Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Na:K:2Cl Cotransporter 1 (NKCC1/SLC12A2) in Dental Epithelium during Enamel Formation in Mice

Na+:K+:2Cl− cotransporters (NKCCs) belong to the SLC12A family of cation-coupled Cl− transporters. We investigated whether enamel-producing mouse ameloblasts express NKCCs. Transcripts for Nkcc1 were identified in the mouse dental epithelium by RT-qPCR and NKCC1 protein was immunolocalized in outer enamel epithelium and in the papillary layer but not the ameloblast layer. In incisors of Nkcc1-null mice late maturation ameloblasts were disorganized, shorter and the mineral density of the enamel was reduced by 10% compared to wild-type controls. Protein levels of gap junction protein connexin 43, Na+-dependent bicarbonate cotransporter e1 (NBCe1), and the Cl−-dependent bicarbonate exchangers SLC26A3 and SLC26A6 were upregulated in Nkcc1-null enamel organs while the level of NCKX4/SLC24A4, the major K+, Na+ dependent Ca2+ transporter in maturation ameloblasts, was slightly downregulated. Whole-cell voltage clamp studies on rat ameloblast-like HAT-7 cells indicated that bumetanide increased ion-channel activity conducting outward currents. Bumetanide also reduced cell volume of HAT-7 cells. We concluded that non-ameloblast dental epithelium expresses NKCC1 to regulate cell volume in enamel organ and provide ameloblasts with Na+, K+ and Cl− ions required for the transport of mineral- and bicarbonate-ions into enamel. Absence of functional Nkcc1 likely is compensated by other types of ion channels and ion transporters. The increased amount of Cx43 in enamel organ cells in Nkcc1-null mice suggests that these cells display a higher number of gap junctions to increase intercellular communication.
Active Ageing: Social and Cultural Integration of Older Turkish Alevi Refugees in London

Abstract Ageing of migrants in Europe has become an important policy issue, especially within the context of health inequalities and increasing health care costs. Based on in-depth interviews with older Alevi/Kurdish refugees in London, we explore the cumulative impact of difficult migration trajectories on the experience of ageing. The findings highlight the important role of cultural capital and transnational ties throughout the refugees’ migration journeys and particularly at old age. However, the study indicates the double edge impact of strong ‘solidarity’ bonds, increasing isolation at old age due to lack of accumulation of capital and knowledge, particularly language, which are important in accessing health and social care services at old age.
High frequency channel noise measurement and characterization in deep submicron MOSFETs

We evaluate and compare several closed form expressions of channel thermal noise used in circuits with MOSFET devices operating at high frequencies. To verify and compare these models, NMOS devices with channel widths of 120 μm (20 μm * 6 fingers) and channel lengths of 0.18, 0.36, and 0.54 μm were tested. A comparison of extracted and calculated noise data indicates that a model based on drain and overdrive voltages of short channel devices operating at RF frequencies provides the best match between extracted and calculated results for the channel thermal noise over a frequency range of 3 to 6 GHz and a gate overdrive voltage range of 0.2 to 1.2 V.
Sources of humic-like substances in the Pearl River Delta, China: positive matrix factorization analysis of PM 2.5 major components and source markers

Abstract. Humic-like substances (HULIS), the hydrophobic part of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), account for a significant fraction of PM2.5 mass. Their source studies are so far largely qualitative. In this study, HULIS and WSOC were determined in 100 PM2.5 samples collected in 2009 at an urban site (Guangzhou) and a suburban site (Nansha) in the Pearl River Delta in South China. The annual average concentration of HULIS was 4.83 and 4.71 μg m−3, constituting 8.5 and 10.2% of the PM2.5 mass, while HULIS-C (the carbon component of HULIS) contributed 48 and 57% of WSOC at the two sites, respectively. HULIS were found to correlate with biomass burning (BB) tracers (i.e., levoglucosan and K) and secondary species (e.g., SO42− and NH4+), suggesting its association with BB emissions and secondary formation processes. Sources of HULIS were investigated using positive matrix factorization analysis of PM2.5 chemical composition data, including major components and source markers. In addition to secondary formation process and BB emissions, residual oil combustion related to shipping was identified for the first time as a significant source of HULIS. Secondary formation process contributed the most, accounting for 49–82% of ambient HULIS at the two sites in different seasons. BB emissions contributed a seasonal average of 8–28%, with more contributions observed in the winter months (November–February) due to crop residue burning during harvest season. Residual oil combustion was revealed to be an important source at the suburban site in summer (44% of HULIS-C) due to its proximity to one of the ports and the shipping lane in the region. Vehicle emissions were found to contribute little to HULIS, but had contributions to the hydrophilic WSOC fraction. The contrast in contributions from different combustion sources to HULIS and hydrophilic WSOC suggests that primary sources of HULIS are linked to inefficient combustion. This source analysis suggests further study of HULIS be focused on secondary formation process and source characteristics of HULIS from BB and residual oil combustion.
The Effects of Mood State and Intensity on Cognitive Processing Modes

To investigate the effects of emotional arousal on information processing strategy, three different moods (sadness, anger, and happiness) were hypnotically induced at three different levels of intensity (high, medium, and low) in 29 male and female undergraduate students, while engaging them in a visual information processing task. Subjects were screened for hypnotic susceptibility and assigned to either a high susceptibility group or low susceptibility group to account for the attentional bias associated with this trait. All subjects were trained to access the three emotions at the three levels of intensity. During separate experimental sessions, subjects were hypnotized, and asked to access a mood and experience each level of intensity while being administered the Navon Design Discrimination Task, a measure of global and analytic visual information processing. Scores were derived for global processing, analytic processing, and a percentage of global to analytic processing for each level of mood and intensity. Two (hypnotic susceptibility) x 3 (emotion) x 3 (intensity level) repeated measures ANOVAs were computed on the global, analytic, and percentage scores. In addition, two separate ANCOVAs were computed on each dependent measure to account for the effects of handedness, and cognitive style. None of these analyses revealed significant main effects or interactions. The analysis of the percentage scores revealed a trend toward differences between the emotions, but in a direction opposite to that hypothesized. Hypnotic susceptibility does not appear to mediate global and analytic responses to the Navon visual information processing task when emotions are being experienced. Results regarding emotions and emotional intensity were discussed in terms of the problems with adequate control and manipulation of mood and intensity level. Difficulties with the Navon measure were also explored with regard to the exposure duration in the Navon task, and its adequacy in measuring shifts in information processing associated with transient mood states. Implications for future research were discussed.
Compilation and characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana response regulators implicated in His-Asp phosphorelay signal transduction.

His-Asp phosphorelays are evolutionary-conserved powerful biological tactics for intracellular signal transduction. Such a phosphorelay is generally made up of "sensor histidine (His)-kinases", "response regulators", and "histidine-containing (HPt) phosphotransmitters". In the higher plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, results from recent intensive studies suggested that His-Asp phosphorelays may be widely used for propagating environmental stimuli, such as phytohormones (e.g., ethylene and cytokinin). In this study, we first inspected extensively the occurrence of Arabidopsis response regulators in order to compile and characterize them. The results showed that this higher plant has, at least, 14 members of the family of response regulators that can be classified into two distinct subtypes (type-A and type-B), as judged from their structural designs, biochemical properties, and expression profiles. Comparative studies were conducted for each representative (ARR3 and ARR4 for type-A, and ARR10 for type-B). It was suggested that expression of the type-A response regulator is cytokinin-inducible, while that of the type-B response regulator appears to be not. Results from yeast two-hybrid analyses suggested that the type-B response regulator may have an ability to stably interact with a set of HPt phosphotransmitters (AHPs). These and other results will be discussed with special reference to the His-Asp phosphorelay signaling network in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Downregulation of Nuclear-Encoded Genes of Oxidative Metabolism in Dialyzed Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Background Mitochondria, essential eukaryotic cells organelles defined as the “powerhouse of the cell” because of their ability to produce the vast majority of energy necessary for cellular metabolism, may have a primary role in the oxidative stress-related intracellular machinery associated to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods To better assess this research assumption, we decided to study the key factors regulating mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in CKD patients in peritoneal dialysis (PD, n = 15) using several bio-molecular methodologies. Results RT-PCR experiments demonstrate that the expression level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1), two genes primarily involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and functions, were significantly hypo-expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of PD patients compared to healthy subjects (HS, n = 15). Additionally, mRNA levels of several PGC1-α downstream target genes (TFAM, COX6C,COX7C, UQCRH and MCAD) were profoundly down-regulated in PD cells. TFAM protein analysis confirmed gene-expression results. High plasmatic concentration of Malondialdehyde found in PD patients, confirmed the contribution of the oxidative stress to these biological effects. Finally, Nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2 or NFE2L2), a transcription factor for numerous antioxidant/detoxifying enzymes and one of its target genes, superoxide dismutase-2 mitochondrial (SOD2) were up-regulated in PD compared to HS. Conclusions Our results revealed, for the first time, that CKD-PD patients’ PBMC, through a complex intracellular biochemical machinery, are able to modulate their mitochondrial functions probably in the attempt to reduce oxidative metabolic damage and to turn on a valuable defense cellular strategy against oxidative stress.
Probability of large deviations of sums of random processes from Orlicz space

Abstract This paper is devoted to the accuracy and reliability estimation (in uniform metrics) of calculation of improper integrals depending on a parameter t, using the Monte Carlo method. For this, estimates for the probability of deviation in the uniform metric of sums of independent identically distributed fields, which belong to Orlicz spaces, were found.
Three-dimensional array of scintillation crystals with proper reflector arrangement for a depth of interaction detector

A new method to acquire four-layer depth of interaction (DOI) information is proposed for the next generation positron emission tomography scanner (jPET-D4) that realizes high resolution and high sensitivity. The detector module of the jPET-D4 is a 16/spl times/16/spl times/4 Gd/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/: Ce (GSO) multicrystal array coupled with a 256 ch flat panel position sensitive photomultiplier tube (256 ch FP-PMT) having large opening area. The first challenge to encode DOI information was carried out with 8/spl times/8 array of units consisted of 2/spl times/2/spl times/4 crystal elements. The unit is developed for four-layer DOI encoding in previous report. Its crystal identification performance is evaluated by uniform gamma ray irradiation. The measured scintillation events are mapped on a two-dimensional (2-D) position histogram according to the relative ratio of the multianode output of the FP-PMT. However, peaks corresponding to the crystal elements of one unit form a colony in the resultant 2-D position histogram and there is large space between adjacent colonies. In the new method, the reflector arrangement which makes proper light sharing in the multicrystal array decreases such wasted space. Consequently, peak-to-valley on the 2-D position histogram was improved to 3.3:1 from 1.8:1. We found energy performance was also enhanced by the new method.
CHELATING AGENTS FOR URANIUM(VI): 2. EFFICACY AND TOXICITY OF TETRADENTATE CATECHOLATE AND HYDROXYPYRIDINONATE LIGANDS IN MICE

Uranium(VI) (UO22+, uranyl) is nephrotoxic. Depending on isotopic composition and dosage, U(VI) is also chemically toxic and carcinogenic in bone. Several ligands containing two, three, or four bidentate catecholate or hydroxypyridinonate metal binding groups, developed for in vivo chelation of other actinides, were found, on evaluation in mice, to be effective for in vivo chelation of U(VI). The most promising ligands contained two bidentate groups per chelator molecule (tetradentate) attached to linear 4- or 5-carbon backbones (4-LI, butylene; 5-LI, pentylene; 5-LIO, diethyl ether). New ligands were then prepared to optimize ligand affinity for U(VI) in vivo and low acute toxicity. Five bidentate binding groups—sulfocatechol [CAM(S)], carboxycatechol [CAM(C)], methylterephthalamide (MeTAM), 1,2-hydroxypyridinone (1,2-HOPO), or 3,2-hydroxypyridinone (Me-3,2-HOPO)—were each attached to two linear backbones (4-LI and 5-LI or 5-LIO). Those ten tetradentate ligands and octadentate 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO), an effective actinide chelator, were evaluated in mice for in vivo chelation of 233U(VI) (injection at 3 min, 1 h, or 24 h or oral administration at 3 min after intravenous injection of 233UO2Cl2) and for acute toxicity (100 &mgr;mol kg−1 injected daily for 10 d). The combined efficacy and toxicity screening identified 5-LIO(Me-3,2-HOPO) and 5-LICAM(S) as the most effective low-toxicity agents. They chelate circulating U(VI) efficiently at ligand:uranium molar ratios ≥ 20, remove useful amounts of newly deposited U(VI) from kidney and bone at molar ratios ≥ 100, and reduce kidney U(VI) levels significantly when given orally at molar ratios ≥ 100. 5-LIO(Me-3,2-HOPO) has greater affinity for kidney U(VI) while 5-LICAM(S) has greater affinity for bone U(VI), and a 1:1 mixture (total molar ratio = 91) reduced kidney and bone U(VI) to 15 and 58% of control, respectively—more than an equimolar amount of either ligand alone.
The Predicted Arabidopsis Interactome Resource and Network Topology-Based Systems Biology Analyses[W][OA]

Protein–protein interactions are important mechanisms for genes and gene networks to function. This study demonstrates that, although the PAIR database has limited coverage, representing ~24% of the entire interactome with ~40% precision, it is rich enough to capture many significant functional linkages within and between higher-order biological systems, such as pathways and biological processes. Predicted interactions are a valuable complement to experimentally reported interactions in molecular mechanism studies, particularly for higher organisms, for which reported experimental interactions represent only a small fraction of their total interactomes. With careful engineering consideration of the lessons from previous efforts, the Predicted Arabidopsis Interactome Resource (PAIR; ) presents 149,900 potential molecular interactions, which are expected to cover ~24% of the entire interactome with ~40% precision. This study demonstrates that, although PAIR still has limited coverage, it is rich enough to capture many significant functional linkages within and between higher-order biological systems, such as pathways and biological processes. These inferred interactions can nicely power several network topology-based systems biology analyses, such as gene set linkage analysis, protein function prediction, and identification of regulatory genes demonstrating insignificant expression changes. The drastically expanded molecular network in PAIR has considerably improved the capability of these analyses to integrate existing knowledge and suggest novel insights into the function and coordination of genes and gene networks.
A Survey of Context-Aware Mobile Recommendations

Mobile recommender systems target on recommending the right product or information to the right mobile users at anytime and anywhere. It is well known that the contextual information is often the key for the performances of mobile recommendations. Therefore, in this paper, we provide a focused survey of the recent development of context-aware mobile recommendations. After briefly reviewing the state-of-the-art of recommender systems, we first discuss the general notion of mobile context and how the contextual information is collected. Then, we introduce the existing approaches to exploit contextual information for modeling mobile recommendations. Furthermore, we summarize several existing recommendation tasks in the mobile scenarios, such as the recommendations in the tourism domain. Finally, we discuss some key issues that are still critical in the field of context-aware mobile recommendations, including the privacy problem, the energy efficiency issues, and the design of user interfaces.
MOA Concept Drift Active Learning Strategies for Streaming Data

We present a framework for active learning on evolving data streams, as an extension to the MOA system. In learning to classify streaming data, obtaining the true labels may require major eort and may incur excessive cost. Active learning focuses on learning an accurate model with as few labels as possible. Streaming data poses additional challenges for active learning, since the data distribution may change over time (concept drift) and classiers need to adapt. Conventional active learning strategies concentrate on querying the most uncertain instances, which are typically concentrated around the decision boundary. If changes do not occur close to the boundary, they will be missed and classiers will fail to adapt. We propose a software system that implements active learning strategies, extending the MOA framework. This software is released under the GNU GPL license.
Connection with nature is an oxymoron: A political ecology of “nature-deficit disorder”

ABSTRACT It has become commonplace to argue that greater “connection with nature” is needed to mobilize support for both biodiversity conservation and environmentalism generally, and hence to call for more effective environmental education to achieve this. I employ a political ecology lens to problematize this increasingly conventional wisdom by highlighting the ways in which a sense of separation from “nature” is in fact paradoxically reinforced by the very environmental education and related practices employed to overcome it. In response, I call for greater interrogation of the concept of “nature” as well as the political-economic structures driving environmental degradation.
FIRST–2MASS RED QUASARS: TRANSITIONAL OBJECTS EMERGING FROM THE DUST

We present a sample of 120 dust-reddened quasars identified by matching radio sources detected at 1.4 GHz in the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters survey with the near-infrared Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog and color-selecting red sources. Optical and/or near-infrared spectroscopy provide broad wavelength sampling of their spectral energy distributions that we use to determine their reddening, characterized by E(B − V). We demonstrate that the reddening in these quasars is best described by Small-Magellanic-Cloud-like dust. This sample spans a wide range in redshift and reddening (0.1 ≲ z ≲ 3, 0.1 ≲ E(B − V) ≲ 1.5), which we use to investigate the possible correlation of luminosity with reddening. At every redshift, dust-reddened quasars are intrinsically the most luminous quasars. We interpret this result in the context of merger-driven quasar/galaxy co-evolution where these reddened quasars are revealing an emergent phase during which the heavily obscured quasar is shedding its cocoon of dust prior to becoming a “normal” blue quasar. When correcting for extinction, we find that, depending on how the parent population is defined, these red quasars make up ≲ 15%–20% of the luminous quasar population. We estimate, based on the fraction of objects in this phase, that its duration is 15%–20% as long as the unobscured, blue quasar phase.
Characterization of a novel panel of plasma microRNAs that discriminates between Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and healthy individuals

Cavities are important in clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in the regulation of inflammation, the relation between plasma miRNA and pulmonary tuberculosis with cavity remains unknown. In this study, plasma samples were derived from 89 cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (CP-TB) patients, 89 non-cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (NCP-TB) patients and 95 healthy controls. Groups were matched for age and gender. In the screening phase, Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology was employed to analyze miRNA profiles in plasma samples pooled from CP-TB patients, NCP-TB patients and healthy controls. During the training and verification phases, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to verify the differential expression of selected miRNAs among groups. Illumina high-throughput sequencing identified 29 differentially expressed plasma miRNAs in TB patients when compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis validated miR-769-5p, miR-320a and miR-22-3p as miRNAs that were differently present between TB patients and healthy controls. ROC curve analysis revealed that the potential of these 3 miRNAs to distinguish TB patients from healthy controls was high, with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) ranged from 0.692 to 0.970. Moreover, miR-320a levels were decreased in drug-resistant TB patients than pan-susceptible TB patients (AUC = 0.882). In conclusion, we identified miR-769-5p, miR-320a and miR-22-3p as potential blood-based biomarkers for TB. In addition, miR-320a may represent a biomarker for drug-resistant TB.
Unidirectional constant rate motion of the ribosomal scanning particle during eukaryotic translation initiation

According to the model of translation initiation in eukaryotes, the 40S ribosomal subunit binds to capped 5′-end of mRNA and subsequently migrates along 5′-UTR in searching for initiation codon. However, it remains unclear whether the migration is the result of a random one-dimensional diffusion, or it is an energy-driven unidirectional movement. To address this issue, the method of continuous monitoring of protein synthesis in situ was used for high precision measurements of the times required for translation of mRNA with 5′-UTRs of different lengths and structures in mammalian and plant cell-free systems. For the first time, the relationship between the scanning time and the 5′-UTR length was determined and their linear correlation was experimentally demonstrated. The conclusion is made that the ribosome migration is an unidirectional motion with the rate being virtually independent of a particular mRNA sequence and secondary structure.