Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DREAM-αCREM Interaction via Leucine-Charged Domains Derepresses Downstream Regulatory Element-Dependent Transcription

ABSTRACT Protein kinase A-dependent derepression of the human prodynorphin gene is regulated by the differential occupancy of the Dyn downstream regulatory element (DRE) site. Here, we show that a direct protein-protein interaction between DREAM and the CREM repressor isoform, αCREM, prevents binding of DREAM to the DRE and suggests a mechanism for cyclic AMP-dependent derepression of the prodynorphin gene in human neuroblastoma cells. Phosphorylation in the kinase-inducible domain of αCREM is not required for the interaction, but phospho-αCREM shows higher affinity for DREAM. The interaction with αCREM is independent of the Ca2+-binding properties of DREAM and is governed by leucine-charged residue-rich domains located in both αCREM and DREAM. Thus, our results propose a new mechanism for DREAM-mediated derepression that can operate independently of changes in nuclear Ca2+.
Genetic Analysis of the Roles of Hh, FGF8, and Nodal Signaling during Catecholaminergic System Development in the Zebrafish Brain

CNS catecholaminergic neurons can be distinguished by their neurotransmitters as dopaminergic or noradrenergic and form in distinct regions at characteristic embryonic stages. This raises the question of whether all catecholaminergic neurons of one transmitter type are specified by the same set of factors. Therefore, we performed genetic analyses to define signaling requirements for the specification of distinct clusters of catecholaminergic neurons in zebrafish. In mutants affecting midbrain– hindbrain boundary (MHB) organizer formation, the earliest ventral diencephalic dopaminergic neurons appear normal. However, after 2 d of development, we observed fewer cells than in wild types, which suggests that the MHB provides proliferation or survival factors rather than specifying ventral diencephalic dopaminergic clusters. In hedgehog (Hh) pathway mutants, the formation of catecholaminergic neurons is affected only in the pretectal cluster. Surprisingly, neither fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) alone nor in combination with Hh signaling is required for specification of early developing dopaminergic neurons. We analyzed the formation of prosomeric territories in the forebrain of Hh and Nodal pathway mutants to determine whether the absence of specific dopaminergic clusters may be caused by early patterning defects ablating corresponding parts of the CNS. In Nodal pathway mutants, ventral diencephalic and pretectal catecholaminergic neurons fail to develop, whereas both anatomical structures form at least in part. This suggests that Nodal signaling is required for catecholaminergic neuron specification. In summary, our results do not support the previously suggested dominant roles for sonic hedgehog and Fgf8 in specification of the first catecholaminergic neurons, but instead indicate a novel role for Nodal signaling in this process.
Accurate and biased perceptions of partner’s conflict behaviors shape emotional experience

The present study examined both accuracy and bias in perceptions of romantic partners’ destructive behavior during relationship conflicts, as well as implications of accuracy and bias for emotional experience. Perceptions of partners’ destructive behavior during relationship conflicts were associated with indicators’ of partners’ behavior (i.e., target self-reports and objective coder ratings), suggesting that people were somewhat accurate in perceiving their partner’s destructive behavior. Independently of this accuracy effect, the more participants valued their relationship with their partner, the less destructive they interpreted their partner’s behavior to be during the conflict discussion, suggesting biases in perceptions of destructive behavior. These perceptions of destructive behavior, in turn, predicted emotional experience during the conflict. Results suggest that emotional experience during romantic relationship conflicts is dependent on both accurate and biased perceptions of partners’ behavior.
Use of phenotypic and molecular data for genetic evaluation of livestock

Present methods for genetic evaluation of livestock are largely based on phenotypic information and pedigree registration. Genomics offers the opportunity to dissect phenotypic differences at the molecular level, which provides a better insight into the underlying genetic model. This affects genetic evaluations as well as selection strategies. Opportunities to utilize molecular and phenotypic information in genetic evaluation are described. Molecular genetic information offers the opportunity to better exploit phenotypic information but collecting phenotypic information remains important in order to identify the genetically unique individuals.
Effects of long-term fertilisation and growth on micronutrient status in Norway spruce trees

Effects of fertilisation treatments (amounts and composition) on needle concentrations of micronutrients (boron, copper, iron, manganese and zinc), were studied in a long-term fertilisation experiment with young Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) in Central Sweden. Stored current-year's needles (1967-1989), and material from a biomass sampling in 1989, were used to determine changes in micronutrient status with stand development, and to estimate total amounts of micronutrients, in all aboveground organs for a wide range of nutrient regimes and stand productivities. Different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and micronutrients were applied. Fertilisation resulted in a wide range of growth rates: the most optimal treatments grew more than three times as fast as the control stands. When micronutrients were included among the elements supplied, internal concentrations of boron, manganese and zinc increased. Needle concentrations of copper and iron were, however, not affected by fertiliser treatment or by differences in growth rate. While copper concentrations in all aboveground organs were similar between treatments, large amounts of iron were stored in the branches. With increasing growth rates the increased amount of iron incorporated into needle biomass was balanced by a decrease in concentration and amount of iron in the branches. Boron concentrations in needles from fertilised trees were occasionally close to deficiency levels when trees were not supplied with boron. Boron appeared to be retranslocated from older needles to current developing shoots, thereby reducing the 'dilution effect' caused by increased biomass production.
Subsidence in the vicinity of New Orleans as indicated by analysis of geodetic leveling data

NGS engages i n r e s e a r c h and development f o r t h e improvement of knowledge of t h e f i g u r e of t h e E a r t h and i t s g r a v i t y f i e l d , and h a s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o procure g e o d e t i c d a t a from a l l s o u r c e s , p r o c e s s t h e s e d a t a , and make them g e n e r a l l y a v a i l a b l e t o u s e r s through a c e n t r a l d a t a base. Do n o t send cash o r stamps. P u b l i c a t i o n s can a l s o be charged t o Visa, P u b l i c a t i o n s can a l s o be purchased over t h e counter a t t h e N a t i o n a l Geodetic
Natural Genome Diversity of AI-2 Quorum Sensing in Escherichia coli: Conserved Signal Production but Labile Signal Reception

Quorum sensing (QS) regulates the onset of bacterial social responses in function to cell density having an important impact in virulence. Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) is a signal that has the peculiarity of mediating both intra- and interspecies bacterial QS. We analyzed the diversity of all components of AI-2 QS across 44 complete genomes of Escherichia coli and Shigella strains. We used phylogenetic tools to study its evolution and determined the phenotypes of single-deletion mutants to predict phenotypes of natural strains. Our analysis revealed many likely adaptive polymorphisms both in gene content and in nucleotide sequence. We show that all natural strains possess the signal emitter (the luxS gene), but many lack a functional signal receptor (complete lsr operon) and the ability to regulate extracellular signal concentrations. This result is in striking contrast with the canonical species-specific QS systems where one often finds orphan receptors, without a cognate synthase, but not orphan emitters. Our analysis indicates that selection actively maintains a balanced polymorphism for the presence/absence of a functional lsr operon suggesting diversifying selection on the regulation of signal accumulation and recognition. These results can be explained either by niche-specific adaptation or by selection for a coercive behavior where signal-blind emitters benefit from forcing other individuals in the population to haste in cooperative behaviors.
Leptospira Infection Interferes with the Prothrombinase Complex Assembly during Experimental Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic and neglected infectious disease of human and veterinary concern, caused by pathogenic Leptospira species. Although bleeding is a common symptom of severe leptospirosis, the cause of hemorrhage is not completely understood. In severe infections, modulation of hemostasis by pathogens is an important virulence mechanism, and hemostatic impairments such as coagulation/fibrinolysis dysfunction are frequently observed. Here, we analyze the coagulation status of experimentally infected hamsters in an attempt to determine coagulation interferences and the origin of leptospirosis hemorrhagic symptomatology. Hamsters were experimentally infected with L. interrogans. The lungs, kidneys, and livers were collected for culture, histopathology, and coagulation assays. L. interrogans infection disturbs normal coagulation in the organs of animals. Our results suggest the presence of a thrombin-like factor or FX activator, which is able to activate FII in the leptospirosis organ extracts. The activity of those factors is accelerated in the prothrombinase complex. Additionally, we show for the first time that live leptospires act as a surface for the prothrombinase complex assembly. Our results contribute to the understanding of leptospirosis pathophysiological mechanisms and may open new routes for the discovery of novel treatments in the severe manifestations of the disease.
The Open University ’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Characteristics and durability of fluoropolymer thin films

The use of plasma-polymerised fluoropolymer (CFxOy) thin films in the manufacture of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices is well-established, being employed in the passivation step of the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process, for example. This paper presents an investigation of the effect of exposure to organic and aqueous liquid media on plasma-polymerised CFxOy thin films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic wetting measurements were all employed as characterisation techniques. Highly basic aqueous solutions, including known silicon etchants, were found to cause delamination via degradation of the countersurface below the CFxOy thin film. Films were found to be stable in organic solvents, acidic aqueous solutions and slightly basic aqueous solutions. 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Fluoxetine Requires the Endfeet Protein Aquaporin-4 to Enhance Plasticity of Astrocyte Processes

Morphological alterations in astrocytes are characteristic for post mortem brains of patients affected by major depressive disorder (MDD). Recently, a significant reduction in the coverage of blood vessels (BVs) by aquaporin-4 (AQP-4)-positive astrocyte endfeet has been shown in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of MDD patients, suggesting that either alterations in the morphology of endfeet or in AQP-4 distribution might be responsible for the disease phenotype or constitute a consequence of its progress. Antidepressant drugs (ADs) regulate the expression of several proteins, including astrocyte-specific ones. Thus, they may target AQP-4 to induce morphological changes in astrocytes and restore their proper shape or relocate AQP-4 to endfeet. Using an animal model of depression, rats selectively bred for high anxiety-like behavior (HAB), we confirmed a reduced coverage of BVs in the adult PFC by AQP-4-immunoreactive (AQP-4-IR) astrocyte processes with respect to non-selected Wistar rats (NAB), thereby validating it for our study. A further evaluation of the morphology of astrocyte in brain slices (ex vivo) and in vitro using an antibody against the astrocyte-specific cytoskeletal protein glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) revealed that HAB astrocytes extended less processes than NAB cells. Furthermore, short-term drug treatment in vitro with the AD fluoxetine (FLX) was sufficient to increase the plasticity of astrocyte processes, enhancing their number in NAB-derived cells and recovering their basal number in HAB-derived cells. This enhanced FLX-dependent plasticity occurred, however, only in the presence of intact AQP-4, as demonstrated by the lack of effect after the downregulation of AQP-4 with RNAi in both NAB and HAB cells. Nonetheless, a similar short-term treatment did neither modulate the coverage of BVs with AQP-4-positive astrocyte endfeet in NAB nor in HAB rats, although dosage and time of treatment were sufficient to fully recover GFAP expression in HAB brains. Thus, we suggest that longer treatment regimes may be needed to properly restore the coverage of BVs or to relocate AQP-4 to astrocyte endfeet. In conclusion, FLX requires AQP-4 to modulate the plasticity of astrocyte processes and this effect might be essential to re-establish a functional glia-vasculature interface necessary for a physiological communication between bloodstream and brain parenchyma.
Automatic classification of married couples' behavior using audio features

In this work, we analyzed a 96-hour corpus of married couples spontaneously interacting about a problem in their relationship. Each spouse was manually coded with relevant session-level perceptual observations (e.g., level of blame toward other spouse, global positive affect), and our goal was to classify the spouses’ behavior using features derived from the audio signal. Based on automatic segmentation, we extracted prosodic/spectral features to capture global acoustic properties for each spouse. We then trained gender-specific classifiers to predict the behavior of each spouse for six codes. We compare performance for the various factors (across codes, gender, classifier type, and feature type) and discuss future work for this novel and challenging corpus. Index Terms: behavioral signal processing, human behavior analysis, couples therapy, prosody, emotion recognition
Multimodal recognition of reading activity in transit using body-worn sensors

Reading is one of the most well-studied visual activities. Vision research traditionally focuses on understanding the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in reading. In this work we recognize reading activity by jointly analyzing eye and head movements of people in an everyday environment. Eye movements are recorded using an electrooculography (EOG) system; body movements using body-worn inertial measurement units. We compare two approaches for continuous recognition of reading: String matching (STR) that explicitly models the characteristic horizontal saccades during reading, and a support vector machine (SVM) that relies on 90 eye movement features extracted from the eye movement data. We evaluate both methods in a study performed with eight participants reading while sitting at a desk, standing, walking indoors and outdoors, and riding a tram. We introduce a method to segment reading activity by exploiting the sensorimotor coordination of eye and head movements during reading. Using person-independent training, we obtain an average precision for recognizing reading of 88.9% (recall 72.3%) using STR and of 87.7% (recall 87.9%) using SVM over all participants. We show that the proposed segmentation scheme improves the performance of recognizing reading events by more than 24%. Our work demonstrates that the joint analysis of eye and body movements is beneficial for reading recognition and opens up discussion on the wider applicability of a multimodal recognition approach to other visual and physical activities.
Adaptive time slots control in wireless sensor networks for delay-aware applications

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been proposed for various monitoring applications including environmental, industrial, military and health care. The use of WSNs with cluster-tree topologies for such applications solves the limited coverage issue of the wireless sensor devices and allows them to be deployed in wider area. WSNs with cluster-tree topologies suffer from various problems including accurate synchronization of beacons used in the beacon enabled mode in the IEEE 802.15. 4 standard and providing Quality of Service (QoS) to delay-aware applications. In this paper, we present a Time Slot Control (TSC) scheme that can adaptively manage the allocation of time slots in the beacon enabled mode of operation to provide QoS grantees to delay critical traffic. Our proposed scheme can improve the end-to-end delay and throughput of selected traffic types by managing the time slots between sensor devices in an optimum way.
Plasma adipokines levels and functional fitness with concurrent combined aerobic and resistance training in older adults.

O envelhecimento esta associado a uma diminuicao da aptidao cardiorrespiratoria emuscular, flexibilidade, e tambem ao desenvolvimento de doencas cronicas einflamacao cronica do tecido adiposo. A atividade fisica regular, especificamentecom exercicios aerobios e de resistencia, tem sido descrita como um agentepromotor da saude e de prevencao de doencas cronicas e de limitacoes funcionaisnos idosos. No entanto, apenas um numero limitado de estudos avaliou o impactodo treino concorrente combinado, em particular nos niveis de adipocinas em idosos.Assim, o objetivo desta tese, foi de explorar o potencial beneficio do treinamentocombinado de 8 meses com exercicio aerobio (TA) e de resistencia (TR) nacomposicao corporal (CC), aptidao fisica (ApF) e perfil plasmatico de adipocinas,alem de investigar as associacoes de algumas adipocinas com marcadores do perfillipidico e da CC em idosos. Para alcancar esses objetivos, foram realizados 3estudos: o primeiro foi um estudo transversal com 34 idosos destreinados, cujoobjetivo foi investigar as associacoes de duas adipocinas (leptina e adiponectina)com marcadores do perfil lipidico e com a CC. O segundo estudo teve como objetivoinvestigar os efeitos de um treinamento combinado, de 8 meses, TA e de TR, na CCe ApF em idosos. O terceiro estudo investigou os efeitos de um treinamento aerobioe de resistencia combinados por 8 meses nos niveis plasmaticos de 5 adipocinas:leptina, resistina, adiponectina, PAI-1 e TNF- alfa, bem como no perfil lipidico dosidosos.Os resultados dos diferentes estudos mostraram que nos idosos estudados, aleptina foi uma variavel dependente da massa corporal e da massa magra, e aadiponectina foi uma variavel dependente da massa gorda abdominal e dos niveisde lipoproteinas de alta densidade (HDL). Tambem foi possivel afirmar que otreinamento combinado melhorou a forca isocinetica dos flexores do joelho, aresistencia muscular e a flexibilidade dos membros inferiores dos idosos estudados,sem interferir, no entanto, nos niveis plasmaticos das adipocinas, no perfil lipidico ena glicemia.Podemos concluir que o treinamento concorrente parece ser uma boa estrategiapara aumentar a forca e a resistencia muscular, a flexibilidade e,consequentemente, manter a capacidade funcional durante o envelhecimento. Porfim, salientamos que outros estudos randomizados com amostras maiores saonecessarios, a fim de avaliar o impacto do treinamento combinado no perfilplasmatico de diversas adipocinas.
Transcranial Electric Stimulation Entrains Cortical Neuronal Populations in Rats

Low intensity electric fields have been suggested to affect the ongoing neuronal activity in vitro and in human studies. However, the physiological mechanism of how weak electrical fields affect and interact with intact brain activity is not well understood. We performed in vivo extracellular and intracellular recordings from the neocortex and hippocampus of anesthetized rats and extracellular recordings in behaving rats. Electric fields were generated by sinusoid patterns at slow frequency (0.8, 1.25 or 1.7 Hz) via electrodes placed on the surface of the skull or the dura. Transcranial electric stimulation (TES) reliably entrained neurons in widespread cortical areas, including the hippocampus. The percentage of TES phase-locked neurons increased with stimulus intensity and depended on the behavioral state of the animal. TES-induced voltage gradient, as low as 1 mV/mm at the recording sites, was sufficient to phase-bias neuronal spiking. Intracellular recordings showed that both spiking and subthreshold activity were under the combined influence of TES forced fields and network activity. We suggest that TES in chronic preparations may be used for experimental and therapeutic control of brain activity.
Exceptional surgery curves in triangulated 3-manifolds

For the purposes of this paper, Dehn surgery along a curve K in a 3-manifold M with slope σ is 'exceptional' if the resulting 3-manifold M K (σ) is reducible or a solid torus, or the core of the surgery solid torus has finite order in π 1 (M K (σ)). We show that, providing the exterior of K is irreducible and atoroidal, and the distance between a and the meridian slope is more than one, and a homology condition is satisfied, then there is (up to ambient isotopy) only a finite number of such exceptional surgery curves in a given compact orientable 3-manifold M, with ∂M a (possibly empty) union of tori. Moreover, there is a simple algorithm to find all these surgery curves, which involves inserting tangles into the 3-simplices of any given triangulation of M. As a consequence, we deduce some results about the finiteness of certain unknotting operations on knots in the 3-sphere.
Shifts and disruptions in resource-use trait syndromes during the evolution of herbaceous crops

Trait-based ecology predicts that evolution in high-resource agricultural environments should select for suites of traits that enable fast resource acquisition and rapid canopy closure. However, crop breeding targets specific agronomic attributes rather than broad trait syndromes. Breeding for specific traits, together with evolution in high-resource environments, might lead to reduced phenotypic integration, according to predictions from the ecological literature. We provide the first comprehensive test of these hypotheses, based on a trait-screening programme of 30 herbaceous crops and their wild progenitors. During crop evolution plants became larger, which enabled them to compete more effectively for light, but they had poorly integrated phenotypes. In a subset of six herbaceous crop species investigated in greater depth, competitiveness for light increased during early plant domestication, whereas diminished phenotypic integration occurred later during crop improvement. Mass-specific leaf and root traits relevant to resource-use strategies (e.g. specific leaf area or tissue density of fine roots) changed during crop evolution, but in diverse and contrasting directions and magnitudes, depending on the crop species. Reductions in phenotypic integration and overinvestment in traits involved in competition for light may affect the chances of upgrading modern herbaceous crops to face current climatic and food security challenges.