Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upon Wnt stimulation, Rac1 activation requires Rac1 and Vav2 binding to p120-catenin

Summary A role for Rac1 GTPase in canonical Wnt signaling has recently been demonstrated, showing that it is required for &bgr;-catenin translocation to the nucleus. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of Rac1 stimulation by Wnt. Upregulation of Rac1 activity by Wnt3a temporally correlated with enhanced p120-catenin binding to Rac1 and Vav2. Vav2 and Rac1 association with p120-catenin was modulated by phosphorylation of this protein, which was stimulated upon serine/threonine phosphorylation by CK1 and inhibited by tyrosine phosphorylation by Src or Fyn. Acting on these two post-translational modifications, Wnt3a induced the release of p120-catenin from E-cadherin, enabled the interaction of p120-catenin with Vav2 and Rac1, and facilitated Rac1 activation by Vav2. Given that p120-catenin depletion disrupts gastrulation in Xenopus, we analyzed p120-catenin mutants for their ability to rescue this phenotype. In contrast to the wild-type protein or other controls, p120-catenin point mutants that were deficient in the release from E-cadherin or in Vav2 or Rac1 binding failed to rescue p120-catenin depletion. Collectively, these results indicate that binding of p120-catenin to Vav2 and Rac1 is required for the activation of this GTPase upon Wnt signaling.
Under normoxia, 2-deoxy-d-glucose elicits cell death in select tumor types not by inhibition of glycolysis but by interfering with N-linked glycosylation

In tumor cells growing under hypoxia, inhibiting glycolysis with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) leads to cell death, whereas under normoxic conditions cells similarly treated survive. Surprisingly, here we find that 2-DG is toxic in select tumor cell lines growing under normal oxygen tension. In contrast, a more potent glycolytic inhibitor, 2-fluorodeoxy-d-glucose, shows little or no toxicity in these cell types, indicating that a mechanism other than inhibition of glycolysis is responsible for their sensitivity to 2-DG under normoxia. A clue to this other mechanism comes from previous studies in which it was shown that 2-DG interferes with viral N-linked glycosylation and is reversible by exogenous addition of mannose. Similarly, we find that 2-DG interferes with N-linked glycosylation more potently in the tumor cell types that are sensitive to 2-DG under normoxia, which can be reversed by exogenous mannose. Additionally, 2-DG induces an unfolded protein response, including up-regulation of GADD153 (C/EBP-homologous protein), an unfolded protein response–specific mediator of apoptosis, more effectively in 2-DG–sensitive cells. We conclude that 2-DG seems to be toxic in select tumor cell types growing under normoxia by inhibition of N-linked glycosylation and not by glycolysis. Because in a phase I study 2-DG is used in combination with an anticancer agent to target hypoxic cells, our results raise the possibility that in certain cases, 2-DG could be used as a single agent to selectively kill both the aerobic (via interference with glycosylation) and hypoxic (via inhibition of glycolysis) cells of a solid tumor. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(11):3049–58]
Personal work goals put into context : associations with work environment and occupational well-being

Hyvönen, Katriina Personal work goals put into context: Associations with work environment and occupational well-being Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2011, 82 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 409) ISBN 978-951-39-4229-8 Yhteenveto: Henkilökohtaisten työtavoitteiden puitteet: yhteydet työoloihin ja työhyvinvointiin Diss. Personal goal pursuit at work was investigated through participants’ workand careerrelated goals, that is, “personal work goals”. The primary aims of this research were to investigate the contents of personal work goals in relation to occupational well-being (burnout and work engagement) and the psychosocial work environment. The features of the psychosocial work environment were measured with the Effort–Reward Imbalance model (effort, reward, and effort–reward imbalance), which also incorporates a personal feature, namely overcommitment (Siegrist, 1996). Furthermore, with a two-year follow-up, the research addressed the changes in personal work goals and how these associated with changes within the work contexts of the participants (i.e., psychosocial work environment). The participants consisted of 747 Finnish managers (age range 24–35 years) in 2006 and 423 participants in the follow-up study in 2008. First, the findings showed that eight thematic categories of contents of personal work goals were found: Competence, progression, well-being, job change, job security, organisation, finance, and no work goal. Second, effort, reward, and effort– reward imbalance contributed to the contents of personal work goals in 2006. Third, the contents of personal work goals associated with burnout and work engagement in 2006: For instance, organisational goals were related to high occupational well-being, whereas well-being and job change goals were related to lower occupational wellbeing. Fourth, effort, reward, and effort–reward imbalance had an indirect effect through personal work goals on burnout and work engagement, but overcommitment only on burnout. Fifth, the most prominent longitudinal associations were found in relation to reward. Participants who engaged in job change goals reported a decrease in reward, whereas participants who engaged in competence or organisational goals reported an increase in reward. Participants who disengaged from job change goals reported an increase in reward and a reduction of effort–reward imbalance. Finally, participants who disengaged from job security goals reported a reduction in reward and an increase in effort–reward imbalance. To summarise, the features of the psychosocial work environment were found to have distinctive associations with the contents of personal work goals, which also contributed to the understanding of individual differences in occupational well-being.
Statistical behavioral modeling and characterization of A/D converters

This paper presents a method to characterize Nyquist rate A/D converters based on the use of a first order statistical behavioral model. The proposed model is derived from a very basic statistical interpretation of the conversion operation which contemplates noise and statistical process variations effects on traditional converter parameters. Both DC and dynamic converter parameters can be easily measured. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated with two different examples. The first serves to show the possibility of deriving the statistical behavioral model from real measured data, and to prove the correctness of the model by comparing results to those obtained with traditional deterministic models. The second example illustrates the incorporation of the model in the mixed-signal simulator ELDO. The obtained results show that despite the model's simplicity, it is very efficient for quick and complete simulation of data converters.
Laser Profilometry Aiding Smart Vehicle Control

Abstract In this paper a fast method based on laser triangulation for the estimation of the pose of a mobile robot is presented. The system is made of a camera and a laser source, placed on the front side of a robot, the Smoov ASRV, which is an autonomous vehicle able to carry, store and retrieve pallets in a smart warehouse constituted by metallic shelves. Therefore, the movements of the robot are constrained into allowed paths made of rails, arranged with several apertures that allow the robot change of direction. The processing of the acquired images is directly done on board by means of a low-cost single-board computer, namely the Raspberry Pi. This last is able to extract the information about the distance and the heading of the robot with respect to the rail boundary by analyzing the laser line lying in the camera plane; then, the extracted information expressed in the 3D reference system are sent via User Datagram Protocol to the control system of the vehicle. Results show how the information given by the proposed vision system are provided in a more efficient way with respect to the inductive sensors and the classic odometry, which fail when the robot crosses the structural rail apertures or its wheels suffer from unavoidable slippage.
STAR FORMATION HISTORY AND CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE SEXTANS DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY

We present the star formation history (SFH) and chemical evolution of the Sextans dSph galaxy as a function of a galactocentric distance. We derive these from the VI photometry of stars in the 42′ × 28′ field using the SMART model developed by Yuk & Lee and adopting a closed-box model for chemical evolution. For the adopted age of Sextans 15 Gyr, we find that >84% of the stars formed prior to 11 Gyr ago, significant star formation extends from 15 to 11 Gyr ago (∼ 65% of the stars formed 13–15 Gyr ago, while ∼ 25% formed 11–13 Gyr ago), detectable star formation continued to at least 8 Gyr ago, the SFH is more extended in the central regions than the outskirts, and the difference in star formation rates between the central and outer regions is most marked 11–13 Gyr ago. Whether blue straggler stars are interpreted as intermediate-age main-sequence stars affects conclusions regarding the SFH for times 4–8 Gyr ago, but this is at most only a trace population. We find that the metallicity of the stars increased rapidly up to [Fe/H] = −1.6 in the central region and to [Fe/H] = −1.8 in the outer region within the first Gyr, and has varied slowly since then. The abundance ratios of several elements derived in this study are in good agreement with the observational data based on the high-resolution spectroscopy in the literature. We conclude that the primary driver for the radial gradient of the stellar population in this galaxy is the SFH, which self-consistently drives the chemical enrichment history.
COMBATING LONELINESS AMONG PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS: SOCIAL NETWORK INTERVENTIONS' CHARACTERISTICS, EFFECTIVENESS, AND APPLICABILITY

More than half of people with severe mental illness are lonely, the subjective state associated with social isolation and lack of desired relationships. Their loneliness is related to impaired ability to make and keep friends, lack of opportunities to participate in social activities, and stigma associated with mental illness that creates barriers between them and their communities. Treatment for people with severe mental illness often fails to include social network interventions that have the potential to decrease loneliness. Knowledge of social network interventions—their characteristics, effectiveness, and applicability for specific patients—can guide nurses' use of these treatment modalities.
Fatal Falls from Height in Taiwan

This study conducts an investigation of fatal falls from height, examines gender differences, and compares our findings with those of Western countries. We review deaths in Taiwan caused by falls from height that underwent forensic autopsy from 1994 to 2010. Among the examined cases, 182 were suicide, 156 were accidents, and 18 were homicides. Men who fell from greater heights had a lower probability of fatal head trauma (p = 0.045), and women exhibited a lower fatal head trauma rate when falling from heights of between 10 and 25 m in accident group (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference between cases of falling from greater and lower heights within the suicide group (p = 0.834). Psychiatric illness was only reported in 20.3% and 28.8% cases in suicide and accident groups. Only in male cases was the use of psychotropic substances higher in the suicide groups than in the accident groups (p = 0.047).
Comparative Analysis of Korean Human Gut Microbiota by Barcoded Pyrosequencing

Human gut microbiota plays important roles in harvesting energy from the diet, stimulating the proliferation of the intestinal epithelium, developing the immune system, and regulating fat storage in the host. Characterization of gut microbiota, however, has been limited to western people and is not sufficiently extensive to fully describe microbial communities. In this study, we investigated the overall composition of the gut microbiota and its host specificity and temporal stability in 20 Koreans using 454-pyrosequencing with barcoded primers targeting the V1 to V3 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. A total of 303,402 high quality reads covered each sample and 8,427 reads were analyzed on average. The results were compared with those of individuals from the USA, China and Japan. In general, microbial communities were dominated by five previously identified phyla: Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Proteobacteria. UPGMA cluster analysis showed that the species composition of gut microbiota was host-specific and stable over the duration of the test period, but the relative abundance of each member fluctuated. 43 core Korean gut microbiota were identified by comparison of sequences from each individual, of which 15 species level phylotypes were related to previously-reported butyrate-producing bacteria. UniFrac analysis revealed that human gut microbiota differed between countries: Korea, USA, Japan and China, but tended to vary less between individual Koreans, suggesting that gut microbial composition is related to internal and external characteristics of each country member such as host genetics and diet styles.
On the Quality of Service of Cloud Gaming Systems

Cloud gaming, i.e., real-time game playing via thin clients, relieves users from being forced to upgrade their computers and resolve the incompatibility issues between games and computers. As a result, cloud gaming is generating a great deal of interests among entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, general publics, and researchers. However, given the large design space, it is not yet known which cloud gaming system delivers the best user-perceived Quality of Service (QoS) and what design elements constitute a good cloud gaming system. This study is motivated by the question: How good is the QoS of current cloud gaming systems? Answering the question is challenging because most cloud gaming systems are proprietary and closed, and thus their internal mechanisms are not accessible for the research community. In this paper, we propose a suite of measurement techniques to evaluate the QoS of cloud gaming systems and prove the effectiveness of our schemes using a case study comprising two well-known cloud gaming systems: OnLive and StreamMyGame. Our results show that OnLive performs better, because it provides adaptable frame rates, better graphic quality, and shorter server processing delays, while consuming less network bandwidth. Our measurement techniques are general and can be applied to any cloud gaming systems, so that researchers, users, and service providers may systematically quantify the QoS of these systems. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed suite of measurement techniques have never been presented in the literature.
Bridging Fault Test Method With Adaptive Power Management Awareness

A key design constraint of circuits used in hand-held devices is the power consumption, mainly due to battery-life limitations. Adaptive power management (APM) techniques aim at increasing the battery life of such devices by adjusting the supply voltage and operating frequency, and thus the power consumption, according to the workload. Testing for resistive bridging defects in APM-enabled designs raises a number of challenges due to their complex analog behavior. Testing at more than one supply voltage setting can be employed to improve defect coverage in such systems; however, switching between several supply voltage settings has a detrimental impact on the overall cost of test. This paper proposes a multi- automatic test generation method which delivers 100% resistive bridging defect coverage and also a way of reducing the number of supply voltage settings required during test through test point insertion. The proposed techniques have been experimentally validated using a number of benchmark circuits.
Risk factors for high early mortality in patients on antiretroviral treatment in a rural district of Malawi

Objectives:Among adults started on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in a rural district hospital (a) to determine the cumulative proportion of deaths that occur within 3 and 6 months of starting ART, and (b) to identify risk factors that may be associated with such mortality. Design and setting:A cross-sectional analytical study set in Thyolo district, Malawi. Methods:Over a 2-year period (April 2003 to April 2005) mortality within the first 3 and 6 months of starting ART was determined and risk factors were examined. Results:A total of 1507 individuals (517 men and 990 women), whose median age was 35 years were included in the study. There were a total of 190 (12.6%) deaths on ART of which 116 (61%) occurred within the first 3 months (very early mortality) and 150 (79%) during the first 6 months of initiating ART. Significant risk factors associated with such mortality included WHO stage IV disease, a baseline CD4 cell count under 50 cells/μl and increasing grades of malnutrition. A linear trend in mortality was observed with increasing grades of malnutrition (χ2 for trend = 96.1, P ≤ 0.001) and decreasing CD4 cell counts (χ2 for trend = 72.4, P ≤ 0.001). Individuals who were severely malnourished [body mass index (BMI) < 16.0 kg/m2] had a six times higher risk of dying in the first 3 months than those with a normal nutritional status. Conclusions:Among individuals starting ART, the BMI and clinical staging could be important screening tools for use to identify and target individuals who, despite ART, are still at a high risk of early death.
Academic Achievement and Personality in University Students who are Visually Impaired

This study compared academic achievement by sighted versus visually impaired students at Polish universities and analyzed potential between-group differences on various personality traits and their impact on academic grades. Although there was no main effect of visual status on academic achievement, there were some significant differences between the personality traits of the visually impaired and sighted groups.
Influences of grading ring arrangement on AC flashover performance of 220 KV ice-covered composite insulators

The grading ring (GR) can adjust the potential distribution along the composite insulator and reduce the electric field (E-field) strengths near its end fittings. However, little research has been conducted about the effects of GR on the insulation performance of composite insulators under icing condition. Therefore, the ac icing flashover performance of two kinds of 220 kV composite insulators under different GR arrangement patterns are tested in the artificial climate chamber. Combining with the numerical simulation, the effects are analyzed. The results indicate that when GR is installed at the high voltage (HV) end, the E-field strength close to the end fitting and the icing uniformity on the whole insulators are both improved. These cause the effect of icing degree on the icing flashover voltage to be larger than that without GR at the HV end. When GR is installed at the grounded end, the perpendicular icicles on the GR will impact the flashover arc path, which causes the icing flashover voltages to be lower than that without GR at the grounded end. When different GRs are only installed at the HV end, the characteristic exponents b (characterizing the influence of freezing water conductivity on icing flashover voltage) are all larger than that without GR. Moreover, the value of b increases with the decrease of GR's diameter and with the raise of GR's height. But b changes slightly when there are variations in GR's pipe diameter and structure. The research can provide reference for the application of GR for 220 kV composite insulators in icing regions.
Stable gene transfer and tissue‐specific expression of a human globin gene using adenoviral vectors.

Helper‐free double recombinant adenoviruses containing a genomic human globin gene and the neomycin resistance gene (neoR) have been constructed. The inserted globin and neoR genes are stable and transcription of two human globin genes (beta and a hybrid gamma‐beta gene) is correctly initiated at the respective globin promoter during lytic infection in 293 cells. The neoR gene driven by the SV40 early promoter confers G418 resistance to human fibroblasts and K562 human erythro‐leukemia cells transformed with these viruses. Most neoR clones contain the entire recombinant viral genome, including the inserted globin gene, integrated into their chromosomes. Normally, K562 cells express their gamma but not their beta globin genes. The transferred human beta globin gene was not expressed in either K562 cells or fibroblasts. However, the hybrid gamma‐beta globin gene was expressed in all K562 clones that contained the gene whereas gamma‐beta mRNA was barely detectable in the fibroblasts. This demonstrates tissue‐specific expression of the adenovirus‐transferred globin gene. Furthermore, the two transferred genes, globin and neoR, which are situated more than 20 kb apart in the viral genome appear to be independently regulated.
Visual Optimality and Stability Analysis of 3DCT Scan Positions

Industrial cone-beam X-Ray computed tomography (CT) systems often face problems due to artifacts caused by a bad placement of the specimen on the rotary plate. This paper presents a visual-analysis tool for CT systems, which provides a simulation-based preview and estimates artifacts and deviations of a specimen's placement using the corresponding 3D geometrical surface model as input. The presented tool identifies potentially good or bad placements of a specimen and regions of a specimen, which cause the major portion of artefacts. The tool can be used for a preliminary analysis of the specimen before CT scanning, in order to determine the optimal way of placing the object. The analysis includes: penetration lengths, placement stability and an investigation in Radon space. Novel visualization techniques are applied to the simulation data. A stability widget is presented for determining the placement parameters' robustness. The performance and the comparison of results provided by the tool compared with real world data is demonstrated using two specimens.