Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New approach to estimate furan contents in transformer oil using spectroscopic analysis

The presence of furan derivatives in aged-transformer oil has been one of the key indicators for solid dielectric deterioration. Identification and quantification of furan derivatives are currently performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) based on ASTM D5837 standard. Although these techniques are well developed, they call for an expert personal to conduct the test and to analyse its results. Moreover, the test is relatively expensive and the analysis of oil sample may take days as most utilities sending transformer oil samples to external laboratories to be tested. This paper introduces a novel approach to determine the furan concentration within power transformer dielectric oil through ultraviolet to visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic analysis for oil samples. Furan concentration in transformer oil would determine the absorption intensity in UV-Vis spectral range and hence the correlation between furan concentration and spectral response of transformer oil can be identified. Experimental results show that the new technique is reliable, economic and easy to be implemented on site to identify the furan concentration level in transformer oil instantly.
The effects of sleep loss on medical residents' emotional reactions to work events: a cognitive-energy model.

STUDY OBJECTIVES This study investigated the relationship between sleep loss and emotional reactivity in medical residents. We hypothesized that this relationship is shaped by the effect of sleep loss on cog-nitive-energy resources required for coping with goal-disruptive events or for capitalizing on new opportunities offered by goal-enhancing events. SETTINGS 15 medical wards in 4 large hospitals in Israel. PARTICIPANTS 78 medical residents, 67% men, aged 26 to 39 years. DESIGN Actigraphic sleep-wake cycles were measured for 5- to 7-day periods, surrounding nightshifts, every 6 months, covering the first 2 years of residency. During each study period, emotional reactivity was investigated using the experience-sampling methodology by which residents received 3 phone calls at random times during their working day for 3 consecutive days. These calls reminded them to fill out brief questionnaires concerning change of circumstances over the previous 15 minutes and to rate their emotional response to these circumstances using the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scales. Fatigue at those times was measured by a subscale of the Profile of Mood States. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Multilevel regression analysis was used to determine the influence of sleep duration and sleep fragmentation on the emotional reactions to goal-disruptive and goal-enhancing daytime events. We found that sleep loss intensified negative emotions and fatigue following daytime disruptive events, while positive emotion was mitigated following goal-enhancing events. Sleep loss also resulted in an overall elevated baseline for positive emotion. CONCLUSIONS Sleep loss amplifies the negative emotive effects of disruptive events while reducing the positive effect of goal-enhancing events. Methodologically, the study highlights the utility and advantages of event-level analysis as opposed to the current practice of random sampling of emotion states during waking hours, disregarding contextual factors associated with purposeful, goal-oriented behavior episodes.
Variations of intramolecular ligation rates allow the detection of protein‐induced bends in DNA.

A method requiring minute amounts of DNA and protein is proposed for the detection of DNA bending in solution. Local bending, induced by the binding of a protein at its stereospecific site, must increase the probability of circularization of short DNA fragments and hence the rate of formation of the corresponding minicircles. This effect should be highly sensitive to the location of the protein‐binding site on the DNA fragment. Simple controls allow other possible interpretations to be ruled out. The deformation due to the cyclic AMP receptor protein when it interacts with its stereospecific site at the lactose control region is studied by this method. It is shown in this case that untwisting is negligible and bending significant. Further measurements are required to assess the actual value of the radius of curvature of the DNA double helix in this complex.
Revisiting the Role of Communication in Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence

A growing literature suggests that communication strategies can promote or inhibit intimate partner violence (IPV). Research on communication is still needed on a group ripe for early IPV intervention: high school–aged adolescents. This article revisits our previous analyses of young female reproductive clinic patients (Messinger, Davidson, & Rickert, 2011) by examining how the adolescent and young adult respondents differ. To explore replicability of the adolescent results across populations, they are compared to 487 adolescent female students sampled from four urban high schools. Across samples, all communication strategies were used more frequently within violent relationships. Multivariate analysis identified escalating strategies used and received as being positively associated with physical violence used and received in all three samples. Regarding verbal reasoning and temporary conflict avoidance, substantial differences appeared between the young adult and adolescent clinic samples, and results from the adolescent clinic sample were largely replicated with the adolescent school sample, suggesting that young adult samples in this literature are not adequate proxies for adolescents.
Psychological distress after recent detection of fetal malformation: short‐term effect on second‐trimester uteroplacental and fetoplacental circulation

Please cite this paper as: Helbig A, Kaasen A, Malt U, Haugen G. Psychological distress after recent detection of fetal malformation: short‐term effect on second‐trimester uteroplacental and fetoplacental circulation. BJOG 2011;118:1653–1657.
Optimization of human cytomegalovirus LightCycler real-time PCR.

BACKGROUND Real-time PCR has been widely considered as a powerful tool for the evaluation of Human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA kinetics. Successful PCR relies on optimization, which is an extremely demanding procedure. Nevertheless, certain values could be optimal for most primers in use. METHODOLOGY Seventeen CMV primer sets recommended in the literature were selected for optimization in terms of MgCl2 and primers concentrations as well as annealing temperature using the LightCycler instrument and SYBR Green I detection format. Optimal values were considered as those showing the lowest crossing point (Cp), the highest fluorescence intensity, the steepest sigmoid curve slope, and the absence of non-specific PCR products. RESULTS Optimal values for most studied primers were found to be 3 mM for MgCl2 concentration, 0.5 microM and 0.6 microM for primers concentration, and 55 degrees C for annealing temperature. CONCLUSION Adopting the resulting values for CMV-specific primers generally used in single-target real-time PCR assays with the same thermal cycler may guarantee their efficient performance minimizing cost and time needed for optimization.
Thermal Conductivity of Bulk  ${\rm MgB}_{2}$ Produced by Infiltration of Different Boron Powders

The thermal conductivity (TC) of superconducting bulk materials is a key property in determining its stability at the cryogenic conditions and the superconducting behavior in applications as the current leads and the resistive current limiters. The thermal conductivity of bulk MgB2 materials obtained by the reactive liquid Mg infiltration technique has been measured, in the temperature range from 4.2 K to 300 K, on samples having different grain size and derived from boron powders of different crystallinity and different granulometry. A wide spread of the TC values has been detected for the different samples and a typical maximum of TC at temperatures around Tc (critical temperature) has been detected only in the materials derived by very pure and macro-crystalline boron. On the contrary, the MgB2 materials derived from less pure commercial so called "amorphous" boron, in which finer crystalline grains are detectable, show very low values of the thermal conductivity without any maxima in the lower temperatures range. The different behavior can be phenomenologically explained in terms of dependence of the electronic thermal conductivity on the lattice defects and impurities in the samples, with a larger amount of these defects in the microcrystalline samples. An interesting contribution is suggested to be due to the lately described Mg2B25 structure.
The local lymph node assay and skin sensitization: a cut‐down screen to reduce animal requirements?

The local lymph node assay (LLNA), an alternative approach to skin‐sensitizing testing, has made a significant contribution to animal welfare by permitting a reduction and refinement of animal use. Although there is clearly an aspiration to eliminate the use of animals in such tests, it is appropriate also to consider other opportunities for refinement and reduction of animal use. We have therefore explored the use of a modified version of the LLNA for screening purposes when there is a need to evaluate the sensitizing activity of a large number of chemicals, as will be the case under the auspices of registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals (REACH). Using an existing LLNA database of 211 chemicals, we have examined whether a cut‐down assay comprising a single high‐dose group and a concurrent vehicle control would provide a realistic approach for screening chemicals for sensitizing potential. The analyses reported here suggest this is the case. We speculate that the animal welfare benefits may be enhanced further by reducing the number of animals per experimental group. However, a detailed evaluation will be necessary to provide reassurance that a reduction in group size would provide adequate sensitivity across a range of skin sensitization potencies.
First high‐resolution stratigraphic column of the Martian north polar layered deposits

This study achieves the first high‐spatial‐resolution, layer‐scale, measured stratigraphic column of the Martian north polar layered deposits using a 1m‐posting DEM. The marker beds found throughout the upper North Polar Layered Deposits range in thickness from 1.6 m–16.0 m +/− 1.4 m, and 6 of 13 marker beds are separated by ∼25–35 m. Thin‐layer sets have average layer separations of 1.6 m. These layer separations may account for the spectral‐power‐peaks found in previous brightness‐profile analyses. Marker‐bed layer thicknesses show a weak trend of decreasing thickness with depth that we interpret to potentially be the result of a decreased accumulation rate in the past, for those layers. However, the stratigraphic column reveals that a simple rhythmic or bundled layer sequence is not immediately apparent throughout the column, implying that the relationship between polar layer formation and cyclic climate forcing is quite complex.
Tax fingerprint in adult

DLBCL. Interestingly, ATF3 has been shown before to contribute to the malignant growth of Hodgkin lymphoma cells and selective knockdown of ATF3 by RNA interference suppressed proliferation and decreased viability of Hodgkin cells. On the other hand, ATF3 overexpression resulted in increased apoptosis of solid tumors, as shown in PC3 human prostate cancer cells, HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells, and others. Therefore, Juilland and colleagues used short hairpin RNA–mediated silencing of individual components of AP-1 complexes, as well as the dominant-negative construct that blocks AP-1 activity, to assess the role of Jun/ATF dimers in ABCDLBCL. They found that depletion of ATF3 reduced the viability of the majority of theABC-type lymphoma cells but had no effect on GCB DLBCL. Interestingly, knockdown of ATF2 also affected cell survival but it simultaneously decreased the expression of ATF3. This effect is consistent with the fact that the transcription of the atf3 gene is regulated by the c-Jun/ATF2 dimer. Thus, data presented in this study indicate that Jun/ATF complexes are important drivers of survival and proliferation of ABC DLBCL. This finding is an important contribution to our understanding the signaling pathways used by lymphoma cells to survive. Conflict-of-interest disclosure: The author declares no competing financial interests. n
Serum adipocyte fatty acid binding protein levels are positively associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in Chinese pre- and postmenopausal women with normal glucose tolerance.

CONTEXT Recent studies highlight a critical interaction between adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) and cardiovascular disorders. However, associations of A-FABP with subclinical atherosclerosis in a population with normal glucose tolerance remain unknown. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between A-FABP and carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in a Chinese population with normal glucose tolerance. DESIGN AND SETTING A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 2253 cardiovascular disease-free normal glucose tolerance subjects (835 men, 1418 women; 20-78 years old) from the Shanghai Obesity Study. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES C-IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasound and used to assess subclinical atherosclerosis. Serum A-FABP levels were quantified by a sandwich ELISA. RESULTS The median serum level for A-FABP was 4.0 ng/mL (interquartile range: 2.6-6.0 ng/mL), and significantly higher in women than men (P < .001). After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), a partial correlation analysis showed that A-FABP levels correlated with C-IMT in men, premenopausal, and postmenopausal women (P = .024, .006, and .016, respectively). Furthermore, C-IMT increased along with quartile A-FABP values (all P for trend <.001). Regression analyses demonstrated that A-FABP was associated with C-IMT only in women (P = .044 and .001 for pre- and postmenopausal, respectively). Moreover, A-FABP was identified as a risk factor for C-IMT in pre- and postmenopausal women with a normal BMI (P < .001 and P = .012, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Serum A-FABP levels independently and positively correlate with subclinical atherosclerosis in pre- and postmenopausal Chinese women with normal glucose tolerance after adjustments for the traditional risk factors.
XBP 1 governs late events in plasma cell differentiation and is not required for antigen-specific memory B cell development

Proper protein folding is essential for normal immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion in anti­ body­secreting plasma cells (PCs). The mam­ malian unfolded protein response (UPR) is a signaling pathway that responds to ER stress that is induced by the accumulation of unfolded proteins within the ER lumen (Todd et al., 2008). Inositol­requiring transmembrane ki­ nase/endonuclease 1 (IRE1) is an ER­localized transmembrane protein that senses unfolded proteins and serves to activate X­box binding protein 1 (XBP1), a member of the CREB/ ATF basic leucine zipper family of transcription factors and a crucial mediator of one branch of the UPR (Yoshida et al., 2001; Calfon et al., 2002; Lee et al., 2002). IRE1 possesses endo­ ribonuclease activity that excises a 26­nt sequence from XBP1 messenger RNA (mRNA). This event, termed XBP1 splicing, shifts the reading frame to excise a premature stop codon, resulting in a full­length functional XBP1 protein prod­ uct (Yoshida et al., 2001; Calfon et al., 2002; Lee et al., 2002). XBP1 then translocates to the nucleus where it induces target genes involved in protein synthesis and secretion (Shaffer et al., 2004; Lee et al., 2005). XBP1 activation is crucial to the normal function and survival of highly secretory cells such as exocrine gland acinar cells and Paneth cells (Kaser et al., 2008). Using XBP1/RAG2/ lymphoid chimeric mice, we have shown CORRESPONDENCE Laurie H. Glimcher: lglimche@hsph.harvard. edu
Nonsmooth Milyutin-Dubovitskii Theory and Clarke's Tangent Cone

In optimization theory the idea of approximating nonconvex sets by convex cones which satisfy an abstract condition---the Intersection Principle---is due to Milyutin and Dubovitskii. This approach has been successfully applied to optimization problems with differentiable data. The validity of the Intersection Principle for the Clarke tangent cone, which is the apposite approximant for nonsmooth constraints, is established via an intersection theorem which relates the Clarke tangent cone of an intersection of sets to the intersection of the individual Clarke tangent cones, provided the latter are inseparable. This allows an extension of the Milyutin-Dubovitskii approach to nonsmooth optimization theory. A multiplier rule, of the type obtained by Clarke and Hiriart-Urruty, for a nonsmooth inequality constrained problem, is thereby encompassed within Milyutin-Dubovitskii theory.
Religion and Individual Investment Choice Decision: The Case of Malaysia

This paper explored the role of religion in individuals’ investment choice decisions. A survey involving 440 employees was used. The Chi-Square test results indicated significant differences in investment choice decisions between Muslim and non-Muslim respondents. There was an equal proportion of Muslims maintaining their savings in the default fund as well as investing part of their savings in a unit trust fund. In contrast, a majority of non-Muslims preferred to invest part of their savings in the unit trusts. Religiosity was viewed from a multidimensional approach and accordingly two sets of instruments were used: the Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) and Muslim Religiosity. The Chi-square tests results indicated no significant differences in investment choice decision among individuals with different levels of RCI and Muslim religiosity respectively. These results suggest that religiosity does not significantly influence individuals’ investment choice decisions, particularly when it comes to investing part of their retirement savings in a unit trust.
Shear-Induced Diffusion in Dilute Suspensions

by Ankit Rohatgi The particle and fluid interactions that occur in dilute suspensions of noncolloidal particles in shear flow are examined in this thesis. In the theoretical and experimental studies described here, a range of intriguing mechanisms that give rise to particle and fluid diffusion in these suspensions are elucidated. While shear-induced migration of particles in suspensions has been studied for several decades, most studies in the past have focused on concentrated suspensions. The mechanisms that lead to particle and fluid migration in concentrated suspensions vanish in the dilute limit. However, many other mechanisms play a significant role only at low particle concentrations. The confining walls of a sheared dilute suspension give rise to particle and fluid diffusion even at large separations from the walls. Here, the diffusivities arising due to the this mechanism are predicted for smooth and rough spheres. This mechanism is also experimentally studied by observing the motion of particles and fluid in sheared suspensions. The experimental study of particle flux due to gradients in concentration is used to determine the diffusivity arising from the interaction of the roughness elements on the surface of particles. An intriguing and previously unknown mechanism of fluid dispersion arising due to the translation of spheres in shear flow is also described in this thesis. Ankit Rohatgi Analogous to this case, a mechanism of fluid dispersion due to forced translation of spheres that are located in the close proximity to a wall is also described. It is shown that this mechanism can give rise to fluid mixing many particle radii away from the wall when non-neutrally buoyant particles are allowed to settle along the walls in the presence of shear flow.
Signaling crosstalk between the mTOR complexes

mTOR is a protein kinase which integrates a variety of environmental and intracellular stimuli to positively regulate many anabolic processes of the cell, including protein synthesis. It exists within two highly conserved multi-protein complexes known as mTORC1 and 2 mTORC2. Each of these complexes phosphorylates different downstream targets, and play roles in different cellular functions. They also show distinctive sensitivity to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. Nevertheless, despite their biochemical and functional differences, recent studies have suggested that the regulation of these complexes is tightly linked to each other. For instance, both mTORC1 and 2 share some common upstream signaling molecules, such as PI3K and tuberous sclerosis complex TSC, which control their activation. Stimulation of the mTOR complexes may also trigger both positive and negative feedback mechanisms, which then in turn either further enhance or suppress their activation. Here, we summarize some recently discovered features relating to the crosstalk between mTORC1 and 2. We then discuss how aberrant mTOR complex crosstalk mechanisms may have an impact on the development of human diseases and drug resistance.
BubR1 blocks substrate recruitment to the APC/C in a KEN-box-dependent manner

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a signalling network that delays anaphase onset until all the chromosomes are attached to the mitotic spindle through their kinetochores. The downstream target of the spindle checkpoint is the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets several anaphase inhibitors for proteolysis, including securin and cyclin B1. In the presence of unattached kinetochores, the APC/C is inhibited by the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), a tetrameric complex composed of three SAC components, namely BubR1, Bub3 and Mad2, and the APC/C co-activator Cdc20. The molecular mechanisms underlying exactly how unattached kinetochores catalyse MCC formation and how the MCC then inhibits the APC/C remain obscure. Here, using RNAi complementation and in vitro ubiquitylation assays, we investigate the domains in BubR1 required for APC/C inhibition. We observe that kinetochore localisation of BubR1 is required for efficient MCC assembly and SAC response. Furthermore, in contrast to previous studies, we show that the N-terminal domain of BubR1 is the only domain involved in binding to Cdc20–Mad2 and the APC/C. Within this region, an N-terminal KEN box (KEN1) is essential for these interactions. By contrast, mutation of the second KEN box (KEN2) of BubR1 does not interfere with MCC assembly or APC/C binding. However, both in cells and in vitro, the KEN2 box is required for inhibition of APC/C when activated by Cdc20 (APC/CCdc20). Indeed, we show that this second KEN box promotes SAC function by blocking the recruitment of substrates to the APC/C. Thus, we propose a model in which the BubR1 KEN boxes play two very different roles, the first to promote MCC assembly and the second to block substrate recruitment to APC/CCdc20.
Multiple roles of ERCC1‐XPF in mammalian interstrand crosslink repair

DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are among the most deleterious cytotoxic lesions encountered by cells, mainly due to the covalent linkage these lesions create between the two strands of DNA which effectively blocks replication and transcription. Although ICL repair in mammalian cells is not fully understood, processing of these lesions is thought to begin by “unhooking” at the site of the damaged base accompanied by the generation of a double strand break and ultimately repair through translesion synthesis and homologous recombination. A key player in this repair process is the heterodimeric protein complex ERCC1‐XPF. Although some models of ICL repair restrict ERCC1‐XPF activity to the unhooking step, recent data suggest that this protein complex acts in additional downstream steps. Here, we review the evidence implicating ERCC1‐XPF in multiple steps of ICL repair. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.