Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RNF12 Activates Xist and Is Essential for X Chromosome Inactivation

In somatic cells of female placental mammals, one of the two X chromosomes is transcriptionally silenced to accomplish an equal dose of X-encoded gene products in males and females. Initiation of random X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is thought to be regulated by X-encoded activators and autosomally encoded suppressors controlling Xist. Spreading of Xist RNA leads to silencing of the X chromosome in cis. Here, we demonstrate that the dose dependent X-encoded XCI activator RNF12/RLIM acts in trans and activates Xist. We did not find evidence for RNF12-mediated regulation of XCI through Tsix or the Xist intron 1 region, which are both known to be involved in inhibition of Xist. In addition, we found that Xist intron 1, which contains a pluripotency factor binding site, is not required for suppression of Xist in undifferentiated ES cells. Analysis of female Rnf12−/− knockout ES cells showed that RNF12 is essential for initiation of XCI and is mainly involved in the regulation of Xist. We conclude that RNF12 is an indispensable factor in up-regulation of Xist transcription, thereby leading to initiation of random XCI.
Prognostic effect of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for patients with gastric cancer: an updated evidence of randomized controlled trials

The prognostic effect of chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer has been evaluated for decades while the results are still in debate and heterogeneous. We thus comprehensively updated the evidence through systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer to determine its effect. Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library from the earliest possible year to April 2017 were searched. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effects of combined chemoradiotherapy for patients with gastric cancer compared with that of single chemotherapy were included. The main outcome measure was 5-year overall survival (OS) and the second was disease-free survival (DFS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS). Fifteen RCTs involving 3347 patients were included into this meta-analysis. Compared with single chemotherapy, the relative risk (RR) for 5-year OS for chemoradiotherapy was 1.05 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.25), with moderate heterogeneity across eligible trials (I2 = 55.7%, p = 0.016). Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses confirmed the consistent findings. We found that significant survival benefit for 5-year DFS/RFS for chemoradiotherapy over single chemotherapy (RR 0.89 95% CI 0.81 to 0.98) for patients with gastric cancer. This updated meta-analysis does not provide strong evidence for a 5-year survival benefit of chemoradiotherapy over chemotherapy alone in patients with gastric cancer. A clear advantage of chemoradiotherapy over chemotherapy has not been established. Further larger RCTs should be conducted to determine its true effect.
Individual differences in error monitoring in healthy adults: psychological symptoms and antisocial personality characteristics

Recent studies have investigated the relationship between psychological symptoms and personality traits and error monitoring measured by error‐related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) event‐related potential (ERP) components, yet there remains a paucity of studies examining the collective simultaneous effects of psychological symptoms and personality traits on error monitoring. This present study, therefore, examined whether measures of hyperactivity–impulsivity, depression, anxiety and antisocial personality characteristics could collectively account for significant interindividual variability of both ERN and Pe amplitudes, in 29 healthy adults with no known disorders, ages 18–30 years. The bivariate zero‐order correlation analyses found that only the anxiety measure was significantly related to both ERN and Pe amplitudes. However, multiple regression analyses that included all four characteristic measures while controlling for number of segments in the ERP average revealed that both depression and antisocial personality characteristics were significant predictors for the ERN amplitudes whereas antisocial personality was the only significant predictor for the Pe amplitude. These findings suggest that psychological symptoms and personality traits are associated with individual variations in error monitoring in healthy adults, and future studies should consider these variables when comparing group difference in error monitoring between adults with and without disabilities.
Penrose limits of non-standard brane intersections

The non-standard intersection of two 5-branes and a string can give rise to AdS3 × S3 × S3 × S1. We consider the Penrose limit of this geometry and study the supersymmetry of the resulting pp-wave solution. There is a one-parameter family of Penrose limits associated with the orthogonal rotation of the two foliating circles within the two 3-spheres. Supernumerary Killing spinors arise only when the rotation angle is 45°, for which case we obtain the corresponding light-cone string action that has linearly-realized supersymmetry. We also obtain Penrose limits of other non-standard intersections that give rise to the product of AdS3 or AdS2 and 2-spheres. The resulting pp-waves are supported by multiple constant field strengths.
Approximate analysis on uplink sum rate with MRC receivers in massive MIMO systems

In this paper, we analyze uplink sum rate of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with maximum-ratio combining (MRC) receivers. To be practical, receive correlation and different powers of users are assumed. Two novel approximate results on sum rate are derived in closed form. Based on the results, we also obtain the asymptotic results on sum rate when the number of base station antenna (M) goes to infinity. Furthermore, the well-known conclusion that the power radiated by each single-antenna user can be made inversely to M with the same performance for the uncorrelated case still holds true even though there exists correlation. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed results are fairly accurate.
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn or persistent fetal circulation is a clinical syndrome that is usually apparent within the first 2 days after birth because of the presence of hypoxemia (2;12;19). The syndrome was first described in an abstract by Gersony, Due, and Sinclair (6) in 1969. Two infants were reported who had “RV decompensation, cyanosis and clear lung fields… in the absence of recognizable cardiac, pulmonary, hematologic or CNS disease. ” The syndrome has been associated with aspiration of meconium, diaphragmatic hernia, asphyxia, hemorrhage, shock, and maternal infection (4;18). In other cases, there is no clear antecedent event. Despite considerable interest in the problem and a wealth of research related to pulmonary vasoregulation and vascular development in the fetus and newborn, the etiology of the syndrome remains obscure 20 years since its recognition.
Between Children and Friends Financial Solidarity of Family and Friends in the Netherlands

People give and receive financial transfers both to their children and friends. This raises the question whether financial transfers to and from family and friends are related. Are people more likely to give to their friends if they give less to their children? Or, are people who receive money from one relation also more likely to receive money from others? And, does the relationship with friends change when people have children? In this paper we explore the simultaneity of the transfers to and from children and friends to improve our understanding of the motives for financial solidarity. To this aim we use data from Netherlands Kinship Panel Study 2005 in which respondents (here called anchors), reported the transfers with their children and friends. We first relate the likelihood of financial transfers to individual characteristics of both the anchor and respective donors or beneficiaries, and secondly investigate the correlations between each pairs of transfers for the main sample and different sub-groups. Our findings suggest that there exist a strong correlation between transfers to or from both children. A similar though weaker correlation is found when comparing relationships with children and friends simultaneously. In contrast with parent-child relationships we find a strong tendency for reciprocity between friends. With the increase of number of children reported, transfer reciprocity between anchors and their friends declines. Findings support ���warm glow� related motives, and do not support the altruism hypothesis as the explanation for financial solidarity. JEL Classifications: D10, D19, D13, D64 Key words: financial solidarity, inter-vivo family transfers, altruism, reciprocity, warm glow
Consumer detection and acceptability of reduced-sodium bread

Abstract Objective Bread is the largest contributor of Na to the American diet and excess Na consumption contributes to premature death and disability. We sought to determine the Na level at which consumers could detect a difference between reduced-Na bread and bread with typical Na content, and to determine if consumer sensory acceptability and purchase intent differed between reduced-Na bread and bread with typical Na content. Design Difference testing measured ability to detect differences in control bread and reduced-Na bread using two-alternative forced choice testing. Acceptability was measured using a nine-point hedonic scale and purchase intent was measured using a five-point purchase intent scale. Setting Difference and acceptability testing were conducted in Portland, OR, USA in January 2013. Subjects Eighty-two consumers participated in difference testing and 109 consumers participated in acceptability testing. Results Consumers did not detect a difference in saltiness between the control bread and the 10 % reduced-Na bread, but did detect a difference between the control bread and bread reduced in Na content by 20 % and 30 %. Na reductions had no effect on consumer acceptability of sensory characteristics, including overall liking, appearance, aroma, flavour, sweetness, salt level and texture, or purchase intent. Conclusions Reducing Na levels by up to 30 % in the sandwich bread tested did not affect consumer liking or purchase intent of the product. These results support national recommendations for small, incremental Na reductions in the food supply over time and assure bread manufacturers that sensory characteristics and consumer purchase intent of their products will be preserved after Na reductions occur.
Overexpression of G6PD Represents a Potential Prognostic Factor in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) participates in glucose metabolism and it acts as the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Recently, G6PD dysregulation has been found in a variety of human cancers. Through analyzing published data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), our pilot study indicated that G6PD mRNA expression was significantly higher in advanced Fuhrman grade in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). These clues promoted us to further evaluate the expression profile of G6PD and its prognostic impact in patients with ccRCC. In this study, G6PD expression levels were analyzed in 149 human ccRCC and normal tissues using immunohistochemistry. The results showed that compared with that in the normal renal samples, G6PD was found highly expressed in 51.0% of ccRCC (p<0.05). High expression of G6PD was significantly correlated to tumor extent, lymph node metastasis, Fuhrman grade, and TNM stage of ccRCC (all p<0.05). Moreover, positive G6PD expression was associated with poorer overall survival in ccRCC (p<0.001). In Cox regression analyses, high expression of G6PD also could be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in ccRCC (p=0.007). This study suggests that overexpression of G6PD is associated with advanced disease status and therefore may become an important prognosticator for poor outcomes in ccRCC, as well as a potential therapeutic target for developing effective treatment modalities.
Saving face on Facebook : managing impressions in the presence of multiple audiences on social network sites

Social network sites are now ubiquitous and self-presentation on these sites is, for many people, a major part of everyday life. The sites provide a novel context for impression management in which presentations can be viewed simultaneously, 24 hours a day, by multiple audiences with heterogeneous expectations. The argument outlined here is that this situation can increase the chances of social anxiety and regulatory behaviour when these expectations are not met. Through four studies including two experiments, a survey and a collection of semi-structured interviews, this thesis examines the process by which users regulate their actions both on- and offline with respect to multiple audiences online. A model is created out of intrapsychic theories grounded on Carver and Scheier’s (2001) selfregulatory process, in order to explain impression management in this context. Research is split into two phases and addressing young users aged predominately aged from 18-24; the first aiming to provide support for different components within the model and the second, to test the process as a whole. Phase 1 finds strong support for the model by providing evidence, first for the assumptions underlying the multiple audience problem and second, that public self-focus increases when engaged with the technology. A third contribution of Phase 1 is its categorisation of preventive and reactive regulatory behaviours. Phase 2 supports the process in the model, showing that self-focus leads to comparison between what is presented and the standards of multiple audiences, resulting in self-regulation mediated by anxiety.
Serum and plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid as an alternative to 24-h urine 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid measurement

Background Neuroendocrine tumours are slow growing tumours known to secrete a variety of vasoactive peptides which give rise to symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome. The diagnosis and monitoring of patients with neuroendocrine tumours is undertaken in many centres using 24 h urinary measurement of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. However, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid can also be quantified in plasma and serum. Methods We measured 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration in 134 paired EDTA plasma and urine samples from 108 patients with known neuroendocrine tumours and 26 healthy volunteers. We also compared 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations in paired serum and plasma samples (n = 63), then analysed paired urine and serum samples (n = 97). Furthermore, we examined the impact of renal impairment on serum 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid by analysing 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in patients without neuroendocrine tumours in different stages of chronic kidney disease, as indicated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Results Plasma and urine 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid had very similar diagnostic sensitivities and specificities, with areas under the curve on ROC analysis of 0.917 and 0.920, respectively. Serum and plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid values showed good correlation but serum results demonstrated a positive bias, indicating the necessity for different serum and plasma reference intervals. There was an inverse correlation between estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration, with 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid increasing once the estimated glomerular filtration rate falls below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Conclusion The measurement of both serum and plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid can be used for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with neuroendocrine tumours. Provided renal function is taken into consideration, either of these tests should be incorporated into standard practice as an alternative assay to urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid.
Rapid, transient, and frequency-specific topological reorganization of cognitive networks

Cognition emerges from interactions within spatially distributed but synchronized brain networks. Such networks are transient and dynamic, established on the timescale of milliseconds in order to perform specific cognitive operations. But it is not known whether topological features of transient cognitive networks contribute to cognitive processing. Cognition might merely change weights of intrinsic functional networks or, conversely, cognitive processing might require qualitatively new topological arrangements. To address this question, we recorded high-density EEG when subjects performed a visual discrimination task and characterized source-space weighted functional networks with graph measures. We revealed rapid, transient, and frequency-specific reorganization of the network’s topology during cognition. Specifically, cognitive networks were characterized by strong clustering, low modularity, and strong interactions between hub-nodes. Our findings suggest that dense and clustered connectivity between the hub nodes belonging to different modules is the “network fingerprint” of cognition. Such reorganization patterns might facilitate global integration of information and provide a substrate for a “global workspace” necessary for cognition and consciousness to occur. Thus, characterizing topology of the event-related networks opens new vistas to interpret cognitive dynamics in the broader conceptual framework of graph theory.
The relation of maternal serum eNOS, NOSTRIN and ADMA levels with aetiopathogenesis of preeclampsia and/or intrauterine fetal growth restriction

Abstract Objective: The aim of present study was to assess the maternal serum endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), NOSTRIN (eNOS-trafficking inducer) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in the presence or absence of preeclampsia and to compare the results with preeclamptic pregnant women with appropriate-for-gestational-age weight infants. Patients and methods: The study was performed on 65 normotensive pregnant women with isolated IUGR, 64 preeclamptic women with IUGR, 51 preeclamptic women with normal intrauterine fetal growth and 65 healthy normotensive pregnant women with singleton uncomplicated pregnancies. Severe preeclampsia was defined as blood pressure > 160/110 mmHg with proteinuria > 5 g in a 24-h urinary protein excretion. IUGR were classified when the weight of the fetus was below the 10th centiles with disturbed placental function and abnormal ultrasonographic examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by the infant's weight at birth. The maternal serum eNOS, NOSTRIN and ADMA concentrations were determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the eNOS and NOSTRIN levels between studied groups of women. Increased levels of ADMA in both preeclamptic groups and in women with pregnancies complicated by isolated IUGR were observed. Conclusions: Our results allow the conclusion that impaired NO bioavailability in pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia and/or IUGR result not from a reduced level or activity of eNOS or from its disturbed intracellular transport, but from increased ADMA levels, an endogenous inhibitor of the enzyme eNOS.
Resist-related damage on ultrathin gate oxide during plasma ashing

This paper presents an important observation of plasma-induced damage on ultrathin oxides during O/sub 2/ plasma ashing by metal "antenna" structures with photoresist on top of the electrodes. It is found that for MOS capacitors without overlying photoresist during plasma ashing, only minor damage occurs on thin oxides, even for oxide thickness down to 4.2 nm and an area ratio as large as 10/sup 4/. In contrast, oxides thinner than 6 nm with resist overlayer suffer significant degradation from plasma charging. This phenomenon is contrary to most previous reports. It suggests that the presence of photoresist will substantially affect the plasma charging during ashing process, especially for devices with ultrathin gate oxides.
A Novel Small-Molecule Inhibitor of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Demethylmenaquinone Methyltransferase MenG Is Bactericidal to Both Growing and Nutritionally Deprived Persister Cells

ABSTRACT Active tuberculosis (TB) and latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection both require lengthy treatments to achieve durable cures. This problem has partly been attributable to the existence of nonreplicating M. tuberculosis “persisters” that are difficult to kill using conventional anti-TB treatments. Compounds that target the respiratory pathway have the potential to kill both replicating and persistent M. tuberculosis and shorten TB treatment, as this pathway is essential in both metabolic states. We developed a novel respiratory pathway-specific whole-cell screen to identify new respiration inhibitors. This screen identified the biphenyl amide GSK1733953A (DG70) as a likely respiration inhibitor. DG70 inhibited both clinical drug-susceptible and drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Whole-genome sequencing of DG70-resistant colonies identified mutations in menG (rv0558), which is responsible for the final step in menaquinone biosynthesis and required for respiration. Overexpression of menG from wild-type and DG70-resistant isolates increased the DG70 MIC by 4× and 8× to 30×, respectively. Radiolabeling and high-resolution mass spectrometry studies confirmed that DG70 inhibited the final step in menaquinone biosynthesis. DG70 also inhibited oxygen utilization and ATP biosynthesis, which was reversed by external menaquinone supplementation. DG70 was bactericidal in actively replicating cultures and in a nutritionally deprived persistence model. DG70 was synergistic with the first-line TB drugs isoniazid, rifampin, and the respiratory inhibitor bedaquiline. The combination of DG70 and isoniazid completely sterilized cultures in the persistence model by day 10. These results suggest that MenG is a good therapeutic target and that compounds targeting MenG along with standard TB therapy have the potential to shorten TB treatment duration. IMPORTANCE This study shows that MenG, which is responsible for the last enzymatic step in menaquinone biosynthesis, may be a good drug target for improving TB treatments. We describe the first small-molecule inhibitor (DG70) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MenG and show that DG70 has characteristics that are highly desirable for a new antitubercular agent, including bactericidality against both actively growing and nonreplicating mycobacteria and synergy with several first-line drugs that are currently used to treat TB. IMPORTANCE This study shows that MenG, which is responsible for the last enzymatic step in menaquinone biosynthesis, may be a good drug target for improving TB treatments. We describe the first small-molecule inhibitor (DG70) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MenG and show that DG70 has characteristics that are highly desirable for a new antitubercular agent, including bactericidality against both actively growing and nonreplicating mycobacteria and synergy with several first-line drugs that are currently used to treat TB.