Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WISP2 regulates preadipocyte commitment and PPARγ activation by BMP4

Inability to recruit new adipose cells following weight gain leads to inappropriate enlargement of existing cells (hypertrophic obesity) associated with inflammation and a dysfunctional adipose tissue. We found increased expression of WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 2 (WISP2) and other markers of WNT activation in human abdominal s.c. adipose tissue characterized by hypertrophic obesity combined with increased visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance. WISP2 activation in the s.c. adipose tissue, but not in visceral fat, identified the metabolic syndrome in equally obese individuals. WISP2 is a novel adipokine, highly expressed and secreted by adipose precursor cells. Knocking down WISP2 induced spontaneous differentiation of 3T3-L1 and human preadipocytes and allowed NIH 3T3 fibroblasts to become committed to the adipose lineage by bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4). WISP2 forms a cytosolic complex with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) transcriptional activator zinc finger protein 423 (Zfp423), and this complex is dissociated by BMP4 in a SMAD-dependent manner, thereby allowing Zfp423 to enter the nucleus, activate PPARγ, and commit the cells to the adipose lineage. The importance of intracellular Wisp2 protein for BMP4-induced adipogenic commitment and PPARγ activation was verified by expressing a mutant Wisp2 protein lacking the endoplasmic reticulum signal and secretion sequence. Secreted Wnt/Wisp2 also inhibits differentiation and PPARγ activation, albeit not through Zfp423 nuclear translocation. Thus adipogenic commitment and differentiation is regulated by the cross-talk between BMP4 and canonical WNT signaling and where WISP2 plays a key role. Furthermore, they link WISP2 with hypertrophic obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
AMPA receptor subunits define properties of state‐dependent synaptic plasticity

Many synapses undergo immediate and persistent activity‐dependent changes in strength via processes that fall under the umbrella of synaptic plasticity. It is known that this type of synaptic plasticity exhibits an underlying state dependence; that is, as synapses change in strength they move into distinct ‘states’ that are defined by the mechanism and ability to undergo future plasticity. In this study, we have investigated the molecular mechanisms that underlie state‐dependent synaptic plasticity. Using intracellular application of peptides that mimic the C‐terminal tail sequences of GluR1 and GluR2 AMPA receptor subtypes, combined with paired recordings of minimal synaptic connections, we have shown that AMPA receptor subtypes present in the membrane at a given time confer some properties of plasticity states. These data show that during synaptic plasticity, AMPA receptor subtypes are differentially stabilized by postsynaptic density proteins in or out of the postsynaptic membrane, and this differential synaptic expression of different AMPA receptor subtypes defines distinct synaptic states.
Diastolic blood pressure changes during exercise positively correlate with serum cholesterol and insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND Metabolic factors, including plasma concentrations of cholesterol and insulin resistance, may influence blood pressure through effects on vascular reactivity. Such effects might influence blood pressure during exercise more strongly than at rest. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined whether there is an association between serum cholesterol or insulin resistance and change in blood pressure during mild exercise. Blood pressure was measured at rest and during fixed low-workload bicycle ergometry (50, 75, and 100 W, each for 3 minutes) in 75 healthy active men (age, 18 to 66 years). Blood pressure at rest was not significantly correlated with serum cholesterol or insulin resistance (estimated from the fasting glucose-insulin product). The change from resting values in diastolic but not systolic blood pressure during exercise was correlated with serum cholesterol (R>0.47, P<0.0001 for each workload) and insulin resistance (R>0.38, P<0.01 for each workload). Serum cholesterol and insulin resistance were the only independent predictors of the change in diastolic blood pressure during exercise in a stepwise regression model incorporating age, body mass index, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, and heart rate during exercise. In a further study, the change in diastolic blood pressure during exercise was greater in men with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes (13.6 mm Hg [95% CI, 8.5 to 18.8]; n=10) than in nondiabetic control men (2.7 mm Hg [95% CI, -2. 0 to 7.3]; n=10; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS Changes in diastolic blood pressure during gentle exercise are strongly associated with serum concentrations of total cholesterol and insulin resistance. This may contribute to development of hypertensive complications in dyslipidemic and/or insulin-resistant patients.
Allelopathic Potential of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. (Asteraceae)

The effects of different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) of aqueous leachate of Achillea biebersteinii on germination characteristics, seedling growth, photosynthetic pigments and protein contents of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) were investigated through conducting laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Leachate of A. biebersteinii affected negatively germination percentage, germination rate and radical and shoot length. When pepper seeds were sown in soil and irrigated with Achilliea leachate, root and shoot length were significantly decreased. However, stem diameter was slightly affected and leaf number was significantly unaffected. Significant reduction in the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and protein were recorded in response to allelochemical stress
Prospective Pulmonary Function Comparison of Open Versus Endoscopic Anterior Fusion Combined With Posterior Fusion in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Study Design. Prospective clinical study. Objective. To evaluate pulmonary function tests at a minimum 2-year follow-up in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) undergoing either an endoscopic versus open anterior fusion along with posterior segmental fixation and fusion. Methods. A total of 21 patients with AIS underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopic (VAT group) release/fusion followed by a posterior spinal fusion (PSF) and segmental spinal fixation were compared to 16 patients who underwent an open thoracotomy (Open group) followed by a PSF. The mean preoperative thoracic Cobb was 70° in the VAT group versus 75° in the Open group. All patients had preoperative and a minimum 2-year postoperative pulmonary function tests consisting of forced vital capacity (FVC) forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV-1). Results. The average thoracic Cobb correction was to 27° (61%) in the VAT group versus 36° (52%) in the Open group. Preoperative and 2-year postoperative FVC in the VAT group averaged 2.48 L and 2.85 L, respectively (P = 0.006). The Open group corresponding results were 1.97 L and 2.43 L, respectively (P = 0.001). Preoperative and minimum 2-year postoperative FEV-1 in the VAT group averaged 2.06 L and 2.37 L, respectively (P = 0.005). Values for the Open group were 1.65 L and 2.08 L, respectively (P = 0.001). Although both groups had pulmonary function test parameters that were statistically improved postoperative versus preoperative, there were no significant differences comparing the VAT group to the Open group (P > 0.05) Conclusions. VAT versus Open release/anterior fusion in association with a PSF for select AIS curves requiring circumferential treatment both demonstrated similar radiographic and pulmonary function test improvement at 2 years postoperative, with no significant differences seen between the groups.
Test Turnaround Times and Mortality Rates 12 and 24 Months after the Introduction of a Computerised Provider Order Entry System

Summary Objectives: Few studies have measured the long-term effects of computerised provider order entry systems on pathology test turnaround time. Further, a recent study has raised the possibility that such systems, which require significant work practice change, may be associated with an increase in mortality rates. Our study answered two questions in relation to system introduction in a major Australian teaching hospital: i) are improvements in turnaround times achieved in the first 12 months after system introduction sustained 24 months post-implementation; and ii) do mortality rates change following the introduction of an order entry system? Methods: Turnaround time and mortality rates 5 months before and 12 and 24 months after implementation of a computerised order entry system were measured. Turnaround time was defined as the time from receipt of a specimen and order in a laboratory to availability of a result. Results: Improvements in turnaround time achieved in the first 12 months were sustained with a further significant 12.6% reduction at 24 months post-implementation, with no change in average number of tests per patient. The mortality rate significantly increased in the year following system introduction but returned to the pre-system rate in the second year of system use. Review of the excess deaths demonstrated these were most likely attributable to a coincidental influenza outbreak and not to system introduction. Conclusions: The computerised provider order entry system produced sustained and continuing improvements in laboratory efficiency over a two-year period. Associations between increased mortality rates and system introduction should be investigated carefully to ascertain any likely association.
Cohort study examining the association between vegetable consumption and weight gain in a single year among Japanese employees at a manufacturing company.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Overweight and obesity increase the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders and are increasing in Japan, particularly among men. Several prospective studies have suggested that high vegetable intake is inversely associated with weight gain. Here, the association between vegetable consumption and weight gain in a group of food manufacturing workers over the course of one year was investigated. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN The study was a one-year cohort study of the nutrition and lifestyle survey. The study population consisted of 900 and 910 Japanese employees (aged 19-60 years) from a manufacturing company located in Musashino City, Tokyo, Japan, that were administered the same validated brief self-administered diet history and dietary lifestyle questionnaire in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Clinical examinations of body weight were also performed to assess changes in weight. We analyzed participants who responded in both 2006 and 2007 (n=478). RESULTS Risk of weight gain of more than 3 kg was significantly lower in the group consuming the most vegetables than in the group consuming the least, and this difference remained significant after adjustment for baseline age, sex, and consumption of other foods (p for trend=0.028). CONCLUSIONS Weight gain was inversely associated with high consumption of vegetables. Encouraging Japanese employees to consume more vegetables may be an important strategy in controlling weight gain and preventing metabolic syndrome.
Dysbiosis of Gut Fungal Microbiota is Associated With Mucosal Inflammation in Crohn’s Disease

Goals: We aim to characterize the fungal microbiota in the intestinal mucosa and feces in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Background: Fungi represent a diverse microbial community in the human intestine and might play a role in the pathogenesis of CD; however, little is known about the structure and composition of the fungal microbiota especially adhering to the intestinal mucosa in CD patient. Study: Nineteen patients with active CD and 7 healthy individuals were recruited in this study. The mucosa-associated and fecal fungal microbiotas in CD patients were analyzed using culture-independent community fingerprint techniques. Results: The fungal richness and diversity were significantly elevated in the inflamed mucosa compared with the noninflamed mucosa. The predominant fungal composition in the inflamed mucosa was strikingly altered, mainly characterized by expansion in the proportions of Candida spp. , Gibberella moniliformis, Alternaria brassicicola, and Cryptococcus neoformans. The fecal fungal community was perturbed in CD patients as accompanied by increased fungal diversity and prevalence in Candida albicans, Aspergillus clavatus, and C. neoformans. The species richness and diversity of the mucosal fungal community were associated with the expression of TNF-&agr;, IFN-&ggr;, or IL-10 (P<0.05). The diversity of the fecal fungal microbiota positively correlated with serum C-reactive protein and CD activity index (P<0.05). Conclusions: This study first demonstrates that the fungal microbiota in the inflamed mucosa is distinguishable from that of the noninflamed area. Shifts of gut fungal microbiota composition may be associated with mucosal inflammation and disease activity of CD. Our data would provide novel insights into understanding the potential of gut fungal microbiota in the pathogenesis of CD.
ERK5 promotes Src-induced podosome formation by limiting Rho activation

Increased Src activity, often associated with tumorigenesis, leads to the formation of invasive adhesions termed podosomes. Podosome formation requires the function of Rho family guanosine triphosphatases and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. In addition, Src induces changes in gene expression required for transformation, in part by activating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. We sought to determine whether MAPK signaling regulates podosome formation. Unlike extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), ERK5 is constitutively activated in Src-transformed fibroblasts. ERK5-deficient cells expressing v-Src exhibited increased RhoA activation and signaling, which lead to cellular retraction and an inability to form podosomes or induce invasion. Addition of the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y27632 to ERK5-deficient cells expressing v-Src led to cellular extension and restored podosome formation. In Src-transformed cells, ERK5 induced the expression of a Rho GTPase-activating protein (RhoGAP), RhoGAP7/DLC-1, via activation of the transcription factor myocyte enhancing factor 2C, and RhoGAP7 expression restored podosome formation in ERK5-deficient cells. We conclude that ERK5 promotes Src-induced podosome formation by inducing RhoGAP7 and thereby limiting Rho activation.
Preparation and properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber–graphene nanocomposites

The graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by sonication-induced exfoliation from graphite oxide, which was produced by oxidation from graphite flakes with a modified Hummer's method. The GO was then treated by hydrazine to obtain reduced graphene oxide (rGO). On the basis of the characterization results, the GO was successfully reduced to rGO. Acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR)–GO and NBR–rGO composites were prepared via a solution-mixing method, and their various physical properties were investigated. The NBR–rGO nanocomposite demonstrated a higher curing efficiency and a change in torque compared to the gum and NBR–GO compounds. This agreed well with the crosslinking density measured by swelling. The results manifested in the high hardness (Shore A) and high tensile modulus of the NBR–rGO compounds. For instance, the tensile modulus at a 0.1-phr rGO loading greatly increased above 83, 114, and 116% at strain levels of 50, 100, and 200%, respectively, compared to the 0.1-phr GO loaded sample. The observed enhancement was highly attributed to a homogeneous dispersion of rGO within the NBR matrix; this was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis. However, in view of the high ultimate tensile strength, the NBR–GO compounds exhibited an advantage; this was presumably due to strong hydrogen bonding or polar–polar interactions between the NBR and GO sheets. This interfacial interaction between GO and NBR was supported by the marginal increase in the glass-transition temperatures of the NBR compounds containing fillers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42457.
Interference Alignment in a Poisson Field of MIMO Femtocells

The need for bandwidth and the incitation to reduce power consumption lead to the reduction of cell size in wireless networks. This allows reducing the distance between a user and the base station, thus increasing the capacity. A relatively inexpensive way of deploying small-cell networks is to use femtocells. However, the reduction in cell size causes problems for coordination and network deployment, especially due to the intra- and cross-tier interference. In this paper, we consider a two-tier multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) network in the downlink, where a single macrocell base station with multiple transmit antennas coexists with multiple closed-access MIMO femtocells. With multiple receive antennas at both the macrocell and femtocell users, we propose an opportunistic interference alignment scheme to design the transmit and receive beamformers in order to mitigate intra- (or inter-) and cross-tier interference. Moreover, to reduce the number of macrocell and femtocell users coexisting in the same spectrum, we apply a random spectrum allocation on top of the opportunistic interference alignment. Using stochastic geometry, we analyze the proposed scheme in terms of the distribution of a received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, spatial average capacity, network throughput, and energy efficiency. In the presence of imperfect channel state information, we further quantify the performance loss in spatial average capacity. Numerical results show the effectiveness of our proposed scheme in improving the performance of random MIMO femtocell networks.
Non-canonical uracil processing in DNA gives rise to double-strand breaks and deletions: relevance to class switch recombination

During class switch recombination (CSR), antigen-stimulated B-cells rearrange their immunoglobulin constant heavy chain (CH) loci to generate antibodies with different effector functions. CSR is initiated by activation-induced deaminase (AID), which converts cytosines in switch (S) regions, repetitive sequences flanking the CH loci, to uracils. Although U/G mispairs arising in this way are generally efficiently repaired to C/Gs by uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG)-initiated base excision repair (BER), uracil processing in S-regions of activated B-cells occasionally gives rise to double strand breaks (DSBs), which trigger CSR. Surprisingly, genetic experiments revealed that CSR is dependent not only on AID and UNG, but also on mismatch repair (MMR). To elucidate the role of MMR in CSR, we studied the processing of uracil-containing DNA substrates in extracts of MMR-proficient and –deficient human cells, as well as in a system reconstituted from recombinant BER and MMR proteins. Here, we show that the interplay of these repair systems gives rise to DSBs in vitro and to genomic deletions and mutations in vivo, particularly in an S-region sequence. Our findings further suggest that MMR affects pathway choice in DSB repair. Given its amenability to manipulation, our system represents a powerful tool for the molecular dissection of CSR.
Review of Sentimental Analysis Methods using Lexicon Based Approach

In our daily life we take opinion of our friends and are influenced by them in our decision making process. Opinion is the view or judgement about something. With the advent of web 2.0, the number of Social Networking Sites (SNS) has increased manifold. With these has increased the volume of users generated content. Sentiment Analysis (SA) or Opinion Mining (OM) is the computational analysis of public emotions and attitude towards a particular subject. SA is immensely useful in social media monitoring as it allows us to gain an insight of the public opinion behind certain topics. This survey paper tackles a comprehensive overview of 'Lexicon Based Approach' and the last update in it. Many recently proposed enhancements, challenges and various SA applications are investigated and presented briefly in this survey.
Lateral dynamic flight stability of a model hoverfly in normal and inclined stroke-plane hovering

Many insects hover with their wings beating in a horizontal plane (‘normal hovering’), while some insects, e.g., hoverflies and dragonflies, hover with inclined stroke-planes. Here, we investigate the lateral dynamic flight stability of a hovering model hoverfly. The aerodynamic derivatives are computed using the method of computational fluid dynamics, and the equations of motion are solved by the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis. The following is shown: The flight of the insect is unstable at normal hovering (stroke-plane angle equals 0) and the instability becomes weaker as the stroke-plane angle increases; the flight becomes stable at a relatively large stroke-plane angle (larger than about 24°). As previously shown, the instability at normal hovering is due to a positive roll-moment/side-velocity derivative produced by the ‘changing-LEV-axial-velocity’ effect. When the stroke-plane angle increases, the wings bend toward the back of the body, and the ‘changing-LEV-axial-velocity’ effect decreases; in addition, another effect, called the ‘changing-relative-velocity’ effect (the ‘lateral wind’, which is due to the side motion of the insect, changes the relative velocity of its wings), becomes increasingly stronger. This causes the roll-moment/side-velocity derivative to first decrease and then become negative, resulting in the above change in stability as a function of the stroke-plane angle.
The Microtubule-dependent Motor Centromere–associated Protein E (CENP-E) Is an Integral Component of Kinetochore Corona Fibers That Link Centromeres to Spindle Microtubules

Centromere-associated protein E (CENP-E) is a kinesin-related microtubule motor protein that is essential for chromosome congression during mitosis. Using immunoelectron microscopy, CENP-E is shown to be an integral component of the kinetochore corona fibers that tether centromeres to the spindle. Immediately upon nuclear envelope fragmentation, an associated plus end motor trafficks cytoplasmic CENP-E toward chromosomes along astral microtubules that enter the nuclear volume. Before or concurrently with initial lateral attachment of spindle microtubules, CENP-E targets to the outermost region of the developing kinetochores. After stable attachment, throughout chromosome congression, at metaphase, and throughout anaphase A, CENP-E is a constituent of the corona fibers, extending at least 50 nm away from the kinetochore outer plate and intertwining with spindle microtubules. In congressing chromosomes, CENP-E is preferentially associated with (or accessible at) the stretched, leading kinetochore known to provide the primary power for chromosome movement. Taken together, this evidence strongly supports a model in which CENP-E functions in congression to tether kinetochores to the disassembling microtubule plus ends.