Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential regulation of CHOP translation by phosphorylated eIF4E under stress conditions

Cells respond to environmental stress by inducing translation of a subset of mRNAs important for survival or apoptosis. CHOP, a downstream transcriptional target of stress-induced ATF4, is also regulated translationally in a uORF-dependent manner under stress. Low concentration of anisomycin induces CHOP expression at both transcriptional and translational levels. To study specifically the translational aspect of CHOP expression, and further clarify the regulatory mechanisms underlying stress-induced translation initiation, we developed a CMV promoter-regulated, uORFchop-driven reporter platform. Here we show that anisomycin-induced CHOP expression depends on phosphorylated eIF4E/S209 and eIF2α/S51. Contrary to phospho-eIF2α/S51, phospho-eIF4E/S209 is not involved in thapsigargin-induced CHOP expression. Studies using various kinase inhibitors and mutants uncovered that both the p38MAPK-Mnk and mTOR signaling pathways contribute to stress-responsive reporter and CHOP expression. We also demonstrated that anisomycin-induced translation is tightly regulated by partner binding preference of eIF4E. Furthermore, mutating the uORF sequence abolished the anisomycin-induced association of chop mRNA with phospho-eIF4E and polysomes, thus demonstrating the significance of this cis-regulatory element in conferring on the transcript a stress-responsive translational inducibility. Strikingly, although insulin treatment activated ERK-Mnk and mTOR pathways, and consequently eIF4E/S209 phosphorylation, it failed to induce phospho-eIF2α/S51 and reporter translation, thus pinpointing a crucial determinant in stress-responsive translation.
EVALUATION OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION AMOUNT AND BASELINE USING SATELLITE IMAGERY IN ARID LAND

As a countermeasure to the greenhouse effect, afforestation in arid areas has been proposed and tested in an arid area of Western Australia. According to the CDM/JI guidelines set by UNFCCC, the sequestrated carbon amount accountable as carbon credit was estimated in this study. First, the sequestrated carbon amount by planted trees was measured by repeated tree censuses. Second, the land use type (vegetation type) was estimated using LANDSAT images by a statistical method. Of all the images, the Khat statistics were over 0.8, and the overall accuracy was over 80%. Third, by repeated tree censuses, the mean annual increment (MAI) at natural vegetation monitoring sites of each vegetation type was calculated, and this MAI data were used as the baseline of each vegetation. Fourth, the present biomass distribution was estimated using the SAVI index, since the original vegetation must be clear-cut before an afforestation area can be established. Fifth, the sequestrated carbon amount accountable as carbon credit was estimated inside a 45×50 km area. The results of this study indicated that afforestation areas should be established in the order corresponding to “bare ground”, “Acacia woodland” and “vegetation transition area” and that total accountable carbon credit was from 2,955 to 3,770 GgCO2 in around 170,000 to 190,000 ha of the research area.
The Structure of Belief : Contextual Factors in KM Research

Knowledge management (KM) research has yielded extensive theoretical explanations on the motivations of an individual to share knowledge using various types of face-to-face or virtual communication, each with different sets of influential factors. We propose that by decomposing individual belief into multidimensional belief constructs specific to knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking contexts, those diverse factors can be consistently related to the antecedents of behavioral intention. Based on information systems (IS) continuance research and extant literature on KM, we formulate the research models for knowledge management systems (KMS) continuance for knowledge-contribution and -seeking behaviors, and test them with empirical data.
Reducing the risk of methotrexate pneumonitis in rheumatoid arthritis.

has been associated with an increased risk of MTX pneumonitis in these studies [6–11]. Meta-analytic methods were used to pool the odds ratio for MTX pneumonitis in the presence of pre-existing lung disease. The summarized data from these six studies are in Table 1. Although these studies varied in their design and definition of pre-existing lung disease, all suggested that it predisposed to MTX pneumonitis (pooled odds ratio of 7.5, 95% confidence interval CI 3.6–15.8). Pre-existing lung disease was seen in 48% of 69 patients who developed MTX pneumonitis. By comparison, only 7.4% of 1769 patients without pneumonitis had evidence of prior lung disease. Kremer and Alarcon et al. [9, 14] described the single largest series of MTX pneumonitis (29 cases) in a retrospective case– control study of RA patients. Pre-existing lung disease, old age and previous use of DMARDs were identified as risk factors for pneumonitis after MTX. Ohosone [11] came to a similar conclusion. Age and previous DMARD use have not been identified as a risk in other studies [6–8, 10]. In a multicentre study [10] of 1162 patients with RA treated with MTX in northeast England, 27 probable cases of pneumonitis were identified, of which 10 met the Searles and McKendry criteria [25] for pneumonitis. Pre-existing pulmonary fibrosis was present in five of these 10 cases of pneumonitis. Our experience in a prospective study [6] of 120 patients with RA treated with MTX identified three cases of pneumonitis. Abnormal lung function tests (less than 70% of the value predicted for age and sex) were found to confer added risk of pneumonitis. A low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and vital capacity (VC) carried a relative risk of 3.2 and a low transfer factor for carbon monoxide (TLCO) carried a relative risk of 10, whereas an abnormal CXR carried a relative risk of 3.3. Golden et al. [7] reported a relative risk of 4 for patients with interstitial infiltrates on CXR.
Dopaminergic Contributions to Vocal Learning

Although the brain relies on auditory information to calibrate vocal behavior, the neural substrates of vocal learning remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that lesions of the dopaminergic inputs to a basal ganglia nucleus in a songbird species (Bengalese finches, Lonchura striata var. domestica) greatly reduced the magnitude of vocal learning driven by disruptive auditory feedback in a negative reinforcement task. These lesions produced no measureable effects on the quality of vocal performance or the amount of song produced. Our results suggest that dopaminergic inputs to the basal ganglia selectively mediate reinforcement-driven vocal plasticity. In contrast, dopaminergic lesions produced no measurable effects on the birds' ability to restore song acoustics to baseline following the cessation of reinforcement training, suggesting that different forms of vocal plasticity may use different neural mechanisms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT During skill learning, the brain relies on sensory feedback to improve motor performance. However, the neural basis of sensorimotor learning is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine in regulating vocal learning in the Bengalese finch, a songbird with an extremely precise singing behavior that can nevertheless be reshaped dramatically by auditory feedback. Our findings show that reduction of dopamine inputs to a region of the songbird basal ganglia greatly impairs vocal learning but has no detectable effect on vocal performance. These results suggest a specific role for dopamine in regulating vocal plasticity.
Evaluation of cardiovascular risk in patients with Parkinson disease under levodopa treatment

Background Levodopa is the indispensable choice of medial therapy in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Since L-dopa treatment was shown to increase serum homocysteine levels, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disorders, the patients with PD under L-dopa treatment will be at increased risk for future cardiovascular events. The objective of this study is to evaluate cardiovascular risk in patients with PD under levodopa treatment. Methods The study population consisted of 65 patients with idiopathic PD under L-dopa treatment. The control group included 32 age and gender matched individuals who had no cognitive decline. Echocardiographic measurements, serum homocysteine levels and elastic parameters of the aorta were compared between the patients with PD and controls. Results As an expected feature of L-dopa therapy, the Parkinson group had significantly higher homocystein levels (15.1 ± 3.9 µmol/L vs. 11.5 ± 3.2 µmol/L, P = 0.02). Aortic distensibility was significantly lower in the patients with PD when compared to controls (4.8 ± 1.5 dyn/cm2 vs. 6.2 ± 1.9 dyn/cm2, P = 0.016). Additionally, the patients with PD had higher aortic strain and aortic stiffness index (13.4% ± 6.4% vs. 7.4% ± 3.6%, P < 0.001 and 7.3 ± 1.5 vs. 4.9 ± 1.9, P < 0.001 respectively). Furthermore, serum homocysteine levels were found to be positively correlated with aortic stiffness index and there was a negative correlation between aortic distensibility and levels of serum homocysteine (r = 0.674, P < 0.001; r = −0.602, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions The patients with PD under L-dopa treatment have increased aortic stiffness and impaired diastolic function compared to healthy individuals. Elevated serum homocysteine levels may be a possible pathophysiological mechanism.
Targeting Determinants of Dosage Compensation in Drosophila

The dosage compensation complex (DCC) in Drosophila melanogaster is responsible for up-regulating transcription from the single male X chromosome to equal the transcription from the two X chromosomes in females. Visualization of the DCC, a large ribonucleoprotein complex, on male larval polytene chromosomes reveals that the complex binds selectively to many interbands on the X chromosome. The targeting of the DCC is thought to be in part determined by DNA sequences that are enriched on the X. So far, lack of knowledge about DCC binding sites has prevented the identification of sequence determinants. Only three binding sites have been identified to date, but analysis of their DNA sequence did not allow the prediction of further binding sites. We have used chromatin immunoprecipitation to identify a number of new DCC binding fragments and characterized them in vivo by visualizing DCC binding to autosomal insertions of these fragments, and we have demonstrated that they possess a wide range of potential to recruit the DCC. By varying the in vivo concentration of the DCC, we provide evidence that this range of recruitment potential is due to differences in affinity of the complex to these sites. We were also able to establish that DCC binding to ectopic high-affinity sites can allow nearby low-affinity sites to recruit the complex. Using the sequences of the newly identified and previously characterized binding fragments, we have uncovered a number of short sequence motifs, which in combination may contribute to DCC recruitment. Our findings suggest that the DCC is recruited to the X via a number of binding sites of decreasing affinities, and that the presence of high- and moderate-affinity sites on the X may ensure that lower-affinity sites are occupied in a context-dependent manner. Our bioinformatics analysis suggests that DCC binding sites may be composed of variable combinations of degenerate motifs.
A Robust Computational Algorithm for Inverse Photomask Synthesis in Optical Projection Lithography

Inverse lithography technology formulates the photomask synthesis as an inverse mathematical prob- lem. To solve this, we propose a variational functional and develop a robust computational algo- rithm, where the proposed functional takes into account the process variations and incorporates several regularization terms that can control the mask complexity. We establish the existence of the minimizer of the functional, and in order to optimize it effectively, we adopt an alternating minimization procedure with Chambolle's fast duality projection algorithm. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm is effective in synthesizing high quality photomasks as compared with existing methods.
Constraints from the Old Quasar Apm 08279+5255 on Two Classes of Λ(t)-cosmologies Received Day Month Year Revised Day Month Year Communicated by Managing Editor

In the standard Friedmann–Lemâıtre–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) approach to model the Universe the violation of the so-called energy conditions is related to some important properties of the Universe as, for example, the current and the inflationary accelerating expansion phases. The energy conditions are also necessary in the formulation and proofs of Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems. In two recent articles we have derived bounds from energy conditions and made confrontations of these bounds with supernovae data. Here, we extend these results in following way: first, by using our most recent statistical procedure for calculating new q(z) estimates from the gold and combined type Ia supernovae samples; second, we use these estimates to obtain a new picture of the energy conditions fulfillment and violation for the recent past (z ≤ 1) in the context of the standard cosmology.
Structural, mechanical and electronic properties of 3d transition metal nitrides in cubic zincblende, rocksalt and cesium chloride structures: a first-principles investigation

We report systematic results from ab initio calculations with density functional theory on three cubic structures, zincblende (zb), rocksalt (rs) and cesium chloride (cc), of the ten 3d transition metal nitrides. We computed lattice constants, elastic constants, their derived moduli and ratios that characterize mechanical properties. Experimental measurements exist in the literature of lattice constants for rs-ScN, rs-TiN and rs-VN and of elastic constants for rs-TiN and rs-VN, all of which are in good agreement with our computational results. Similarly, computed Vickers hardness (HV) values for rs-TiN and rs-VN are consistent with earlier experimental results. Several trends were observed in our rich data set of 30 compounds. All nitrides, except for zb-CrN, rs-MnN, rs-FeN, cc-ScN, cc-CrN, cc-NiN and cc-ZnN, were found to be mechanically stable. A clear correlation in the atomic density with the bulk modulus (B) was observed with maximum values of B around FeN, MnN and CrN. The shear modulus, Young’s modulus, HV and indicators of brittleness showed similar trends and all showed maxima for cc-VN. The calculated value of HV for cc-VN was about 30 GPa, while the next highest values were for rs-ScN and rs-TiN, about 24 GPa. A relation ( H V ∝ θ D 2 ? > ) between HV and Debye temperature (θD) was investigated and verified for each structure type. A tendency for anti-correlation of the elastic constant C44, which strongly influences stability and hardness, with the number of electronic states around the Fermi energy was observed.
The ACTN3 R577X Polymorphism Is Associated with Cardiometabolic Fitness in Healthy Young Adults

Homozygosity for a premature stop codon (X) in the ACTN3 “sprinter” gene is common in humans despite the fact that it reduces muscle size, strength and power. Because of the close relationship between skeletal muscle function and cardiometabolic health we examined the influence of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism over cardiovascular and metabolic characteristics of young adults (n = 98 males, n = 102 females; 23 ± 4.2 years) from our Assessing Inherent Markers for Metabolic syndrome in the Young (AIMMY) study. Both males and females with the RR vs XX genotype achieved higher mean VO2 peak scores (47.8 ± 1.5 vs 43.2 ±1.8 ml/O2/min, p = 0.002) and exhibited higher resting systolic (115 ± 2 vs 105 ± mmHg, p = 0.027) and diastolic (69 ± 3 vs 59 ± 3 mmHg, p = 0.005) blood pressure suggesting a role for ACTN3 in the maintenance of vascular tone. We subsequently identified the expression of alpha-actinin 3 protein in pulmonary artery smooth muscle, which may explain the genotype-specific differences in cardiovascular adaptation to acute exercise. In addition, we utilized targeted serum metabolomics to distinguish between RR and XX genotypes, suggesting an additional role for the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism in human metabolism. Taken together, these results identify significant cardiometabolic effects associated with possessing one or more functional copies of the ACTN3 gene.
The Politics of Government Decision-Making : a Theory of Regulatory Capture

The paper develops an agency-theoretic approach to interest-group politics and shows the following: (1) the organizational response to the possibility of regulatory agency politics is to reduce the stakes interest groups have in regulation. (2) The threat of producer protection leads to low-powered incentive schemes for regulated firms. (3) Consumer politics may induce uniform pricing by a multiproduct firm. (4) An interest group has more power when its interest lies in inefficient rather than efficient regulation, where inefficiency is measured by the degree of informational asymmetry between the regulated industry and the political principal (Congress). (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) (This abstract (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
The acquisition of the English future tense by Iranian EFL learners: Processing instruction vs. meaningful output-based instruction

This study was designed to investigate the impact of processing instruction and meaningful output-based instruction on the acquisition of English future tense. For this purpose, 33 Iranian female learners were randomly selected and assigned to one of the three groups of processing instruction (PI) (n=10), meaningful output-based instruction (MOBI) (n=10), and control group (n=13). A distinct instructional treatment was conducted for the experimental groups. Besides, a pretest/posttest procedure was administered to assess the effect of instruction. The findings indicated that PI group had significant gains on interpretation tasks compared to MOBI group and control group. For production tasks, MOBI group outperformed PI and control group. It should be noted that for both interpretation and production tasks, both experimental groups improved significantly and outperformed the control group. The statistical analysis conducted on the delayed posttest revealed that PI outperformed MOBI group in both interpretation and production tasks. The results suggest that although MOBI can lead to acquisition, PI exerts a positive effect which sustains over time and might positively influence learners’ interlanguage development.
The mapping torus of a free group automorphism is hyperbolic relative to the canonical subgroups of polynomial growth.

We prove that the mapping torus group of any automorphism of a free group of finite rank n => 2 is weakly hyperbolic relative to the canonical (up to conjugation) family of subgroups of the free group which consists of (and contains representatives of all) conjugacy classes that grow polynomially under iteration of the automorphism. Furthermore, we show that the mapping-torus group is strongly hyperbolic relative to the mapping torus of this canonical family.
TP53 accumulation predicts improved survival in patients resistant to systemic cisplatin-based chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

To examine retrospectively the prognostic significance of TP53 immunoreactivity for both tumor response and patient survival in 83 patients with nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with a single transurethral resection (TUR) of tumor and combined cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy followed by repeat TUR, paraffin-embedded sections of a bladder tumor obtained at TUR before chemotherapy (1 T2, 52 T3, and 30 T4) were immunostained for TP53 using monoclonal PAb1801 and DO-7 antibodies. For the entire cohort, TP53 immunopositivity (PAb1801 or DO-7) did not predict complete response (CR), complete or partial response (PR), progressive disease, or time to death from bladder cancer. There was a highly significant correlation between PAb1801 and DO-7 nuclear immunoreactivity (r = 0.8242; P<0.0001). In 76 patients in which complete clinical data were available, tumor stage (T2/T3; P = 0.0499), CR and PR (P = 0.0016) and CR (P<0.0001) were associated with patient survival. In a multivariate model, CR (P<0.0001) was the only independent predictor of improved survival. In complete responders, neither TP53 immunostaining nor clinicopathological factors stratified patients into prognostic groups. However, in the subset of patients (n = 38) who were chemoresistant (PR or progressive disease), improved survival was associated with > or =20% TP53 immunoreactivity (PAb1801; P = 0.0191) and tumor stage (T2/T3; P = 0.0358). TP53 immunopositivity (PAb1801 or DO-7) did not predict overall survival or response to systemic chemotherapy in patients with nonmetastatic but predominantly clinical stage > or =T3 bladder cancer, but it had prognostic significance within the chemoresistant subgroup.
Sliding mode controller for wheel-slip control of anti-lock braking system

The anti-lock braking system is a technology for passengers' safety in recently developed sophisticated vehicles. It is a part of the braking system of a vehicle which exhibits controlled braking torque to prevent the wheels from locking whenever a hard brake is applied. The highly non-linear dynamics of longitudinal tire force and the uncertain parameters of the vehicle and friction coefficient of the road motivate to use a non-linear robust controller. An efficient sliding mode controller has been proposed here to maintain the slip ratio to an optimum value so that the vehicle stopping without skidding is ensured within minimum possible distance. The non-linear Dugoff's friction model for the wheel has been taken for modeling the quarter car. The chattering phenomena caused by sliding mode have been minimized with an efficient technique. Slip-tracking performance and the robust performance of the proposed controller have been compared with the recent existing non-linear controller.