Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of the Transmembrane Domain and Flanking Amino Acids in Internalization and Down-regulation of the Insulin Receptor *

We have characterized the internalization and down-regulation of the insulin receptor and nine receptors with mutations in the transmembrane (TM) domain and/or flanking charged amino acids to define the role of this domain in receptor cycling. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, all had normal tetrameric structure and normal insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation/kinase activity. Replacement of the TM domain with that of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor, insertion of 3 amino acids, and substitution of Asp for Val or of Ala for either Gly or Pro had no effect on internalization. Replacement of the TM domain with that of c-neu or conversion of the charged amino acids on the cytoplasmic flank to uncharged amino acids, on the other hand, resulted in a 40-60% decrease in insulin-dependent internalization rate constants. By contrast, substitution of Ala for both Gly and Pro increases lateral diffusion mobility and accelerates internalization rate. These changes in internalization were due to decreased or increased rates of redistribution of receptors from microvilli to the nonvillous cell surface. In all cases, receptor down-regulation and receptor-mediated insulin degradation paralleled the changes in internalization. Thus, the structure of the transmembrane domain of the insulin receptor and flanking amino acids are major determinants of receptor internalization, insulin degradation, and receptor down-regulation.
Role of the inferior frontal cortex in coping with distracting emotions

The role of inferior frontal cortex in coping with emotional distracters presented concurrently with a working memory task was investigated using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. The study yielded two main findings: (i) processing of emotional distracters was associated with enhanced functional coupling between the amygdala and the inferior frontal cortex and (ii) the inferior frontal cortex showed a left-lateralized activation pattern discriminating successful from unsuccessful trials in the presence of emotional distraction. These findings provide evidence that coping with emotional distraction entails interactions between brain regions responsible for detection and inhibition of emotional distraction, and identified a hemispheric specialization in the inferior frontal cortex in controlling the impact of distracting emotions on cognitive performance (left hemisphere) vs. controlling the subjective feeling of being distracted (right hemisphere).
Effects of Partial (Belsey Mark IV) and Complete (Nissen) Fundoplication on Proximal Gastric Function and Esophagogastric Junction Dynamics

OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to assess the effects of Belsey Mark IV 270° (partial) and Nissen 360° (complete) fundoplication on proximal stomach function, transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (TLESR) elicitation and the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) pressure profile during TLESR to further elucidate the mechanism of action of fundoplication.METHODS:Ten patients after partial and 10 patients after complete fundoplication were studied. High-resolution EGJ manometry and pH recording were performed for 1 h at baseline and 2 h following meal ingestion (500 mL/300 kcal). Three dimensional (3D) ultrasonographic images of the stomach were acquired every 15 min after meal ingestion. From the 3D ultrasonographic images, proximal gastric volumes were computed.RESULTS:Postprandial proximal to complete gastric volume distribution ratios were larger among patients after partial (0.42 ± 0.028) compared with patients after complete fundoplication (0.37 ± 0.035; p < 0.05). Partial fundoplication patients had a markedly greater postprandial rate of TLESR (1.7 ± 0.3/h) than patients after complete fundoplication (0.8 ± 0.2/h; p < 0.05). The axial EGJ pressure profile was minimally affected by partial fundoplication but instead markedly changed after complete fundoplication.CONCLUSIONS:Patients after partial fundoplication exhibit a larger meal-induced increase in proximal stomach volume, a higher TLESR rate, and a minimally affected axial EGJ pressure profile compared to patients after complete fundoplication.
Seroepidemiological study of toxoplasmosis in different sections of population of Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Infections with Toxoplasma gondii in humans are usually asymptomatic or in the form of mild febrile illness. Primary infection in pregnant women may result in congenital toxoplasmosis while infection in immunocompromised subjects like AIDS patients may cause potentially fatal toxoplasma encephalitis. In India, only a few studies in hospital based patients have shown prevalence of toxoplasmosis to be between 1.5 and 21%. No field study involving general population is available. The present study investigates the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in subjects from rural, urban and urban slum populations of Union Territory, Chandigarh. Serum samples from 500 subjects from each group were collected and antitoxoplasma IgM and IgG was detected by conventional micro ELISA technique using soluble Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite antigen. Overall 5.4% subjects were positive for IgM while 4.66% showed IgG antitoxoplasma antibodies. Amongst the three groups, significantly higher number of subjects in slum area (7.8%) showed IgM antibodies as compared to urban and rural areas (4.2% each). There was no significant difference in IgG positivity between three study areas. Prevalence of T. gondii specific IgG antibodies was significantly higher amongst females of both slum (7.31%) and rural area (8.44%) as compared to the males (2.85% and 3.27% respectively) in the same areas (p<0.05) and also to females of the urban area (2.98%, p<0.05). Prevalence of IgM antibodies was significantly higher (p<0.05) in females in the slum area (10.5%) as compared to females in the urban area (2.55%). In both urban and slum areas, highest IgM seropositivity was observed in age group 6-12 years (10% and 13.3% respectively), while in the rural area the highest IgM seropositivity was seen in the age group > or = 5 years (17.7%). These data indicate that majority of children are exposed to toxoplasma before 12 years of age and particularly in rural areas higher number of subjects acquire Toxoplasma gondii infection early in childhood probably as a result of higher exposure due to farming, poor hygiene and handling of animals.
Determination of Phylogenetic Relationships among Eimeria species, which Parasitize Cattle, on the Basis of Nuclear 18S rDNA Sequence

ABSTRACT We analyzed almost complete 18S rDNA sequences of 10 bovine Eimeria species, namely Eimeria alabamensis, E. auburnensis, E. bovis, E. bukidnonensis, E. canadensis, E. cylindrica, E. ellipsoidalis, E. subspherica, E. wyomingensis and E. zuernii. Although these sequences showed intraspecific variation in 8 species, the sequences of each species were clustered in monophyletic groups in all species, except E. auburnensis. The sequences constituted 3 distinct clusters in a phylogenetic tree with relatively high bootstrap values; however, the members including each cluster shared no similarities in oocyst morphology.
Expression and prognostic significance of LIVIN, SURVIVIN and other apoptosis-related genes in the progression of superficial bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that progression of superficial bladder cancer may be regulated at the molecular level by a typical pattern of expression of genes involved in apoptosis. Recently LIVIN, belonging to the inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) family, has been found to be expressed in most solid tumors, where its expression is suggested to have prognostic significance. No data are available concerning the significance of LIVIN in the progression of bladder tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the present paper we used RT-PCR to investigate the expression of LIVIN isoforms alpha and beta, SURVIVIN, BCL-X and BCL-2/BAX expression ratio both in normal and tumoral bladder tissues, and correlated their expression with the emergence of early relapses in a follow-up of 4 years. This study shows that only the alpha isoform of LIVIN, which is not expressed in normal bladder tissue, is expressed in a proportion of tumors with a high risk of relapse. RESULTS LIVIN was found in 7/30 patients (23%), SURVIVIN in 9/30 (30%), BCL-2/BAX ratio >1 in 16/30 (53%), BCL-2/BAX expression ratio <1 in 14/30 (46.6%) and BCL-X, only in isoform BCL-X(L), in 11/30 (36.6%). When we evaluated the dependence between each gene expression and relapse free time of patients, we found that LIVIN, high BCL-2/BAX ratio and BCL-X(L), but not SURVIVIN, reached statistical significance in order to predict relapses. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that LIVIN may be involved in the progression of superficial bladder cancer and used as a marker of early recurrence; while the expression of SURVIVIN cannot be used to identify patients with high risk of relapse.
Fake It Till You Make It: Reputation, Competition, and Yelp Review Fraud

Consumer reviews are now part of everyday decision-making. Yet, the credibility of these reviews is fundamentally undermined when businesses commit review fraud, creating fake reviews for themselves or their competitors. We investigate the economic incentives to commit review fraud on the popular review platform Yelp, using two complementary approaches and datasets. We begin by analyzing restaurant reviews that are identified by Yelp's filtering algorithm as suspicious, or fake ? and treat these as a proxy for review fraud (an assumption we provide evidence for). We present four main findings. First, roughly 16% of restaurant reviews on Yelp are filtered. These reviews tend to be more extreme (favorable or unfavorable) than other reviews, and the prevalence of suspicious reviews has grown significantly over time. Second, a restaurant is more likely to commit review fraud when its reputation is weak, i.e., when it has few reviews, or it has recently received bad reviews. Third, chain restaurants ? which benefit less from Yelp ? are also less likely to commit review fraud. Fourth, when restaurants face increased competition, they become more likely to receive unfavorable fake reviews. Using a separate dataset, we analyze businesses that were caught soliciting fake reviews through a sting conducted by Yelp. These data support our main results, and shed further light on the economic incentives behind a business's decision to leave fake reviews.
P‐78: Design and Characterization of Organic Light Emitting Diodes with Microcavity Structure

An organic light emitting diode with a microcavity structure has been fabricated. The intensity enhancement at the resonance wavelength is 2.3 compared to a non‐cavity device. The emission color is also modified from a yellow‐green of non‐cavity device to a primary green for the microcavity device. The experimental results compared well to theoretically calculations.
Better Living through Chemistry: Caloric Restriction (CR) and CR Mimetics Alter Genome Function to Promote Increased Health and Lifespan

Caloric restriction (CR), defined as decreased nutrient intake without causing malnutrition, has been documented to increase both health and lifespan across numerous organisms, including humans. Many drugs and other compounds naturally occurring in our diet (nutraceuticals) have been postulated to act as mimetics of caloric restriction, leading to a wave of research investigating the efficacy of these compounds in preventing age-related diseases and promoting healthier, longer lifespans. Although well studied at the biochemical level, there are still many unanswered questions about how CR and CR mimetics impact genome function and structure. Here we discuss how genome function and structure are influenced by CR and potential CR mimetics, including changes in gene expression profiles and epigenetic modifications and their potential to identify the genetic fountain of youth.
Impossibility Results and Lower Bounds for Consensus under Link Failures

We provide a suite of impossibility results and lower bounds for the required number of processes and rounds for synchronous consensus under transient link failures. Our results show that consensus can be solved even in the presence of $O(n^2)$ moving omission and/or arbitrary link failures per round, provided that both the number of affected outgoing and incoming links of every process is bounded. Providing a step further toward the weakest conditions under which consensus is solvable, our findings are applicable to a variety of dynamic phenomena such as transient communication failures and end-to-end delay variations. We also prove that our model surpasses alternative link failure modeling approaches in terms of assumption coverage.
Fluorimetric Detection of a Bacillus stearothermophilus Spore-Bound Enzyme, α-d-Glucosidase, for Rapid Indication of Flash Sterilization Failure

A biological indicator based on fluorimetric detection within 60 min of a Bacillus stearothermophilus spore-bound enzyme, α-d-glucosidase, has been developed. Results indicate that the enzyme survived slightly longer than spores observed after 24 h of incubation. The new system shows promise for evaluating flash sterilization cycles within 60 min compared with conventional 24-h systems.
Round Robin Testing for Mode I Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of Composite Materials

This report summarizes the results of several interlaboratory “round robin” test programs for measuring the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of advanced fiber-reinforced composite materials. Double cantilever beam (DCB) tests were conducted by participants in ASTM Committee D-30 on High Modulus Fibers and Their Composites and by representatives of the European Group on Fracture (EGF) and the Japanese Industrial Standards Group (JIS). DCB tests were performed on three AS4 carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials: AS4/3501-6 with a brittle epoxy matrix, AS4/BP907 with a tough epoxy matrix, and AS4/PEEK with a tough thermoplastic matrix. Difficulties encountered in manufacturing panels, as well as conducting the tests, are discussed. Critical issues that developed during the course of the testing are highlighted. Results of the round robin testing used to determine the precision of the ASTM DCB test standard are summarized.
Evaluating the feasibility of complex interventions in mental health services: standardised measure and reporting guidelines

Background The feasibility of implementation is insufficiently considered in clinical guideline development, leading to human and financial resource wastage. Aims To develop (a) an empirically based standardised measure of the feasibility of complex interventions for use within mental health services and (b) reporting guidelines to facilitate feasibility assessment. Method A focused narrative review of studies assessing implementation blocks and enablers was conducted with thematic analysis and vote counting used to determine candidate items for the measure. Twenty purposively sampled studies (15 trial reports, 5 protocols) were included in the psychometric evaluation, spanning different interventions types. Cohen's kappa (κ) was calculated for interrater reliability and test–retest reliability. Results In total, 95 influences on implementation were identified from 299 references. The final measure – Structured Assessment of FEasibility (SAFE) – comprises 16 items rated on a Likert scale. There was excellent interrater (κ = 0.84, 95% CI 0.79–0.89) and test–retest reliability (κ = 0.89, 95% CI 0.85–0.93). Cost information and training time were the two influences least likely to be reported in intervention papers. The SAFE reporting guidelines include 16 items organised into three categories (intervention, resource consequences, evaluation). Conclusions A novel approach to evaluating interventions, SAFE, supplements efficacy and health economic evidence. The SAFE reporting guidelines will allow feasibility of an intervention to be systematically assessed.
In the Absence of Sonic Hedgehog, p53 Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Retinal Cell Proliferation, Cell-Cycle Exit and Differentiation in Zebrafish

Background Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling regulates cell proliferation during vertebrate development via induction of cell-cycle regulator gene expression or activation of other signalling pathways, prevents cell death by an as yet unclear mechanism and is required for differentiation of retinal cell types. Thus, an unsolved question is how the same signalling molecule can regulate such distinct cell processes as proliferation, cell survival and differentiation. Methodology/Principal Findings Analysis of the zebrafish shh −/− mutant revealed that in this context p53 mediates elevated apoptosis during nervous system and retina development and interferes with retinal proliferation and differentiation. While in shh −/− mutants there is activation of p53 target genes and p53-mediated apoptosis, an increase in Hedgehog (Hh) signalling by over-expression of dominant-negative Protein Kinase A strongly decreased p53 target gene expression and apoptosis levels in shh −/− mutants. Using a novel p53 reporter transgene, I confirm that p53 is active in tissues that require Shh for cell survival. Proliferation assays revealed that loss of p53 can rescue normal cell-cycle exit and the mitotic indices in the shh −/− mutant retina at 24, 36 and 48 hpf. Moreover, generation of amacrine cells and photoreceptors was strongly enhanced in the double p53 −/− shh −/− mutant retina suggesting the effect of p53 on retinal differentiation. Conclusions Loss of Shh signalling leads to the p53-dependent apoptosis in the developing nervous system and retina. Moreover, Shh-mediated control of p53 activity is required for proliferation and cell cycle exit of retinal cells as well as differentiation of amacrine cells and photoreceptors.
Action of the pterygoideus muscle during feeding in the lizard Uromastix aegyptius (Agamidae)

The actions of the deep and superficial portions of the ptery‐goideus muscle and the depressor mandibulae were studied in the agamid lizard, Uromastix aegyptius, using fine wire electrodes. The EMG signals were recorded, while simultaneously recording the jaw positions during feeding on movie film at 32 fps. Muscle activity varies with different types of food. The deep and superficial portions of the pterygoideus performed different functions. The deep ptery‐goideus functioned during opening of the jaws, presumably to protract the jaw. The superficial pterygoideus was strictly a jaw elevator. The depressor mandibu‐lae is not the initiator of jaw opening. When biting on tough food items, the deep pterygoideus and depressor mandibular were active.
Proximate Constraints on Intruder Detection in the Dragonfly Perithemis tenera (Odonata: Libellulidae): Effects of Angle of Approach and Background

Abstract The implications of insects’ vision for territorial defense have been relatively little studied in the field. In the dragonfly Perithemis tenera Say we investigated whether either the angle at which an intruder was viewed by a territorial resident or the background against which it was viewed affected the detection of that intruder. Residents detected intruders at a greater distance if the intruders were directly in front of them; they also detected more intruders in front of them than from other angles. Intruders viewed against distant vegetation were detected more readily than were intruders against near vegetation. Residents detected more intruders viewed against distant vegetation than viewed against near vegetation; however, more intruders than expected were detected against near vegetation. The probability of detecting intruders depends on the angle at which they are viewed and the background behind them. Hence, there may be selection on territorial residents to adjust their orientation and space use to enhance their view of their territory and intruders.
Receptor for AGE (RAGE): signaling mechanisms in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications

The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) was first described as a signal transduction receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), the products of nonenzymatic glycation and oxidation of proteins and lipids that accumulate in diabetes and in inflammatory foci. The discovery that RAGE was a receptor for inflammatory S100/calgranulins and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) set the stage for linking RAGE to both the consequences and causes of types 1 and 2 diabetes. Recent discoveries regarding the structure of RAGE as well as novel intracellular binding partner interactions advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which RAGE evokes pathological consequences and underscore strategies by which antagonism of RAGE in the clinic may be realized. Finally, recent data tracking RAGE in the clinic suggest that levels of soluble RAGEs and polymorphisms in the gene encoding RAGE may hold promise for the identification of patients who are vulnerable to the complications of diabetes and/or are receptive to therapeutic interventions designed to prevent and reverse the damage inflicted by chronic hyperglycemia, irrespective of its etiology.
Anaphylaxis to Wheat Flour-Derived Foodstuffs and the Lipid Transfer Protein Syndrome: A Potential Role of Wheat Lipid Transfer Protein Tri a 14

Background: Food allergy to wheat-derived foodstuffs is on the rise. Tri a 14, a wheat flour lipid transfer protein (LTP) allergen, has been described as a major allergen associated with baker’s asthma and wheat food allergy. Cross-reactivity among LTP allergens leads to the so-called ‘LTP syndrome’. Methods: Eight adult patients showing anaphylaxis after ingestion of wheat-derived foodstuffs were selected. A homemade wheat extract, purified natural (n) and recombinant (r) Tri a 14, and peach fruit and Artemisia pollen LTP allergens Pru p 3 and Art v 3 were subjected to skin prick test, specific IgE determination (ELISA) and IgE immunodetection assays. Results: All tests were positive in the 8 selected patients with the homemade extract. Positive skin prick test responses to nTri a 14, Pru p 3 and Art v 3 were found in 5/8, 6/8 and 4/4 patients, respectively. Specific IgE determined by ELISA assays was detected in 6 to nTri a 14 and rTri a 14, in 4 to Pru p 3 and in 3 to Art v 3 out of 8 individual sera tested, whereas all these sera showed IgE binding to nTri a 14 and Pru p 3 in immunodetection after SDS-PAGE separation. Conclusions: Tri a 14 seems to be a relevant allergen in patients with anaphylaxis after ingestion of wheat flour foodstuffs, according to in vitro and in vivo results. Clinical history of the analyzed patients, together with sensitization to peach Pru p 3 and Artemisia pollen Art v 3, suggests that 6 of them suffer from LTP syndrome.