Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Bismuth Oxide on the Microstructure and Electrical Conductivity of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia

Bismuth oxide (Bi2O3)-doped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were prepared via the solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction spectroscopy results indicate that doping with 2 mol% Bi2O3 and adding 10 mol% yttria result in a stable zirconia cubic phase. Adding Bi2O3 as a dopant increases the density of zirconia to above 96%, while reducing its normal sintering temperature by approximately 250 °C. Moreover, electrical impedance analyses show that adding Bi2O3 enhances the conductivity of zirconia, improving its capability as a solid electrolyte for intermediate or even lower temperatures.
Increasing the Unneddylated Cullin1 Portion Rescues the csn Phenotypes by Stabilizing Adaptor Modules To Drive SCF Assembly

ABSTRACT The dynamic SCF (Skp1–cullin1–F-box protein) assembly is controlled by cycles of cullin neddylation/deneddylation based on the deneddylation activity of the COP9 signalosome (CSN) and global sequestration of cullins by CAND1. However, acceptance of this prediction was hampered by the results of recent studies, and the regulatory mechanism and key players remain to be identified. We found that maintaining a proper Cul1Nedd8/Cul1 ratio is crucial to ensure SCF functions. Reducing the high Cul1Nedd8/Cul1 ratios in csn mutants through ectopic expression of the nonneddylatable Cul1K722R proteins or introducing the endogenous cul1K722R point mutation significantly rescues their defective phenotypes. In vivo protein degradation assays revealed that the large portion of the unneddylated Cul1 contributes to F-box protein stabilization. Moreover, the unneddylated Cul1 tends to associate with adaptor modules, and disruption of Cul1–Skp-1 binding fails to restore the csn phenotypes. Taking the data together, we propose that unneddylated Cul1 is another central player involved in maintenance of the adaptor module pool through the formation of Cul1–Skp-1–F-box complexes and promotion of rapid SCF assembly.
Unusual metal abundances in a pair of damped Lyman alpha systems at z 2

We present high resolution spectroscopic observations of two neighbouring damped Lyman α systems (DLAs) along the same line of sight towards B2314-409. Due to their separation ($v \sim2000$ km s -1 ) and the high spectral resolution of the data, it is possible to fit not only the weak metal transitions, but also the separate H I absorption profiles. This has permitted, for the first time, a detailed study of metal abundances in two neighbouring galaxy-scale absorbers. The two DLAs have z abs = 1.8573 and 1.8745 and have column densities $\log$ N (H I) = $20.9\pm0.1$ and $20.1\pm0.2$ respectively. We have determined abundances for a range of chemical elements, and find that both absorbers towards B2314-409 have low α /Fe-peak abundances compared with other known DLAs. This indicates that not only has the recent star formation history of these absorbers been relatively passive, but that the group environment, or some other external factor, may have influenced this.
Considering the Functional Value of Common Marine Species as a Conservation Stake: The Case of Sandmason Worm Lanice conchilega (Pallas 1766) (Annelida, Polychaeta) Beds

Abstract Conservation of the marine environment mainly focuses on threatened elements and more precisely on vulnerable and endangered species like birds and mammals. When dealing with the conservation of marine habitats, the scientific community is mainly interested in hot spots of diversity, like seagrass beds in Europe, or hot spots of endemism, like coral reefs in tropical areas. Nevertheless, using the example of a common and widespread marine invertebrate, the sandmason worm (Lanice conchilega, Polychaeta, Terebellidae), we show that vulnerability and rarity are not the only criteria to take into account in order to select the best natural element for conservation. This species can form dense beds that increase biodiversity, are attractive feeding grounds for birds and fishes, and have a high socioeconomic value. In consequence, they have a high functional value that should be considered as an important conservation stake. Through the example of the Chausey archipelago and the Bay of the Mont Saint-Michel (France), we propose a synthetic interdisciplinary approach to evaluate the conservation needs of these beds. The issue is even more pressing when one considers that these natural elements and many similar ones still do not benefit from any legal protection in Europe despite their high heritage value.
Influence of antiorthostatic suspension on resistance to murine Listeria monocytogenes infection

The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of antiorthostatic suspension, a ground‐based modeling system employed to simulate certain aspects of weightlessness that occur during space flight, on the capacity of mice to resist infection with the facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Female BDF1 mice were suspended by the tail in the orthostatic or antiorthostatic position and were infected with a sublethal dose of virulent L. monocytogenes at various times during the suspension. It was found that suspension did not influence the kinetics of bacterial growth in vivo if the infection was started concurrently with the suspension. However, mice that were antiorthostatically suspended 2, 4, or 7 days before the onset of infection exhibited an enhanced capacity to eliminate the challenge infection. Suspending mice on day 2 of the infection did not alter the kinetics of bacterial growth. Finally, the enhancement of resistance to the primary Listeria infection was accompanied by failure of the mice to generate long‐term protective immunological memory to the challenge organism. Collectively, these results indicate that the stress of antiorthostatic suspension can influence the capacity of mice to resist bacterial infection. J. Leukoc. Biol. 55: 371–378; 1994.
Adaptation Independent Modulation of Auditory Hair Cell Mechanotransduction Channel Open Probability Implicates a Role for the Lipid Bilayer

The auditory system is able to detect movement down to atomic dimensions. This sensitivity comes in part from mechanisms associated with gating of hair cell mechanoelectric transduction (MET) channels. MET channels, located at the tops of stereocilia, are poised to detect tension induced by hair bundle deflection. Hair bundle deflection generates a force by pulling on tip-link proteins connecting adjacent stereocilia. The resting open probability (Popen) of MET channels determines the linearity and sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. Classically, Popen is regulated by a calcium-sensitive adaptation mechanism in which lowering extracellular calcium or depolarization increases Popen. Recent data demonstrated that the fast component of adaptation is independent of both calcium and voltage, thus requiring an alternative explanation for the sensitivity of Popen to calcium and voltage. Using rat auditory hair cells, we characterize a mechanism, separate from fast adaptation, whereby divalent ions interacting with the local lipid environment modulate resting Popen. The specificity of this effect for different divalent ions suggests binding sites that are not an EF-hand or calmodulin model. GsMTx4, a lipid-mediated modifier of cationic stretch-activated channels, eliminated the voltage and divalent sensitivity with minimal effects on adaptation. We hypothesize that the dual mechanisms (lipid modulation and adaptation) extend the dynamic range of the system while maintaining adaptation kinetics at their maximal rates. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Classically, changes in extracellular calcium and voltage affect open probability (Popen) through mechanoelectric transduction adaptation, and this mechanism is the only means of controlling the set point of the channel. Here, we further characterize the effects of extracellular calcium and voltage on the channel and for the first time determine that these manipulations occur through a mechanism that is independent of fast adaptation and involves the lipid bilayer. These data additionally demonstrate that effects on Popen are not enough to characterize adaptation and thus may clarify some of the discrepancies within the literature as to mechanisms underlying adaptation.
Detecting short directed cycles using rectangular matrix multiplication and dynamic programming

We present several new algorithms for detecting short fixed length cycles in digraphs. The new algorithms utilize fast rectangular matrix multiplication algorithms together with a dynamic programming approach similar to the one used in the solution of the classical chain matrix product problem. The new algorithms are instantiations of a generic algorithm that we present for finding a directed <i>C</i><inf><i>k</i></inf>, i.e., a directed cycle of length <i>k</i>, in a digraph, for any fixed <i>k</i> ≥ 3. This algorithm partitions the prospective <i>C</i><inf><i>k</i></inf>'s in the input digraph <i>G</i> = (<i>V,E</i>) into <i>O</i>(log<sup>k</sup> <i>V</i>) classes, according to the degrees of their vertices. For each cycle class we determine, in <i>O</i>(<i>E</i><sup><i>ck</i></sup> log <i>V</i>) time, whether G contains a <i>C</i><inf><i>k</i></inf> from that class, where <i>c</i><inf><i>k</i></inf> = <i>c</i><inf><i>k</i></inf>(ω) is a constant that depends only on ! , the exponent of square matrix multiplication. The search for cycles from a given class is guided by the solution of a small dynamic programming problem. The total running time of the obtained deterministic algorithm is therefore <i>O</i>(<i>E</i><sup><i>ck</i></sup> log<sup><i>k</i>+1</sup> <i>V</i>). For <i>C</i><inf>3</inf>, we get <i>c</i><inf>3</inf> = 2ω/(ω + 1) < 1.41 where ω < 2.376 is the exponent of square matrix multiplication. This coincides with an existing algorithm of [AYZ97]. For <i>C</i><inf>4</inf> we get <i>c</i><inf>4</inf> = (4ω - 1)/(2ω + 1) < 1.48. We can dispense, in this case, of the polylogarithmic factor and get an <i>O</i>(<i>E</i><sup>(4ω-1)/(2ω+1)</sup>) = <i>o</i>(<i>E</i><sup>1.48</sup>) time algorithm. This improves upon an O(E3/2) time algorithm of [AYZ97]. For <i>C</i><inf>5</inf> we get <i>c</i><inf>5</inf> = 3ω/(ω + 2) < 1.63. The obtained running time of <i>O</i>(<i>E</i>3ω/(ω+2) log6 <i>V</i>) = <i>o</i>(<i>E</i><sup>1.63</sup>) improves upon an <i>O</i>(<i>E</i><sup>5/3</sup>) time algorithm of [AYZ97]. Determining <i>c</i><inf><i>k</i></inf> for <i>k</i> ≥ 6 is a difficult task. We conjecture that <i>c</i><inf><i>k</i></inf> = (<i>k</i> + 1)ω/(2ω + <i>k</i> - 1), for every odd <i>k</i>. The values of <i>c</i><inf><i>k</i></inf> for even <i>k</i> ≥ 6 seem to exhibit a much more complicated dependence on ω.
Vision-based Active Speaker Detection in Multiparty Interaction

This paper presents a supervised learning method for automatic visual detection of the active speaker in multiparty interactions. The presented detectors are built using a multimodal multiparty interaction dataset previously recorded with the purpose to explore patterns in the focus of visual attention of humans. Three different conditions are included: two humans involved in task-based interaction with a robot; the same two humans involved in task-based interaction where the robot is replaced by a third human, and a free three-party human interaction. The paper also presents an evaluation of the active speaker detection method in a speaker dependent experiment showing that the method achieves good accuracy rates in a fairly unconstrained scenario using only image data as input. The main goal of the presented method is to provide real-time detection of the active speaker within a broader framework implemented on a robot and used to generate natural focus of visual attention behavior during multiparty human-robot interactions.
Preliminary Evidence That Ketamine Inhibits Spreading Depolarizations in Acute Human Brain Injury

Background and Purpose— Spreading depolarizations, characterized by large propagating, slow potential changes, have been demonstrated with electrocorticography in patients with cerebral hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. Whereas spreading depolarizations are harmless under normal conditions in animals, they cause or augment damage in the ischemic brain. A fraction of spreading depolarizations is abolished by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists. Summary of Case— In 2 patients with severe acute brain injury (traumatic and spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage), spreading depolarizations were inhibited by the noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine. This restored electrocorticographic activity. Conclusions— These anecdotal electrocorticographic findings suggest that ketamine has an inhibitory effect on spreading depolarizations in humans. This is of potential interest for future neuroprotective trials.
Highly Methylated Genes in Colorectal Neoplasia: Implications for Screening

Discriminant markers are required for accurate cancer screening. We evaluated genes frequently methylated in colorectal neoplasia to identify the most discriminant ones. Four genes specifically methylated in colorectal cancer [bone morphogenetic protein 3 (BMP3), EYA2, aristaless-like homeobox-4 (ALX4), and vimentin] were selected from 41 candidate genes and evaluated on 74 cancers, 62 adenomas, and 70 normal epithelia. Methylation status was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively and confirmed by bisulfite genomic sequencing. Effect of methylation on gene expression was evaluated in five colon cancer cell lines. K-ras and BRAF mutations were detected by sequencing. Methylation of BMP3, EYA2, ALX4, or vimentin was detected respectively in 66%, 66%, 68%, and 72% of cancers; 74%, 48%, 89%, and 84% of adenomas; and 7%, 5%, 11%, and 11% of normal epithelia (P < 0.01, cancer or adenoma versus normal). Based on area under the curve analyses, discrimination was not significantly improved by combining markers. Comethylation was frequent (two genes or more in 72% of cancers and 84% of adenomas), associated with proximal neoplasm site (P < 0.001), and linked with both BRAF and K-ras mutations (P < 0.01). Cell line experiments supported silencing of expression by methylation in all four study genes. This study shows BMP3, EYA2, ALX4, and vimentin genes are methylated in most colorectal neoplasms but rarely in normal epithelia. Comethylation of these genes is common, and pursuit of complementary markers for methylation-negative neoplasms is a rational strategy to optimize screening sensitivity. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(12):2686–96)
Retraction policies of high-impact biomedical journals.

PURPOSE The purpose is to review the issue of retraction in the scientific literature and to examine the policies on retraction of major biomedical journals. METHOD The historical background of this issue was investigated through a literature search. The Instructions to Authors of 122 major biomedical journals were reviewed for evidence of a policy on the retraction of articles. Editors of those journals with no mention of retraction in their Instructions to Authors were contacted by email and/or postal mail. RESULTS Sixty-two percent of the journals investigated did not post or report having a policy on issuing retractions. Only twenty-one (18%) did. The remainder did not post any policy and did not respond to inquiries. DISCUSSION Including policies in Instructions to Authors relating to the principled conduct of research and publication will improve the ethical environment in which the scientific community works.
Pigment Pattern in jaguar/obelix Zebrafish Is Caused by a Kir7.1 Mutation: Implications for the Regulation of Melanosome Movement

Many animals have a variety of pigment patterns, even within a species, and these patterns may be one of the driving forces of speciation. Recent molecular genetic studies on zebrafish have revealed that interaction among pigment cells plays a key role in pattern formation, but the mechanism of pattern formation is unclear. The zebrafish jaguar/obelix mutant has broader stripes than wild-type fish. In this mutant, the development of pigment cells is normal but their distribution is altered, making these fish ideal for studying the process of pigment pattern formation. Here, we utilized a positional cloning method to determine that the inwardly rectifying potassium channel 7.1 (Kir7.1) gene is responsible for pigment cell distribution among jaguar/obelix mutant fish. Furthermore, in jaguar/obelix mutant alleles, we identified amino acid changes in the conserved region of Kir7.1, each of which affected K+ channel activity as demonstrated by patch-clamp experiments. Injection of a bacterial artificial chromosome containing the wild-type Kir7.1 genomic sequence rescued the jaguar/obelix phenotype. From these results, we conclude that mutations in Kir7.1 are responsible for jaguar/obelix. We also determined that the ion channel function defect of melanophores expressing mutant Kir7.1 altered the cellular response to external signals. We discovered that mutant melanophores cannot respond correctly to the melanosome dispersion signal derived from the sympathetic neuron and that melanosome aggregation is constitutively activated. In zebrafish and medaka, it is well known that melanosome aggregation and subsequent melanophore death increase when fish are kept under constant light conditions. These observations indicate that melanophores of jaguar/obelix mutant fish have a defect in the signaling pathway downstream of the α2-adrenoceptor. Taken together, our results suggest that the cellular defect of the Kir7.1 mutation is directly responsible for the pattern change in the jaguar/obelix mutant.
Neuron Neural Predictors of Purchases

Brian Knutson,* Scott Rick, G. Elliott Wimmer, Drazen Prelec, and George Loewenstein Psychology and Neuroscience, Stanford University, Building 420, Jordan Hall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, 208 Porter Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E56-320, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA *Correspondence: knutson@psych.stanford. edu DOI 10.1016/j.neuron. 2006.11. 010
cancerclass: An R Package for Development and Validation of Diagnostic Tests from High-Dimensional Molecular Data

Progress in molecular high-throughput techniques has led to the opportunity of a comprehensive monitoring of biomolecules in medical samples. In the era of personalized medicine, these data form the basis for the development of diagnostic, prognostic and predictive tests for cancer. Because of the high number of features that are measured simultaneously in a relatively low number of samples, supervised learning approaches are sensitive to overfitting and performance overestimation. Bioinformatic methods were developed to cope with these problems including control of accuracy and precision. However, there is demand for easy-to-use software that integrates methods for classifier construction, performance assessment and development of diagnostic tests. To contribute to filling of this gap, we developed a comprehensive R package for the development and validation of diagnostic tests from high-dimensional molecular data. An important focus of the package is a careful validation of the classification results. To this end, we implemented an extended version of the multiple random validation protocol, a validation method that was introduced before. The package includes methods for continuous prediction scores. This is important in a clinical setting, because scores can be converted to probabilities and help to distinguish between clear-cut and borderline classification results. The functionality of the package is illustrated by the analysis of two cancer microarray data sets.
The Arabidopsis ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 Regulates Abiotic Stress-Responsive Gene Expression by Binding to Different cis-Acting Elements in Response to Different Stress Signals1[W][OA]

The transcriptional regulator ERF1 plays a positive role in salt, drought, and heat stress tolerance by integrating hormonal signals. ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 (ERF1) is an upstream component in both jasmonate (JA) and ethylene (ET) signaling and is involved in pathogen resistance. Accumulating evidence suggests that ERF1 might be related to the salt stress response through ethylene signaling. However, the specific role of ERF1 in abiotic stress and the molecular mechanism underlying the signaling cross talk still need to be elucidated. Here, we report that ERF1 was highly induced by high salinity and drought stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The salt stress induction required both JA and ET signaling but was inhibited by abscisic acid. ERF1-overexpressing lines (35S:ERF1) were more tolerant to drought and salt stress. They also displayed constitutively smaller stomatal aperture and less transpirational water loss. Surprisingly, 35S:ERF1 also showed enhanced heat tolerance and up-regulation of heat tolerance genes compared with the wild type. Several suites of genes activated by JA, drought, salt, and heat were found in microarray analysis of 35S:ERF1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays found that ERF1 up-regulates specific suites of genes in response to different abiotic stresses by stress-specific binding to GCC or DRE/CRT. In response to biotic stress, ERF1 bound to GCC boxes but not DRE elements; conversely, under abiotic stress, we observed specific binding of ERF1 to DRE elements. Furthermore, ERF1 bound preferentially to only one among several GCC box or DRE/CRT elements in the promoter region of its target genes. ERF1 plays a positive role in salt, drought, and heat stress tolerance by stress-specific gene regulation, which integrates JA, ET, and abscisic acid signals.
MR imaging in idiopathic growth hormone deficiency.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE MR imaging findings of one or more of the following has been suggested to be a sensitive and specific indicator of hypopituitarism: small anterior pituitary gland, attenuated or absent pituitary stalk, and ectopic posterior pituitary. We hypothesized that these MR findings would be common in our group of patients with idiopathic isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD) and would be a good indicator of the severity of the hypopituitarism. METHODS MR images were obtained for 35 patients with idiopathic GHD (20 with isolated GHD and 15 with MPHD; age range, 2 to 17 years) and analyzed to define one or more of the following triad of abnormalities: 1) small/absent anterior pituitary, 2) truncated/absent pituitary stalk, and 3) ectopic posterior pituitary, as well as for any other associated anomalies. The findings were correlated with the clinical and biochemical presentation. RESULTS Pituitary abnormalities were common in both groups (80% with isolated GHD, 93% with MPHD). We found a high frequency of midline CNS malformations, including optic nerve hypoplasia (9%), Chiari type I malformations (20%), and medial deviation of the carotid arteries (37%). Breech delivery, neonatal hypoglycemia, jaundice, micropenis, or single central incisor occurred equally with both isolated GHD and MPHD. In patients whose peak growth hormone level was less than 3 microg/L (n = 19), 90% had the MR triad, compared with 390% of those with growth hormone levels 3 microg/L or greater or less than 8 microg/L (n = 13) (P <.01). Almost all (92%) of those with ectopic posterior pituitary had anterior pituitary heights less than -2 SD for age. CONCLUSION MR abnormalities were common in children with both isolated GHD and MPHD and were closely associated with peak growth hormone levels less than 3 microg/L. The presence of other CNS and clinical findings (eg, single central incisor and micropenis) supports the theory of an embryologic defect as the cause of the pituitary abnormalities.