Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serine 129 Phosphorylation Reduces the Ability of α-Synuclein to Regulate Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Protein Phosphatase 2A in Vitro and in Vivo

α-Synuclein (a-Syn), a protein implicated in Parkinson disease, contributes significantly to dopamine metabolism. a-Syn binding inhibits the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis. Phosphorylation of TH stimulates its activity, an effect that is reversed by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). In cells, a-Syn overexpression activates PP2A. Here we demonstrate that a-Syn significantly inhibited TH activity in vitro and in vivo and that phosphorylation of a-Syn serine 129 (Ser-129) modulated this effect. In MN9D cells, a-Syn overexpression reduced TH serine 19 phosphorylation (Ser(P)-19). In dopaminergic tissues from mice overexpressing human a-Syn in catecholamine neurons only, TH-Ser-19 and TH-Ser-40 phosphorylation and activity were also reduced, whereas PP2A was more active. Cerebellum, which lacks excess a-Syn, had PP2A activity identical to controls. Conversely, a-Syn knock-out mice had elevated TH-Ser-19 phosphorylation and activity and less active PP2A in dopaminergic tissues. Using an a-Syn Ser-129 dephosphorylation mimic, with serine mutated to alanine, TH was more inhibited, whereas PP2A was more active in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation of a-Syn Ser-129 by Polo-like-kinase 2 in vitro reduced the ability of a-Syn to inhibit TH or activate PP2A, identifying a novel regulatory role for Ser-129 on a-Syn. These findings extend our understanding of normal a-Syn biology and have implications for the dopamine dysfunction of Parkinson disease.
Prediction of Temperature and Concentration Distributions of Distillation Sieve Trays by CFD

A three-dimensional two-fluid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to predict concentration and temperature distributions on sieve trays of distillation columns and good simulation results are obtained. The dispersed gas phase and continuous liquid phase are modeled in the Eulerian framework as two interpenetrating phases with interphase momentum, heat and mass transfer. Closure models are developed for interphase transfer terms. The tray geometries and operating conditions are based on the experimental works of Dribika and Biddulph (AIChE. J., 32, 1864, 1986) and Yanagi and Sakata (Ind. Eng. Chem. Process. Des. Dev., 21, 712, 1982). The computational domain is considered to be equal to tray spacing. The main objective of this study has been to find the extent to which CFD can be used as a prediction tool for real behavior, and concentration and temperature distributions of sieve trays. The simulation results are shown that CFD is a powerful tool in tray design, analysis and trouble shooting, and can be considered as a new approach for efficiency calculations.
Flexible Ammonia Sensor Based on Polyaniline/Carbon Black Composites Operating at Elevated Temperatures

• For the EB the absorption band at ca.635 nm is relate to the n-π* transition (quinoid form structure) → undoped/ half oxidized PANI structure. • For ES (either with SSA or SPhA) the absorption at ca. 435 nm is due to the presence of localized semiquinone population or the polaron absorption. The long free tail extended to near IR region may be attributed to highly delocalized free electron state of polyaniline doped with these dopants.
FRACTURE ENERGY AND TENSION PROPERTIES OF HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE

A test setup and adequate instrumentation were developed to record the tension properties of high-strength concrete, including the postpeak softening response. The direct uniaxial tension tests were performed under a strain-controlled mode through a close-loop testing machine. The splitting tensile strength and modulus of rupture were also recorded conforming to standard ASTM test procedures. Test results revealed that high-strength concrete exhibits a more brittle and stiffer behavior with a large initial modulus of elasticity and a more sharply descending branch of the stress-deformation curve beyond the peak load. The unique softening behavior and the more brittle nature of high-strength concrete were expressed in terms of a stress-displacement (crack width) diagram and fracture energy. The fracture energy of high-strength concrete is estimated to be about five times the area under the ascending portion of the stress-deformation curve, compared to a corresponding value of 10 estimated for normal-strength concrete. Based on the test results, a constitutive relationship is recommended for the behavior of high-strength concrete in tension, including postpeak softening response.
Insight Is Greater in Mixed than in Pure Manic Episodes of Bipolar I Disorder

Deficits in insight are common among patients in manic episodes of bipolar I disorder (Amador et al., 1994; Ghaemi et al., 1995; Michalakeas et al., 1994). However, none of the studies examining insight in patients with bipolar I disorder have addressed the issue of mixed episodes. Depressed patients have consistently been found to have higher levels of insight than manic patients (Amador, et al., 1994; Michalakeas et al., 1994; Peralta and Cuesta, 1998), and dimensional depression is inversely related to self-deception in both normal and clinically depressed populations (Kiersky, 1998; Sackeim, 1998). We measured insight in 53 newly admitted patients in mixed or pure manic episodes of bipolar I disorder.
Realtime gaze estimation with online calibration

For an eye gaze estimation system, calibration is an unavoidable procedure to determine certain person-specific parameters, either explicitly or implicitly. Although several offline implicit calibration methods have been proposed to ease the calibration burden, the calibration procedure is still cumbersome and the gaze estimation accuracy needs further improvement. In this paper, we propose a novel 3D gaze estimation system with online calibration. The proposed system uses a new 3D model-based gaze estimation method with a single consumer camera (Kinect). Unlike previous gaze estimation methods using explicit offline calibration with fixed number of calibration points or implicit calibration, our approach constantly improves person-specific eye parameters through online calibration, which enables the system to adapt gradually to a new user. The experimental results and the human-computer interaction (HCI) application show that the proposed system can work in realtime with superior gaze estimation accuracy (<; 2°) and minimal calibration burden.
Influence of 1 Alpha, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on T Helper 17 Cells and Related Cytokines in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. Emerging data suggests that T helper 17 (Th17) cells play a pathogenic role in SLE and the increased number of these cells correlates with disease activity. In recent years, 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25VitD3) has been considered as an immunomodulatory factor. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of 1,25VitD3 on Th17 cells and on the expression of related cytokines in SLE patients. METHOD Thirty SLE patients (newly diagnosed or in remission) were sampled for 10 ml whole blood to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation. Isolated cells were cultured in the presence and absence of 50 nM 1,25VitD3. After incubation, cells were harvested and stimulated for 4-5 hours with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin in the presence of brefeldin A. IL-17 secreting cells were analyzed by flowcytometry. RNA was extracted from cultured cells, cDNA was synthesized, and the expression levels of IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-β genes were assessed by real-time PCR. RESULTS The percentage of Th17 cells (CD3+CD8- IL-17+ T cells) decreased significantly in 1,25VitD3-treated cells (3.67 ± 2.43%) compared to untreated cells (4.65 ± 2.75%)( p=0.003). The expression of TGF-β up regulated (1.38-fold) and the expression of IL-6 (50%), IL-17 (27%) and IL-23 (64%) down regulated after 1,25VitD3 treatment. CONCLUSION This study showed that 1,25VitD3 modulates Th17 related pathways in SLE patients and revealed the immunomodulatory effect of 1,25VitD3 on the Th17 mediated autoimmunity.
Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome: consensus panel recommendations for clinical management and additional research.

OBJECTIVE Currently, no evidence-based guidelines exist for the management of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) discontinuation syndrome. This article summarizes recommendations with respect to future research as well as clinical management recommendations for SRI discontinuation syndrome. PARTICIPANTS In April 2004, a panel of physicians convened in New York City to discuss recommendations for clinical management of and additional research on SRI discontinuation syndrome. EVIDENCE Previous guidance for management of SRI discontinuation syndrome was proposed in 1997 in a consensus meeting also chaired by Alan F. Schatzberg. A literature search of the PubMed database was conducted to identify articles on SRI discontinuation syndrome that have been published since 1997. CONSENSUS PROCESS The 2004 panel reviewed important preclinical and clinical studies, discussed prospective investigation of this syndrome in clinical trials, and suggested the establishment of a research network to collect data in naturalistic settings. The panel also reviewed the management recommendations published in 1997 and subsequently updated the recommendations, taking into account the latest clinical data as well as the personal experience of its members with patients. CONCLUSIONS Additional preclinical and clinical studies are necessary to further elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms of SRI discontinuation syndrome and to identify the patient populations and agents that are most affected by this phenomenon. Management strategies include gradual tapering of doses and should emphasize clinical monitoring and patient education.
An Analysis of Text-Based Deception Detection Tools

The quality of information can be degraded when individuals attempt to deceive others through information manipulation. This can be very influential in a text-based domain. In recent years, tools have been developed that, while not initially designed for this domain, have been adapted successfully for use in identifying deception in text-based communication. These text analysis tools, which utilize features such as parsing and categorizing, are emerging as accurate tools to identify cues that may be useful in distinguishing deceptive from truthful communications. These deception detection tools have been applied to problems such as security screening, criminal incident statements, and evaluation of online communication patterns. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the features and capabilities of two of the more promising tools and identifies how their use might fit within existing theoretical constructs.
On the Perimeter of the Intersection of Congruent Disks

Almost 20 years ago, R. Alexander conjectured that, under an arbitrary contraction of the center points of finitely many congruent disks in the plane, the perimeter of the intersection of the disks cannot decrease. Even today it does not seem to lie within reach. What makes this problem even more important is the common belief that it would give a sharpening of the well-known Kneser-Poulsen conjecture for the special case of the intersection of congruent disks. Since the KneserPoulsen conjecture has just been proved in the plane, we feel that it is a good idea to call attention to this somewhat overlooked conjecture of Alexander. In this note, we prove Alexander’s conjecture in some special cases. Partially supported by the Hungarian National Science and Research Foundation OTKA T043556 and by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant. Research supported in part by NSF Grant No. DMS-0209595. Supported by the Hungarian National Science and Research Foundation OTKA T047102. 0138-4821/93 $ 2.50 c © 2006 Heldermann Verlag 54 Bezdek, K. et al.: On the Perimeter of the Intersection of Congruent Disks
Genetic code expansion as a tool to study regulatory processes of transcription

The expansion of the genetic code with non-canonical amino acids (ncAA) enables the chemical and biophysical properties of proteins to be tailored, inside cells, with a previously unattainable level of precision. A wide range of ncAA with functions not found in canonical amino acids have been genetically encoded in recent years and have delivered insights into biological processes that would be difficult to access with traditional approaches of molecular biology. A major field for the development and application of novel ncAA-functions has been transcription and its regulation. This is particularly attractive, since advanced DNA sequencing- and proteomics-techniques continue to deliver vast information on these processes on a global level, but complementing methodologies to study them on a detailed, molecular level and in living cells have been comparably scarce. In a growing number of studies, genetic code expansion has now been applied to precisely control the chemical properties of transcription factors, RNA polymerases and histones, and this has enabled new insights into their interactions, conformational changes, cellular localizations and the functional roles of posttranslational modifications.
Coffee, Tea, and Sugar-Sweetened Carbonated Soft Drink Intake and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of 14 Cohort Studies

Background: Coffee has been hypothesized to have pro- and anticarcinogenic properties, whereas tea may contain anticarcinogenic compounds. Studies assessing coffee intake and pancreatic cancer risk have yielded mixed results, whereas findings for tea intake have mostly been null. Sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drink (SSB) intake has been associated with higher circulating levels of insulin, which may promote carcinogenesis. Few prospective studies have examined SSB intake and pancreatic cancer risk; results have been heterogeneous. Methods: In this pooled analysis from 14 prospective cohort studies, 2,185 incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified among 853,894 individuals during follow-up. Multivariate (MV) study-specific relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models and then pooled using a random-effects model. Results: No statistically significant associations were observed between pancreatic cancer risk and intake of coffee (MVRR = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.81–1.48 comparing ≥900 to <0 g/d; 237g ≈ 8oz), tea (MVRR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.78–1.16 comparing ≥400 to 0 g/d; 237g ≈ 8oz), or SSB (MVRR = 1.19; 95% CI, 0.98–1.46 comparing ≥250 to 0 g/d; 355g ≈ 12oz; P value, test for between-studies heterogeneity > 0.05). These associations were consistent across levels of sex, smoking status, and body mass index. When modeled as a continuous variable, a positive association was evident for SSB (MVRR = 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02–1.12). Conclusion and Impact: Overall, no associations were observed for intakes of coffee or tea during adulthood and pancreatic cancer risk. Although we were only able to examine modest intake of SSB, there was a suggestive, modest positive association for risk of pancreatic cancer for intakes of SSB. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(2); 305–18. ©2011 AACR.
A continuous mental task decreases the physiological response to soccer-specific intermittent exercise

Background: Epidemiological findings of higher injury incidence during the latter stages of soccer match-play have been attributed to fatigue. Objective: To examine the interaction of physical and cognitive responses during soccer-specific intermittent exercise. Method: Ten semi-professional soccer players completed a 90-minute laboratory-based treadmill protocol replicating the activity profile of soccer match-play. Two separate trials were performed in randomised order, with and without the added stressor of a continuous grid-based vigilance task. The exercise task comprised six repetitions of a 15 minute activity profile, separated by a passive 15 minute half-time interval. The vigilance task required continual attention and sporadic target response within a letter grid. Physical response (RPE, heart rate, blood lactate, salivary cortisol) and cognitive performance (response time, response accuracy) were quantified at 15 minute intervals. Results: Completing the exercise task with the vigilance task resulted in decreased physiological (heart rate, blood lactate) response. This may be attributed to externally directed attention, resulting in association with the cognitive task and subsequent dissociation from the physical effort. Response speed generally improved with exercise duration, while there was evidence of impaired accuracy in the early stages of the first half and the latter stages of the second half. Conclusion: The interaction of physical and mental work was not additive in nature. The mental task had a masking effect on the physical response. Performing physical exercise tasks without due regard for appropriate psychological stimuli may therefore overestimate the physiological response.
2BeOn - Interactive Television Supporting Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication mediated by computer services supports the reinforcement and emergence of new communities brought together by leisure or work interests. This paper presents a workbench system that aims to study how the same principle can be applied in interactive television. The main objective is to allow TV users to be online (2BeOn) through the integration of basic and advanced communication services, enabling them to reinforce their interpersonal communication. The 2BeOn system is based on four core components: user tracking, Communication services, interface engine and collaboration content/interaction tracing. In addition to the social and behavioural context of the system, its conceptualisation, prototyping and evaluation are addressed.
Thermal Death Kinetics of Mediterranean, Malaysian, Melon, and Oriental Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Eggs and Third Instars

ABSTRACT The late-aged egg and third-instar life stages of laboratory-reared Malaysian fruit fly, Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel); Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann); melon fly, B. cucurbitae Coquillett; and oriental fruit fly, B. dorsalis (Hendel), (Diptera: Tephritidae); and the third instars of wild Mediterranean fruit fly were exposed to thermal treatments. A heating block system was used to determine the thermal death kinetics of the four fruit fly species. Treatments consisted of heating the fruit fly life stages to 44, 46, 48, and 50°C and holding for different times ranging from 0 to 120 min depending on the thermal mortality response and time required to obtain 100% mortality for each species and life stage. The 0.5-order kinetic model had the best fit to the survival ratio for all the treatment temperatures and was used to predict lethal times. The thermal death time (TDT) curves showed a tolerance order of Mediterranean fruit fly eggs ≤ third instars at 44, 46, and 50°C, third instars ≤ eggs at 48°C, and wild third instars < the laboratory-reared third instars. Comparison between Mediterranean fruit fly third instar thermotolerance from Hawaii and Israel showed that Israel Mediterranean fruit fly was more thermotolerant. A comparison of minimum treatment times at a given temperature required to obtain 100% mortality of laboratory-reared Malaysian, Mediterranean (Hawaii and Israel strains), melon, Mexican, and oriental fruit fly eggs or third instars and wild Mediterranean fruit fly (Hawaii strain) eggs or third instars showed that oriental fruit fly was the most thermotolerant among the third instars, and the difference in heat tolerance between third instars and eggs was negligible at 50°C.
Index of Learning Styles in a U.S. School of Pharmacy

Objective The goal of this study was to assess for a predominance of learning styles among pharmacy students at an accredited U.S. school of pharmacy. Methods Following approval by the Institutional Review Board, the Index of Learning Styles© was administered to 210 pharmacy students. The survey provides results within 4 domains: perception, input, processing, and understanding. Analyses were conducted to determine trends in student learning styles. Results Within the four domains, 84% of students showed a preference toward sensory perception, 66% toward visual input, and 74% toward sequential understanding. Students showed no significant preference for active or reflective processing. Preferences were of moderate strength for the sensing, visual, and sequential learning styles. Conclusions Students showed preferences for sensing, visual, and sequential learning styles with gender playing a role in learning style preferences. Faculty should be aware, despite some preferences, a mix of learning styles exists. To focus on the preferences found, instructors should focus teaching in a logical progression while adding visual aids. To account for other types of learning styles found, the instructors can offer other approaches and provide supplemental activities for those who would benefit from them. Further research is necessary to compare these learning styles to the teaching styles of pharmacy preceptors and faculty at schools of pharmacy.
Long‐term up‐regulation of eNOS and improvement of endothelial function by inhibition of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway

The ubiquitin‐proteasome system is the major pathway for intracellular protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is the key enzyme of vascular homeostasis involved in the pathophysiology of several cardiovascular diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate whether eNOS expression and activity are regulated by the proteasome. Bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (CPAE cells) were treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. MG132 (50‐250 nmol/L) dosedependently increased mRNA and protein levels of eNOS. Comparable results were obtained with other specific proteasome inhibitors, whereas the nonproteasomal calpain and cathepsin inhibitor ALLM had no effect. Efficacy of proteasome inhibition was evidenced by accumulation of poly‐ubiquitinylated proteins and by measuring proteasomal activity in cell extracts. Cycloheximide prevented up‐regulation of eNOS protein, indicating that post‐translational stabilization of eNOS is not involved. eNOS activity was increased up to 2.8‐fold (MG132 100 nmol/L, 48 h). Incubation of rat aortic rings with MG132 significantly enhanced endo‐thelial‐dependent vasorelaxation. Single MG132 treatment (100 nmol/L) induced long‐term effects in CPAE cells, with increases of eNOS protein and activityfor up to 10 days. Our results indicate that low‐dose proteasome inhibition enhances eNOS expression and activity, and improves endothelial function. —Stangl, V. , Lorenz, M. , Meiners, S. , Ludwig, A. , Bartsch, C. , Moobed, M. , Vietzke, A. , Kinkel, H. ‐T. , Baumann, G. , Stangl, K. Longterm up‐regulation of eNOS and improvement of endo‐thelial function by inhibition of the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway. FASEB J. 18, 272–279 (2004)