such neural substrates may be impacted by traumatic experiences to create ED.
Impacts of human activities on wildlife: The case of Nile Lechwe (Kobus megaceros) Gambella National Park, Southwest Ethiopia

Assessing human-induced threatening factors to wildlife is the basis in determining and proposing appropriate conservation measures. The present study was conducted to assess impacts of human activities on wildlife in Gambella National Park, Southwest of Ethiopia, from October 2015 to March 2016, focusing on the case of Nile Lechwe (Kobus megaceros). The data in this study were gathered using questionnaires with structured interview and focus group discussion. Data on the threatening factors were compared among villages using chi-square test in SPSS version 20 software. Out of the 384 respondents, 139(36.2), 51(13.2) 49(12.8), 43(11.2) and 41(10.7%) of them informed that agricultural investment, illegal hunting, overgrazing, rice cultivation in the area and habitat loss, respectively, were the most predominant human factors affecting Nile Lechwe. Thus suggests that agricultural expansion and illegal hunting are those human activities with the highest impact on the Nile Lechwe. Before designing and implementing any development investment particularly large scale agricultural expansions, the government and other stakeholders should give consideration and attention to the rapidly declining natural resource beside to the development. Therefore, designing appropriate eco-friendly management with options must be adopted to mediate the effects and minimize future impacts. Key words: Agriculture, anthropogenic disturbance, habitats, Nile Lechwe, Gambella National park, wildlife.
Experimental microablation of choroidal tissue for autologous retinal pigmentepithelium–choroid translocation with the pulsed electron avalanche knife (PEAK-fc)

Aim To test the microablation of excess graft choroidal tissue with the pulsed electron avalanche knife (PEAK-fc) in an in-vitro model of autologous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)–choroid translocation. Methods Choroidal tissue of porcine RPE–choroid explants was ablated with the PEAK-fc. Tissue morphology was assessed by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amount of ablated choroidal tissue was analysed as a function of three PEAK-fc parameters: (1) amplitude of biphasic voltage (70–100%); (2) distance between choroidal tissue and tip of the PEAK-fc (0–300 μm); and (3) exposure time (2–8 s). Results LM and SEM showed a smooth plain within the ablation area with well defined cutting edges and preserved adjacent tissue structure. The mean amount of ablated tissue correlated linearly with applied voltage (range 79–120 μm, r=0.34) and distance between choroidal tissue and PEAK-fc tip (range 10–100 μm, r=0.74). The mean amount of ablated tissue increased with exposure time between 2 and 4 s (36–88 μm, r=0.4) and remained constant between 4 and 8 s. Conclusion The PEAK-fc accurately microablates choroidal tissue in-vitro. The adjacent choroidal tissue structure and Bruch's membrane are preserved. Patient studies are required to test the PEAK-fc in RPE–choroid translocation surgery.
The neurobiology of neurooncology

The histological classification of brain tumors currently is based on the morphological appearance and protein expression patterns that reflect specific cell types within the central nervous system. Recent studies have suggested that the cells of origin for brain tumors may persist in the fully formed tumors, and that these “cancer stem cells” might represent the relevant cellular targets for anticancer therapy. In this regard, insights into the developmental neurobiology of brain tumors has significant impact on our understanding of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of these devastating cancers, as well as the development of new strategies for treating brain tumors. Ann Neurol 2006;60:3–11
Low health-related quality of life in school-aged children in Tonga, a lower-middle income country in the South Pacific

Background Ensuring a good life for all parts of the population, including children, is high on the public health agenda in most countries around the world. Information about children's perception of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its socio-demographic distribution is, however, limited and almost exclusively reliant on data from Western higher income countries. Objectives To investigate HRQoL in schoolchildren in Tonga, a lower income South Pacific Island country, and to compare this to HRQoL of children in other countries, including Tongan children living in New Zealand, a high-income country in the same region. Design A cross-sectional study from Tonga addressing all secondary schoolchildren (11–18 years old) on the outer island of Vava'u and in three districts of the main island of Tongatapu (2,164 participants). A comparison group drawn from the literature comprised children in 18 higher income and one lower income country (Fiji). A specific New Zealand comparison group involved all children of Tongan descendent at six South Auckland secondary schools (830 participants). HRQoL was assessed by the self-report Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. Results HRQoL in Tonga was overall similar in girls and boys, but somewhat lower in children below 15 years of age. The children in Tonga experienced lower HRQoL than the children in all of the 19 comparison countries, with a large difference between children in Tonga and the higher income countries (Cohen's d 1.0) and a small difference between Tonga and the lower income country Fiji (Cohen's d 0.3). The children in Tonga also experienced lower HRQoL than Tongan children living in New Zealand (Cohen's d 0.6). Conclusion The results reveal worrisome low HRQoL in children in Tonga and point towards a potential general pattern of low HRQoL in children living in lower income countries, or, alternatively, in the South Pacific Island countries.
Do morphemes matter when reading compound words with transposed letters? Evidence from eye-tracking and event-related potentials

ABSTRACT The current study investigates the online processing consequences of encountering compound words with transposed letters (TLs), to determine if cross-morpheme TLs are more disruptive to reading than those within a single morpheme, as would be predicted by accounts of obligatory morpho-orthopgrahic decomposition. Two measures of online processing, eye movements and event-related potentials (ERPs), were collected in separate experiments. Participants read sentences containing correctly spelled compound words (cupcake), or compounds with TLs occurring either across morphemes (cucpake) or within one morpheme (cupacke). Results showed that between- and within-morpheme transpositions produced equal processing costs in both measures, in the form of longer reading times (Experiment 1) and a late posterior positivity (Experiment 2) that did not differ between conditions. Findings converge to suggest that within- and between-morpheme TLs are equally disruptive to recognition, providing evidence against obligatory morpho-orthographic processing and in favour of whole-word access of English compound words during sentence reading.
The Mammalian Orthologs of Drosophila Lgd, CC2D1A and CC2D1B, Function in the Endocytic Pathway, but Their Individual Loss of Function Does Not Affect Notch Signalling

CC2D1A and CC2D1B belong to the evolutionary conserved Lgd protein family with members in all multi-cellular animals. Several functions such as centrosomal cleavage, involvement in signalling pathways, immune response and synapse maturation have been described for CC2D1A. Moreover, the Drosophila melanogaster ortholog Lgd was shown to be involved in the endosomal trafficking of the Notch receptor and other transmembrane receptors and physically interacts with the ESCRT-III component Shrub/CHMP4. To determine if this function is conserved in mammals we generated and characterized Cc2d1a and Cc2d1b conditional knockout mice. While Cc2d1b deficient mice displayed no obvious phenotype, we found that Cc2d1a deficient mice as well as conditional mutants that lack CC2D1A only in the nervous system die shortly after birth due to respiratory distress. This finding confirms the suspicion that the breathing defect is caused by the central nervous system. However, an involvement in centrosomal function could not be confirmed in Cc2d1a deficient MEF cells. To analyse an influence on Notch signalling, we generated intestine specific Cc2d1a mutant mice. These mice did not display any alterations in goblet cell number, proliferating cell number or expression of the Notch reporter Hes1-emGFP, suggesting that CC2D1A is not required for Notch signalling. However, our EM analysis revealed that the average size of endosomes of Cc2d1a mutant cells, but not Cc2d1b mutant cells, is increased, indicating a defect in endosomal morphogenesis. We could show that CC2D1A and its interaction partner CHMP4B are localised on endosomes in MEF cells, when the activity of the endosomal protein VPS4 is reduced. This indicates that CC2D1A cycles between the cytosol and the endosomal membrane. Additionally, in rescue experiments in D. melanogaster, CC2D1A and CC2D1B were able to functionally replace Lgd. Altogether our data suggest a functional conservation of the Lgd protein family in the ESCRT-III mediated process in metazoans.
Expression of cyclooxygenase‐2 and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma during malignant melanoma progression

Background: Cancer chemoprevention using nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs is frequently attributed to cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibition, although recent studies suggest that peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) may also be involved. While surgical excision remains the treatment mainstay for localized malignant melanoma, certain high‐risk patients may benefit from adjunctive chemotherapy. In this study, we compared COX‐2 and PPARγ immunohistological staining in benign nevi, primary melanomas and metastatic melanomas to help predict the effectiveness of compounds targeting these markers.
Peptide Microarray Analysis of Substrate Specificity of the Transmembrane Ser/Thr Kinase KPI-2 Reveals Reactivity with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator and Phosphorylase*S

Human lemur (Lmr) kinases are predicted to be Tyr kinases based on sequences and are related to neurotrophin receptor Trk kinases. This study used homogeneous recombinant KPI-2 (Lmr2, LMTK2, Cprk, brain-enriched protein kinase) kinase domain and a library of 1,154 peptides on a microarray to analyze substrate specificity. We found that KPI-2 is strictly a Ser/Thr kinase that reacts with Ser either preceded by or followed by Pro residues but unlike other Pro-directed kinases does not strictly require an adjacent Pro residue. The most reactive peptide in the library corresponds to Ser-737 of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, and the recombinant R domain of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator was a preferred substrate. Furthermore the KPI-2 kinase phosphorylated peptides corresponding to the single site in phosphorylase and purified phosphorylase b, making this only the second known phosphorylase b kinase. Phosphorylase was used as a specific substrate to show that KPI-2 is inhibited in living cells by addition of nerve growth factor or serum. The results demonstrate the utility of the peptide library to probe specificity and discover kinase substrates and offer a specific assay that reveals hormonal regulation of the activity of this unusual transmembrane kinase.