Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zerumbone Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis via Mitochondrial Pathway in Jurkat cell Line

This investigation determined the anticancer properties of zerumbone (ZER) on the human T-cell (Jurkat) line using the MTT assay, microscopic evaluations, flow cytometric analyses, and caspase activity estimations. The results showed that ZER is selectively cytotoxic to Jurkat cells in a dose and time-dependent manner with IC50 of 11.9 ± 0.2, 8.6 ± 0.5 and 5.4 ± 0.4 μg/mL at 24, 48 and 72 hours of treatment, respectively. ZER did not produce an adverse effect on normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). ZER is not as cytotoxic as doxorubicin, which imposed an inhibitory effect on Jurkat cells with IC50 of 2.1 ± 0.2, 1.8 ± 0.15, 1.5 ± 0.07 μg/mL after 24, 48 and 72 hours treatment, respectively. ZER significantly (P<0.05) arrested Jurkat cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. The antiproliferative effect of ZER on Jurkat cells was through the apoptotic intrinsic pathway via the activation of caspase-3 and -9. The results showed that ZER can be further developed into a safe chemotherapeutic compound for the treatment of cancers, especially leukemia.
A Comparison of Loopy Belief Propagation and Dual Decomposition for Integrated CCG Supertagging and Parsing

Via an oracle experiment, we show that the upper bound on accuracy of a CCG parser is significantly lowered when its search space is pruned using a supertagger, though the supertagger also prunes many bad parses. Inspired by this analysis, we design a single model with both supertagging and parsing features, rather than separating them into distinct models chained together in a pipeline. To overcome the resulting increase in complexity, we experiment with both belief propagation and dual decomposition approaches to inference, the first empirical comparison of these algorithms that we are aware of on a structured natural language processing problem. On CCGbank we achieve a labelled dependency F-measure of 88.8% on gold POS tags, and 86.7% on automatic part-of-speeoch tags, the best reported results for this task.
Molecular basis for defective glycosylation and Pseudomonas pathogenesis in cystic fibrosis lung

The CFTR gene encodes a transmembrane conductance regulator, which is dysfunctional in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The mechanism by which defective CFTR (CF transmembrane conductance regulator) leads to undersialylation of plasma membrane glycoconjugates, which in turn promote lung pathology and colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa causing lethal bacterial infections in CF, is not known. Here we show by ratiometric imaging with lumenally exposed pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein that dysfunctional CFTR leads to hyperacidification of the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in CF lung epithelial cells. The hyperacidification of TGN, glycosylation defect of plasma membrane glycoconjugates, and increased P. aeruginosa adherence were corrected by incubating CF respiratory epithelial cells with weak bases. Studies with pharmacological agents indicated a role for sodium conductance, modulated by CFTR regulatory function, in determining the pH of TGN. These studies demonstrate the molecular basis for defective glycosylation of lung epithelial cells and bacterial pathogenesis in CF, and suggest a cure by normalizing the pH of intracellular compartments.
A constructional account of the ‘optional’ quotative marking on Japanese mimetics1

This paper proposes a constructional account of the longstanding issue of the optional quotative to-marking on manner-adverbial mimetics (or ideophones) in Japanese. We argue that this optionality comes from the availability of two morphological constructions – the bare-mimetic predicate construction and the quotative-adverbial construction – to a set of mimetics. On the one hand, the bare-mimetic predicate construction incorporates previously identified phonological, syntactic, and semantic conditions of the bare realization of mimetics. This construction is instantiated by bare mimetics (e.g. pyókopyoko ‘jumping around quickly’) in combination with their typical host predicates (e.g. hane- ‘jump’), and they behave as loose complex predicates with more or less abstract meanings. As with ‘say’- and ‘do’-verbs, these complex predicates involve quasi-incorporation, which is a constructional strategy for the morphosyntactic integration of mimetics into sentence structures. On the other hand, the quotative-adverbial construction introduces mimetics to sentences with a minimal loss of their imitative semiotics. This fundamental function is consistent with the wide distribution of quotative-marked mimetics.
Prevalence of asthma attacks treated in public health facilities in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of asthma attacks treated in public health facilities in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil from February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2003. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving monthly analyses performed in order to evaluate the asthma attacks treated. The variables analyzed were patient gender, age, and place of residence, as well as the profile of the visits by age bracket and by the site of the visit. In addition, we attempted to determine whether asthma attacks correlated with temperature or relative humidity. RESULTS A total of 25,243 patients were treated for asthma attacks, accounting for 11.1% of the total number of visits to pediatric clinics and 2.7% of the total number visits to medical clinics. The mean age of the patients was 11.6 years (median, 4 years), and 52.9% of the patients were male. The analysis of the annual distribution revealed an increase in the number of asthma attacks treated in the months of May (11.5%), June (10.8%), and July (10.9%). Asthma attack presented a strong inverse correlation with temperature (-0.86) and a weak inverse correlation with relative humidity (-0.27). Statistically significant differences, in terms of mean age and gender, were found between patients with asthma attacks treated in emergency rooms and those treated in basic health clinics. The evaluation by age bracket revealed a predominance of males among patients younger than 12 years of age and a predominance of females among those aged 12 or older. CONCLUSION We found that asthma represents a significant public health problem in this city. Local strategies are urgently needed in order to increase in the availability of prophylactic treatment.
TIME AND SPACE ADAPTIVITY FOR THE SECOND-ORDER WAVE EQUATION

The aim of this paper is to show that, for a linear second-order hyperbolic equation discretized by the backward Euler scheme in time and continuous piecewise affine finite elements in space, the adaptation of the time steps can be combined with spatial mesh adaptivity in an optimal way. We derive a priori and a posteriori error estimates which admit, as much as it is possible, the decoupling of the errors committed in the temporal and spatial discretizations.
A Framework for the Study of Relationships between Organizational Characteristics and Organizational Innovation.

This paper presents a taxonomy of organizational characteristics that was developed as part of a large scale job analysis project conducted for the Department of Labor (DOL). Based on research and theory related to organizations, a hierarchical taxonomy of organizational characteristics was developed with six construct domains at the highest level: organizational structure, leadership, human resources (HR) systems and practices, goals, and organizational values. The taxonomy has been empirically tested using data from over 300 organizations, and a summary of these results is presented. This taxonomy is then used to organize and review research on the relationships between organizational variables and innovation. Implications of the taxonomy for understanding relationships between organizational size, industry type, “high-performance” practices, and innovation are discussed.
The cDNA Sequence of Two MADS Box Proteins in Petunia

Severa1 homeotic genes that are involved in floral differentiation have recently been isolated and characterized from Antirrhinum majus and Arabidopsis thaliana (Sommer et al., 1990; Yanofsky et al., 1990). Based on genetic and molecular studies, a model has been proposed to explain the roles of different homeotic genes in the specification of floral organ identity (Bowman et al., 1991). To see whether this model might also apply to Petunia, we initiated a project to isolate Petunia genes that show sequence homology to known floral homeotic genes in Antirrhinum and Arabidopsis. A11 of the floral homeotic genes isolated to date contain a putative DNA-binding domain that shows homology with that of other so-called MADS box proteins (Schwarz-Sommer et al., 1990; Angenent et al., 1992). We used a polymerase chain reaction technique to synthesize a DNA fragment encoding the MADS box region (amino acids 2-93) of Antirrhinum DEF A (Sommer et'al., 1990). This 280-bp polymerase chain reaction fragment was used as a probe to screen a Petunia hybrida W115 petal cDNA library. Twelve independent clones were purified and excised from X Zap I1 according to the manufacturer's instructions (Stratagene). Nine clones were found to differ in their restriction pattems. The nucleotide sequences of two clones (Petunia MADS 1 and 2, Tables I and 11) were detennined using the United States Biochemical Sequenase kit. The nucleotide sequence of the PMADS 1 cDNA is 881 bp in length and encodes a protein with 231 amino acid residues and a predicted molecular mass of 27,022 D. Sequence comparison shows that PMADS 1 is highly homologous to the DEF A gene of Antirrhinum majus (Sommer et al., 1990). The amino acid homology is 93% within the MADS box region (amino acids 3-60) and 77% in the remainder of the protein. Northem blot analysis showed that PMADS 1 is preferentially expressed in the second and third whorl of Petunia flowers (van der Krol et al., 1993). No expression of PMADS 1 was observed in leaves. Consistent with this expression pattern, we found that the PMADS 1 gene is deleted from a green petal mutant that shows a homeotic conversion of petal
The Role of Serum Magnesium and Calcium on the Association between Adiponectin Levels and All-Cause Mortality in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

Background Adiponectin (ADPN) is the most abundant adipocyte-specific cytokine that plays an important role in energy homeostasis by regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. Studies of the impact of ADPN on clinical outcomes have yielded contradictory results so far. Here, we examined the association of ADPN with serum magnesium (s-Mg) and calcium (s-Ca) levels and explored the possibility whether these two factors could modify the relationship between ADPN and all-cause mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. Methodology/Principal Findings After baseline assessment, 47 hemodialysis and 27 peritoneal dialysis patients were followed- up for a median period of 50 months. S-Mg and s-Ca levels emerged as positive and negative predictors of ADPN levels, respectively. During the follow-up period 18 deaths occurred. There was a significant 4% increased risk for all-cause mortality for each 1-µg/ml increment of ADPN (crude HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07), even after adjustment for s-Mg and s-Ca levels, dialysis mode, age, albumin and C-reactive protein. Cox analysis stratified by s-Mg levels (below and above the median value of 2.45 mg/dl) and s-Ca levels (below and above the median value of 9.3 mg/dl), revealed ADPN as an independent predictor of total mortality only in the low s-Mg and high s-Ca groups. Furthermore, low s-Mg and high s-Ca levels were independently associated with malnutrition, inflammation, arterial stiffening and risk of death. Conclusions/Significance The predictive value of ADPN in all-cause mortality in end-stage renal disease patients appears to be critically dependent on s-Mg and s-Ca levels. Conversely, s-Mg and s-Ca may impact on clinical outcomes by directly modifying the ADPN’s bioactivity.
Hybrid multilevel power conversion system: a competitive solution for high power applications

Use of multilevel inverters is becoming popular in recent years for high power applications. Various topologies and modulation strategies have been investigated for utility and drive applications in literature. Trends in power semiconductor technology indicate a trade-off in the selection of power devices in terms of switching frequency and voltage sustaining capability. New power converter topologies permit modular realization of multilevel inverters using a hybrid approach involving integrated gate commutated thyristors (IGCT) and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) operating in synergism. This paper is devoted to the investigation of a hybrid multilevel power conversion system typically suitable for high performance, high power applications. This system designed for 4.16 kV, /spl ges/100 hp load comprises of a hybrid seven-level inverter, a diode bridge rectifier and an IGBT rectifier per phase. The IGBT rectifier is used on the utility side as a real power flow regulator to the low voltage converter and as a harmonic compensator for the high voltage converter. The hybrid seven-level inverter on the load side consists of a high voltage, slow switching IGCT inverter and a low voltage, fast switching IGBT inverter. By employing different devices under different operating conditions, it is shown that one can optimize the power conversion capability of entire system. A detailed analysis of a novel hybrid modulation technique for the inverter, which incorporates stepped synthesis in conjunction with variable pulse width of the consecutive steps is included. In addition, performance of a multilevel current regulated delta modulator as applied to the single phase full bridge IGBT rectifier is discussed. Detailed computer simulations accompanied with experimental verification are presented in the paper.
Investigation of physical process at polymer insulation-conductive filler interface

One of the fundamental properties of dielectrics is to accumulate charges under an electric field. Even if this phenomena is exploited in some applications such as memories, it is the main cause of failure in a large amount of applications such as high voltage cables or microsystems. Numerous studies have demonstrated that dielectric/electrode interface has strong impact on complete system and particularly on charge injection phenomenon which induce failures. During the past decades, charge injection phenomena electrode / dielectric interface has been extensively studied. To explain the difference between experimental and modelling, the most plausible hypothesis is the presence of interface states between the electrode (metal or semiconductor) and the dielectric. This hypothesis explain the independence of injected charge density respect to the electrode meta (work function). However, interfaces properties remain poorly understood mainly because all nanometric phenomena accuring at its localization are characterized thanks to microscopic measurements. The aim of this PhD thesis is to characterize chemical and electrical properties of the interface through a rigorous control of its manufacturing process. The major contribution of this work is related to the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to determine interface properties at nanoscale. In particular, interfaces are characterized morphologically (mechanical properties measurements by PFQNM - Peak Quantitative Quantum NanoMechanical) and electrically (surface potential measurements by KPFM - Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy). Thus, results demonstrate that the manufacturing process influenced the chemical properties (surface oxidation .) of the interface without having any significant influence on the electrical properties. Indeed, the amount of injected charges remains quite the same regardless of the manufacturing process. AFM measurements showed that the morphological interface was abrupt whereas the electrical interface was progressive (several microns). A Matlab model permits us to extract interface charge density to KPFM surface potential measurements.
Serial casting versus stretching technique to treat knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND Severe knee contractures that develop soon after muscle imbalance may not improve with stretching exercises and splinting. An alternative treatment is serial casting, which has been used to promote increased range of motion. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of using serial casting and passive stretching approaches to treat knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida. METHODS In a pre/post randomized controlled study, ten participants were included in the serial casting group, while eight participants were included in the passive stretching intervention group. The degree of knee extension was measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and at a one-year follow-up using a standard goniometer. RESULTS Both groups showed significant improvements in the degree of flexion contracture at the post-treatment evaluation and the follow-up evaluation. The serial casting group showed significant improvements in knee flexion contracture at the post-treatment evaluation, t (9)=13.4, p < 0.001, and the one-year follow-up evaluation, t (9) = 7.46, p < 0.001. The passive stretching group also showed significant improvements in knee flexion contracture at the post-treatment evaluation, t (7) =2.6, p < 0.05, and the one-year follow-up evaluation, t (7) = 3.6, p < 0.05. However, statistically significant improvements in the serial casting group compared with passive stretching group in relation to the degree of flexion contracture were found at the immediate post-treatment evaluation, F(1, 15)=246, p=0.0001, and the one-year follow-up evaluation, F (1, 15)=51.5, p=0.0001. CONCLUSION The outcomes of this study provide the first evidence that serial casting may be a useful intervention in treating knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida. However, further investigations into serial casting, as well as investigations into the use of serial casting with other interventions, are warranted.
Tripartite Unity: What Students Expect from Their Teacher and Accompanist during Individual Singing Lessons

A successful singing lesson requires coordinated efforts from the three parties involved: student, teacher, and accompanist. Results are reported of a survey in which 32 statements were rated on a 5-point Likert scale by high-school students, university students, and professional singers from an opera chorus. The statements were related to students' expectations of their teacher and accompanist during individual singing lessons. Participants were also able to add their own comments to the questionnaire. Results demonstrate that students expect a partnership to develop between the three parties in a singing lesson. The teacher is expected to have a positive attitude, professional and up-to- date skills, and the ability to motivate students to work more efficiently. Alongside progress in musical terms, students expect to receive assistance from their teacher in how better to cope with increasingly stressful situations during a public performance.
A case study of the modified Hirsch index hm accounting for multiple coauthors

J. E. Hirsch (2005) introduced the h-index to quantify an individual's scientific research output by the largest number h of a scientist's papers, that received at least h citations. This so-called Hirsch index can be easily modified to take multiple co-authorship into account by counting the papers fractionally according to (the inverse of) the number of authors. I have worked out 26 empirical cases of physicists to illustrate the effect of this modification. Although the correlation between the original and the modified Hirsch index is relatively strong, the arrangement of the datasets is significantly different depending on whether they are put into order according to the values of either the original or the modified index.
Murine startle mutant Nmf11 affects the structural stability of the glycine receptor and increases deactivation

Hyperekplexia or startle disease is a serious neurological condition affecting newborn children and usually involves dysfunctional glycinergic neurotransmission. Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are major mediators of inhibition in the spinal cord and brainstem. A missense mutation, replacing asparagine (N) with lysine (K), at position 46 in the GlyR α1 subunit induced hyperekplexia following a reduction in the potency of the transmitter glycine; this resulted from a rapid deactivation of the agonist current at mutant GlyRs. These effects of N46K were rescued by mutating a juxtaposed residue, N61 on binding Loop D, suggesting these two asparagines may interact. Asparagine 46 is considered to be important for the structural stability of the subunit interface and glycine binding site, and its mutation represents a new mechanism by which GlyR dysfunction induces startle disease.
Adaptive Decision Making, Ecological Validity, and the Frontal Lobes

Existing neuropsychological procedures assess veridical, but not adaptive, decision making, which are based on different mechanisms. This severely curtails the tests' ecological validity, because most real-life decision making situations are adaptive, rather than veridical. Veridical decision making entails finding the correct response intrinsic to external situations and is actor-independent. Adaptive decision making is actor-centered and priority-based. Prefrontal cortex is critical for adaptive decision making. Innovative actor-centered decision-making tasks are required to better understand frontal lobe functions. We have designed a prototype for such procedures, the Cognitive Bias Task (CBT). CBT elicited strong gender and hemispheric differences in the effects of focal frontal lesions, which are more robust than those elicited with veridical tasks, such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.
Citrate or ascorbate/citrate treatment of established corneal ulcers in the alkali-injured rabbit eye.

Immediate treatment of alkali-injured eyes with citrate or ascorbate has previously been shown to prevent corneal ulceration and perforation in the rabbit. Other experiments showed that while ascorbate treatment of established ulcers did not appear to lead to significant healing it did reduce perforations by prolonging the presence of descemetoceles. In the present experiment with established ulcers, alkali injuries were created with 1 N NaOH in a 12 mm corneal well for 35 seconds. Eyes were entered into the study with anterior, middle or posterior ulcers. When compared to controls, 10% citrate (q1/2 hr) significantly reduced the deepening of anterior stromal ulcers while 10% ascorbate/10% citrate (q1 hr/q1 hr-30 min apart) showed only a trend toward reduction of these ulcers (14 hr of dropping). The demonstration of healing (total vascularization or no ulcer) is significant when comparing the control group (8.3%) to the citrate treated group (58.3%, 0.01 less than P less than 0.009), but not the ascorbate/citrate group (18.2%). Sixty-seven percent of anterior stromal ulcers in the control group progressed to descemetocele or perforation, compared to 8.3% in the citrate treated (0.003 less than P less than 0.004), and 45.5% in the ascorbate/citrate treated group (not significant). While the numbers of ulcers entered as middle stromal were too few to analyze statistically, the reduced numbers of perforations and increased stability prior to perforation in both treatment groups suggest a positive effect by both citrate and ascorbate/citrate. Treatment of posterior stromal ulcers did not prevent the development of descemetoceles and perforations in either treatment group; however, the numbers in this category were too few to analyze. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)