Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of NADPH Oxidase 5 by Protein Kinase C Isoforms

NADPH oxidase5 (Nox5) is a novel Nox isoform which has recently been recognized as having important roles in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, fetal ventricular septal defect and cancer. The activity of Nox5 and production of reactive oxygen species is regulated by intracellular calcium levels and phosphorylation. However, the kinases that phosphorylate Nox5 remain poorly understood. Previous studies have shown that the phosphorylation of Nox5 is PKC dependent, but this contention was based on the use of pharmacological inhibitors and the isoforms of PKC involved remain unknown. Thus, the major goals of this study were to determine whether PKC can directly regulate Nox5 phosphorylation and activity, to identify which isoforms are involved in the process, and to understand the functional significance of this pathway in disease. We found that a relatively specific PKCα inhibitor, Ro-32-0432, dose-dependently inhibited PMA-induced superoxide production from Nox5. PMA-stimulated Nox5 activity was significantly reduced in cells with genetic silencing of PKCα and PKCε, enhanced by loss of PKCδ and the silencing of PKCθ expression was without effect. A constitutively active form of PKCα robustly increased basal and PMA-stimulated Nox5 activity and promoted the phosphorylation of Nox5 on Ser490, Thr494, and Ser498. In contrast, constitutively active PKCε potently inhibited both basal and PMA-dependent Nox5 activity. Co-IP and in vitro kinase assay experiments demonstrated that PKCα directly binds to Nox5 and modifies Nox5 phosphorylation and activity. Exposure of endothelial cells to high glucose significantly increased PKCα activation, and enhanced Nox5 derived superoxide in a manner that was in prevented by a PKCα inhibitor, Go 6976. In summary, our study reveals that PKCα is the primary isoform mediating the activation of Nox5 and this maybe of significance in our understanding of the vascular complications of diabetes and other diseases with increased ROS production.
Null cone preserving maps, causal tensors and algebraic Rainich theory

A rank-n tensor on a Lorentzian manifold whose contraction with n arbitrary causal future-directed vectors is non-negative is said to have the dominant property. These tensors, up to sign, are called causal tensors, and we determine their general mathematical properties in arbitrary dimension N. Then, we prove that rank-2 tensors which map the null cone on itself are causal tensors. Previously it has been shown that, to any tensor field A on a Lorentzian manifold there is a corresponding 'superenergy' tensor field T{A} (defined as a quadratic sum over all Hodge duals of A) which always has the dominant property. Here we prove that, conversely, any symmetric rank-2 tensor with the dominant property can be written in a canonical way as a sum of N superenergy tensors of simple forms. We show that the square of any rank-2 superenergy tensor is proportional to the metric in dimension N ≤ 4, and that the square of the superenergy tensor of any simple form is proportional to the metric in arbitrary dimension. Conversely, we prove in arbitrary dimension that any symmetric rank-2 tensor T whose square is proportional to the metric must be a causal tensor and, up to sign, the superenergy of a simple p-form, and that the trace of T determines the rank p of the form. This generalizes, with respect to both the dimension N and the rank p, the classical algebraic Rainich conditions, which are necessary and sufficient conditions for a metric to originate algebraically in some physical field. Furthermore, it has the important geometric interpretation that the set of superenergy tensors of simple forms is precisely the set of tensors which leave the null cone invariant and preserve its time orientation. It also means that all involutory Lorentz transformations can be represented as superenergy tensors of simple forms, and that any rank-2 superenergy tensor is the sum of at most N conformally involutory Lorentz transformations. Non-symmetric null cone preserving maps are shown to have a symmetric part with the dominant property and are classified according to the null eigenvectors of the skew-symmetric part. We therefore obtain a complete classification of all conformal Lorentz transformations and singular null cone preserving maps on any Lorentzian manifold of any dimension.
Constructive journalism: Proponents, precedents, and principles

Constructive journalism has become a popular term in recent years, and has been the basis of a number of seminars, conferences, courses at journalism schools, fellowship programs, and research projects. This article traces the origins of constructive journalism by describing and discussing the proponents, precedents, and principles of the movement. The article shows that constructive journalism is no new term and that its inherent principles share similarities with other well-known movements in the history of journalism. These include action journalism that was popular on both sides of the Atlantic at the turn of last century and public journalism that flourished at the turn of this century. Common for most of these movement are, however, their lack of conceptual clarity. The differences and similarities between constructive journalism, past movements, and more classical conceptions of journalism are analyzed through the framework of the Journalistic Compass that delineates four classical roles within journalism. The article concludes by describing the opportunities–and difficulties – that this recent movement faces as still more persons and organizations lay claim to practicing constructive journalism and it discusses how the proponents might learn from former movements that have gained popularity for a period but whose importance has since diminished.
pAUL: A Gateway-Based Vector System for Adaptive Expression and Flexible Tagging of Proteins in Arabidopsis

Determination of protein function requires tools that allow its detection and/or purification. As generation of specific antibodies often is laborious and insufficient, protein tagging using epitopes that are recognized by commercially available antibodies and matrices appears more promising. Also, proper spatial and temporal expression of tagged proteins is required to prevent falsification of results. We developed a new series of binary Gateway cloning vectors named pAUL1-20 for C- and N-terminal in-frame fusion of proteins to four different tags: a single (i) HA epitope and (ii) Strep-tagIII, (iii) both epitopes combined to a double tag, and (iv) a triple tag consisting of the double tag extended by a Protein A tag possessing a 3C protease cleavage site. Expression can be driven by either the 35 S CaMV promoter or, for C-terminal fusions, promoters from genes encoding the chloroplast biogenesis factors HCF107, HCF136, or HCF173. Fusions of the four promoters to the GUS gene showed that endogenous promoter sequences are functional and drive expression more moderately and consistently throughout different transgenic lines when compared to the 35 S CaMV promoter. By testing complementation of mutations affected in chloroplast biogenesis factors HCF107 and HCF208, we found that the effect of different promoters and tags on protein function strongly depends on the protein itself. Single-step and tandem affinity purification of HCF208 via different tags confirmed the integrity of the cloned tags.
Smell Identification Function in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective Deficits in olfactory function are common features in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Olfactory processing is related to dopamine metabolism and orbitofrontal cortex functioning, both known to be involved in the neurobiology of ADHD. Some investigations suggested alterations in olfactory processing (identification and detection threshold) in patients with ADHD. Despite increasing knowledge, controversy about this topic still exists regarding children with ADHD. This study was conducted to help elucidate some of this controversy. Methods 50 participants (8-15 years, mean=10.70±1.77) with ADHD were compared to 50 controls. The two groups were well matched for age, gender and Mean School Scores (MSS). We assessed odor identification and threshold through a smell test composed of two tests of identification and detection threshold. Odor detection threshold was assessed with the odorant phenyl ethyl alcohol solved in propylene glycol using a single staircase method. Odor identification was assessed with chemical essences of five common odorants. Results The mean Sensory Identification Score for children with ADHD and the control groups were 3.76 (1.06) and 4.46 (0.76), respectively (p<0.001). The mean for Sensory Threshold Score for ADHD and control group was 6.4 (3.35) and 9.75 (2.16), respectively (p<0.001). Conclusion This study replicated altered olfactory performance in ADHD. Substantial olfactory deficits across the two domains of identification and detection threshold are observed in children with ADHD. These deficits do not seem to be a result of olfactory task difficulty and are not influenced by age, gender and MSS. Further studies are required to investigate whether olfactory function can be used as a biological marker for early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of ADHD.
Tradeoffs in Scalable Data Routing for Deduplication Clusters

As data have been growing rapidly in data centers, deduplication storage systems continuously face challenges in providing the corresponding throughputs and capacities necessary to move backup data within backup and recovery window times. One approach is to build a cluster deduplication storage system with multiple deduplication storage system nodes. The goal is to achieve scalable throughput and capacity using extremely high-throughput (e.g. 1.5 GB/s) nodes, with a minimal loss of compression ratio. The key technical issue is to route data intelligently at an appropriate granularity. We present a cluster-based deduplication system that can deduplicate with high throughput, support deduplication ratios comparable to that of a single system, and maintain a low variation in the storage utilization of individual nodes. In experiments with dozens of nodes, we examine tradeoffs between stateless data routing approaches with low overhead and stateful approaches that have higher overhead but avoid imbalances that can adversely affect deduplication effectiveness for some datasets in large clusters. The stateless approach has been deployed in a two-node commercial system that achieves 3 GB/s for multi-stream deduplication throughput and currently scales to 5.6 PB of storage (assuming 20X total compression).
Electronic Reprint Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications Use of Thallium to Identify Monovalent Cation Binding Sites in Groel Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications

Author(s) of this paper may load this reprint on their own web site or institutional repository provided that this cover page is retained. Republication of this article or its storage in electronic databases other than as specified above is not permitted without prior permission in writing from the IUCr. Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications is a rapid all-electronic journal, which provides a home for short communications on the crystallization and structure of biological macromolecules. It includes four categories of publication: protein structure communications; nucleic acid structure communications ; structural genomics communications; and crystallization communications. Structures determined through structural genomics initiatives or from iterative studies such as those used in the pharmaceutical industry are particularly welcomed. Section F is essential for all those interested in structural biology including molecular biologists, biochemists , crystallization specialists, structural biologists, biophysicists, pharmacologists and other life scientists.
Facial structure in the sudden infant death syndrome: case-control study

The cause of the sudden infant death syndrome is unclear. Polygraphic recordings of 30 infants who subsequently died of the syndrome showed a significant increase in mixed and obstructive apnoeas compared with well matched controls.1 Postmortem examination suggests upper airway narrowing in victims of the syndrome. The decreased number of cases of sudden infant death syndrome after advice to put infants to sleep supine suggests a posture dependent cause, and recent evidence suggests that upper airways of sleeping infants are more widely patent supine than prone.2 Thus sleeping supine might decrease obstructive apnoeas. An increased frequency of sudden infant death syndrome and apparent life threatening events in infants has been found in the families of patients with the obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome. 3 4 We found that retroposition of the maxilla was a common feature in families who had both the obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea and sudden infant death syndromes.3 …
The effect of positive couple therapy on the happiness of mothers of exceptional children

Background and Purpose: Happiness is one of the components of attention of the World Health Organization, which has a direct relationship with mental health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive couple therapy on the happiness of mothers of children with special needs. Research hypothesis states that mothers who receive intervention will have more happiness than mothers in the control group. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental research with pre-/posttest design with control group. Among mothers of children with special needs in Mashhad, Iran, twenty participants were selected in a purposeful method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (ten participants in each group). Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used to collect the data. To analyze the data, covariance analysis was used at inferential level, and the mean and standard deviation were used at descriptive level. Results: The results indicated that the happiness of mothers of children with special needs who received the intervention was significantly increased. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that couple therapy with a positive attitude is effective in increasing the happiness of mothers of children with special needs in Mashhad city, Iran.
Andromeda XVII: A New Low-Luminosity Satellite of M31

We report the discovery of a new dwarf spheroidal galaxy near M31 on the basis of INT/WFC imaging. The system, Andromeda XVII (And XVII), is located at a projected radius of ≈44 kpc from M31, has a line-of-sight distance of 794 ± 40 kpc measured using the tip of the red giant branch, and therefore lies well within the halo of M31. The color of the red giant branch implies a metallicity of [Fe/H] ≈ -1.9, and we find an absolute magnitude of MV ≈ -8.5. Three globular clusters lie near the main body of And XVII, suggesting a possible association; if any of these are confirmed, it would make And XVII exceptionally unusual among the faint dSph population. The projected position on the sky of And XVII strengthens an intriguing alignment apparent in the satellite system of M31, although with a caveat about biases stemming from the current area surveyed to significant depth.
Transgenic Rabbits That Overexpress the Neonatal Fc Receptor (FcRn) Generate Higher Quantities and Improved Qualities of Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG)

Immune suppression with rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) is a well-established therapeutic concept for preventing host rejection of transplanted organs and graft versus host disease. Increasing the efficiency of rATG production by reducing the number of animals would be highly beneficial to lower cost and to improve quality standards. We have developed transgenic (Tg) mice and rabbits that overexpress the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) and have shown an augmented humoral immune response in these animals. To test whether our FcRn Tg rabbits produced rATG more efficiently, we immunized them and their New Zealand White controls with live Jurkat cells. By day 21 after immunization, Tg animals produced significantly, 1.5 times higher amount of total IgG compared to their wt littermates. Also, the binding efficiency of Tg sera to Jurkat cells and their complement-mediated cytotoxicity was significantly higher. The purified Tg IgG preparation contained 2.6 the amount of Jurkat specific IgG as the wt preparation analyzed by complement-mediated lysis, suggesting greater antigen-specific B cell activation in the Tg rabbits. To test this hypothesis, immunization with ovalbumin and human α1-antitrypsin was performed, resulting in significantly greater numbers of antigen-specific B-cells in the FcRn Tg rabbits as compared with wt controls. The shift towards significantly larger populations of antigen-specific B cells relative to the non-specific B cell pool is further corroborated by our previous findings in FcRn Tg mice. Consequently, our FcRn Tg rabbits have the potential to offer substantial qualitative and quantitative improvements for the production of rATG and other polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies.
Finding Near-optimal Solutions in Multi-robot Path Planning

We deal with the problem of planning collision-free trajectories for robots operating in a shared space. Given the start and destination position for each of the robots, the task is to find trajectories for all robots that reach their destinations with minimum total cost such that the robots will not collide when following the found trajectories. Our approach starts from individually optimal trajectory for each robot, which are then penalized for being in collision with other robots. The penalty is gradually increased and the individual trajectories are iteratively replanned to account for the increased penalty until a collision-free solution is found. Using extensive experimental evaluation, we find that such a penalty method constructs trajectories with near-optimal cost on the instances where the optimum is known and otherwise with 4-10 % lower cost than the trajectories generated by prioritized planning and up to 40 % cheaper than trajectories generated by local collision avoidance techniques, such as ORCA.
A statistical channel model for realistic simulation in VANET

Vehicular Ad-hoc NETwork (VANET) simulation is crucial for the development of new protocols and applications. Even though real-world experimentation is the de facto benchmarking solution for any of these, the first evaluations must be made through simulation, due to the ease of changing parameters and scenarios. In this work, we propose a statistical channel model for VANET simulation based on the observation of data from real-world experiments, obtained from an IEEE 802.11p / WAVE compliant testbed. We statistically characterize fading in VANET communication and propose a combination of models for Line-of-Sight (LoS) transmission. Simulations using the proposed model were compared with real-world experiment results and, furthermore, the model was validated against a set of measurements from an independent research group, fitting it with a high concordance level, thus proving to be effective and general.
Plant sexual reproduction during climate change: gene function in natura studied by ecological and evolutionary systems biology

Background It is essential to understand and predict the effects of changing environments on plants. This review focuses on the sexual reproduction of plants, as previous studies have suggested that this trait is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and because a number of ecologically and evolutionarily relevant genes have been identified. Scope It is proposed that studying gene functions in naturally fluctuating conditions, or gene functions in natura, is important to predict responses to changing environments. First, we discuss flowering time, an extensively studied example of phenotypic plasticity. The quantitative approaches of ecological and evolutionary systems biology have been used to analyse the expression of a key flowering gene, FLC, of Arabidopsis halleri in naturally fluctuating environments. Modelling showed that FLC acts as a quantitative tracer of the temperature over the preceding 6 weeks. The predictions of this model were verified experimentally, confirming its applicability to future climate changes. Second, the evolution of self-compatibility as exemplifying an evolutionary response is discussed. Evolutionary genomic and functional analyses have indicated that A. thaliana became self-compatible via a loss-of-function mutation in the male specificity gene, SCR/SP11. Self-compatibility evolved during glacial–interglacial cycles, suggesting its association with mate limitation during migration. Although the evolution of self-compatibility may confer short-term advantages, it is predicted to increase the risk of extinction in the long term because loss-of-function mutations are virtually irreversible. Conclusions Recent studies of FLC and SCR have identified gene functions in natura that are unlikely to be found in laboratory experiments. The significance of epigenetic changes and the study of non-model species with next-generation DNA sequencers is also discussed.
An evolutionary algorithm for multiobjective optimization: the strength Pareto approach

Evolutionary algorithms EA have proved to be well suited for optimization prob lems with multiple objectives Due to their inherent parallelism they are able to capture a number of solutions concurrently in a single run In this report we propose a new evolutionary approach to multicriteria optimization the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm SPEA It combines various features of previous multiobjective EAs in a unique manner and is characterized as follows a besides the population a set of individuals is maintained which contains the Pareto optimal solutions generated so far b this set is used to evaluate the tness of an individual according to the Pareto dominance relationship c unlike the commonly used tness sharing population diversity is preserved on basis of Pareto dominance rather than distance d a clustering method is incorporated to reduce the Pareto set without destroying its characteristics The proof of principle results on two problems suggest that SPEA is very e ective in sampling from along the entire Pareto optimal front and distributing the generated solutions over the tradeo surface Moreover we compare SPEA with four other multiobjective EAs as well as a single objective EA and a random search method in application to an extended knapsack problem Regarding two complementary quantitative measures SPEA outperforms the other approaches at a wide margin on this test problem Finally a number of suggestions for extension and application of the new algorithm are discussed
Neuroanatomy of verbal working memory as a diagnostic biomarker for depression

The functional neuroanatomy of verbal working memory is a potential diagnostic biomarker for depression. Twenty patients with unipolar depression and 20 healthy controls performed a variable load version (n-back) of the task. Functional MRI data were analysed with support vector machine methods. Diagnostic classification was highest at the mid-level of task difficulty (2-back) (sensitivity 65%, specificity 70%, P<0.009). Significant classification of clinical response (≥50% reduction in clinical symptom ratings) was found at the most difficult level (3-back) (sensitivity 85%, specificity 52%, P<0.003). The functional neuroanatomy of verbal working memory provides a statistically significant but clinically moderate contribution as a diagnostic biomarker for depression, whereas its potential as a neural predictor of clinical response requires further investigation.