Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of metastatic potential by cell surface urokinase of murine melanoma cells.

We have carried out enzymatic, immunofluorescence, and surface iodination studies which show that B16 melanoma cells express the single chain form of the urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) on their cell surface, and that these cells are capable of plasminogen-dependent fibronectin degradation. The significance of the expression of surface single-chain uPA and uPA activity to the metastatic process was examined by preincubating melanoma cells with uPA modulating agents followed by i.v. injection of the cells into mice and enumeration of pulmonary nodules 17 days later. B16 cells that had been pretreated with anti-uPA immunoglobulins that were inhibitory to uPA activity invariably showed significantly decreased numbers of metastases compared to controls. On the contrary, pretreatment with plasmin, which is not only the product of the uPA catalyzed reaction but is also able to convert single-chain uPA to uPA, significantly increased the numbers of metastases. Control treatments, which included normal rabbit and mouse immunoglobulins, monovalent noninhibitory anti-uPA Fab fragments, and various monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed against other B16 cell surface antigens, did not affect the metastatic potential of the cells. Divalent inhibitory anti-uPA F(ab)2 fragments, on the contrary, inhibited metastasis as efficiently as intact IgG. The results support the hypothesis that proteolysis of extracellular matrix components by cell surface-localized uPA may be a critical step during the process of tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
In-group and Out-group Biases in the Marketplace: A Field Experiment During the World Cup

We investigate the effects of group identity on discrimination by conducting an audit study in electronics markets in Sao Paulo, Brazil during the 2014 Brazil World Cup (WC). To manipulate the visibility of buyers? group membership we made them wear shirts of national football teams, and exploit the outcomes of the WC matches, which arguably affected the salience of sellers? group identity. Although we ? nd that foreigners are overcharged, we do not detect discrimination against buyers wearing a rival team shirt. In contrast, we do detect in-group market favouritism (i.e., lower prices) towards buyers wearing the Brazil shirt when Brazil had won a match in the very recent past. Our analysis rejects the explanation that sellers? behaviour were always motivated by economic pro? ts. Instead, the results indicate taste-based discrimination (Becker, 1957) and shed light on the ways in which in-group and out-group biases occur in market outcomes.
Factors Linked With Increases in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

This case study explored eight clients in outpatient mental health counseling who reported engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) within the 90 days prior to intake. Information on client self-injury, psychological symptoms, and coping behaviors were collected from clients at intake and termination. At program termination, counselors’ treatment methods, number of sessions, and credentials were collected. To explore changes in NSSI during counseling, descriptive statistics and frequencies were used. Most clients decreased or extinguished self-injury behaviors by termination, while two clients increased. Problem-focused and avoidant coping strategies appeared to differentiate clients who decreased from clients who increased self-injurious behaviors by termination.
Teaching history, teaching nationalism: a qualitative study of history teachers in a Polish post-industrial town

This paper aims to analyse Polish history teachers’ perceptions of the role of historical education in the context of nationalism, class and locality. Drawing on the results of qualitative research conducted in the post-industrial and post-German city of Wałbrzych in Poland, we argue that teachers are not fully aware of the role of nationalist politics in representations of the past. Teachers regard these nationalist representations as natural and taken for granted. They are not only unable to assume responsibility for promoting nationalism among students but also reproduce a dominant nationalist discourse by using history to nurture their students’ attachment to the idea of a homogeneous and solidary nation that transcends class divisions and erases local specificity. They see their role primarily in terms of reinforcing the dominant structures of collective memory in their pupils.
Development of an Undergraduate Bioinformatics Degree Program at a Liberal Arts College

The highly interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics has emerged as a powerful modern science. There has been a great demand for undergraduate- and graduate-level trained bioinformaticists in the industry as well in the academia. In order to address the needs for trained bioinformaticists, its curriculum must be offered at the undergraduate level, especially at four-year colleges, where a majority of the United States gets its education. There are many challenges in developing an undergraduate-level bioinformatics program that needs to be carefully designed as a well-integrated and cohesive interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares the students for a wide variety of career options. This article describes the challenges of establishing a highly interdisciplinary undergraduate major, the development of an undergraduate bioinformatics degree program at Ramapo College of New Jersey, and lessons learned in the last 10 years during its management.
Rocks are expressed in brain tumors and are required for glioma‐cell migration on myelinated axons

The interactions between migrating glioma cells and myelinated fiber tracts are poorly understood. We identified that C6 glioma cells can migrate along myelinated chicken retinal axons in a novel coculture, thereby expressing small GTPases of the Rho family and serine/threonine Rho‐associated kinases (ROCKs). We found that the ROCK1 isoform is also highly expressed in native human high‐grade gliomas. Glioma cells migrated faster in vitro along myelinated axons than on laminin‐1, with the former but not the latter being specifically and reversibly blocked by the ROCK inhibitor Y27632. These data suggest that the mechanisms underlying the migration of glioma cells on myelinated axons differ from those underlying the migration on extracellular matrix molecules such as laminin‐1. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hyperplastic vascular smooth muscle cells of the intrarenal arteries in angiotensin II type 1a receptor null mutant mice.

BACKGROUND Angiotensin II (Ang II), which contracts vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), has been reported to regulate VSMC growth. Recently formed transgenic mice without angiotensinogen or Ang II receptors showed vascular alterations. However, it is still unclear how their VSMCs alter. We explored the role of Ang II via the Ang II type 1a receptor (AT1a) in VSMCs in vivo using AT1a null mutant mice. METHODS We analyzed the ultrastructure of the intrarenal arteries in AT1a null mutant mice that were homozygous for a targeted disruption of AT1a receptor gene using light and electron microscopy. RESULTS The structural changes of the intrarenal arteries in AT1a null mutant mice showed the wall thickening, which in the interlobar, arcuate, and proximal interlobular arteries consisted of two additional populations of VSMCs, on the luminal and abluminal sides of the media. The luminal overpopulation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was arranged in a longitudinal direction separated by increased interposed elastic laminae. The abluminal overpopulation of SMCs ran in circumferential directions separated from the main population. The cytological structure of VSMCs in AT1a null mutant mice was smaller in size, contained more organelles for protein synthesis and secretion than in control mice, and had poorly developed contractile apparatus. CONCLUSIONS The lack of AT1a signaling causes structural abnormalities in the renal vascular system and transforms the phenotype of VSMCs into cell proliferation, induces the escape of VSMCs from the circular mechanical integrity, and results in increased synthesis of extracellular matrices.
Embedding and Chemical Reactivation of Green Fluorescent Protein in the Whole Mouse Brain for Optical Micro-Imaging

Resin embedding has been widely applied to fixing biological tissues for sectioning and imaging, but has long been regarded as incompatible with green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeled sample because it reduces fluorescence. Recently, it has been reported that resin-embedded GFP-labeled brain tissue can be imaged with high resolution. In this protocol, we describe an optimized protocol for resin embedding and chemical reactivation of fluorescent protein labeled mouse brain, we have used mice as experiment model, but the protocol should be applied to other species. This method involves whole brain embedding and chemical reactivation of the fluorescent signal in resin-embedded tissue. The whole brain embedding process takes a total of 7 days. The duration of chemical reactivation is ~2 min for penetrating 4 μm below the surface in the resin-embedded brain. This protocol provides an efficient way to prepare fluorescent protein labeled sample for high-resolution optical imaging. This kind of sample was demonstrated to be imaged by various optical micro-imaging methods. Fine structures labeled with GFP across a whole brain can be detected.
User Requirements Notation: The First Ten Years, The Next Ten Years (Invited Paper)

The User Requirements Notation (URN), standardized by the International Telecommunication Union in 2008, is used to model and analyze requirements with goals and scenarios. This paper describes the first ten years of development of URN, and discusses ongoing efforts targeting the next ten years. We did a study inspired by the systematic literature review approach, querying five major search engines and using the existing URN Virtual Library. Based on the 281 scientific publications related to URN we collected and analyzed, we observe a shift from a more conventional use of URN for telecommunications and reactive systems to business process management and aspect-oriented modeling, with relevant extensions to the language being proposed. URN also benefits from a global and active research community, although industrial contributions are still sparse. URN is now a leading language for goal-driven and scenario-oriented modeling with a promising future for many application domains.
Dual effect of ATP in the activation mechanism of brain Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II by Ca(2+)/calmodulin.

The activation mechanism of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (alphaCaMKII) is investigated by steady-state and stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopies. Lys(75)-labeled TA-cal [Török, K. , and Trentham, D. R. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 12807-12820] is used to measure binding events, and double-labeled AEDANS,DDP-T34C/T110/C-calmodulin [Drum et al. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 36334-36340] (DA-cal) is used to detect changes in calmodulin conformation. Fluorescence quenching of DA-cal attributed to resonance energy transfer is related to the compactness of the calmodulin molecule. Interprobe distances are estimated by lifetime measurements of Ca(2+)/DA-cal in complexes with unphosphorylated nucleotide-free, nucleotide-bound, and Thr(286)-phospho-alphaCaMKII as well as with alphaCaMKII-derived calmodulin-binding peptides in the presence of Ca(2+). These measurements show that calmodulin can assume at least two spectrally distinct conformations when bound to alphaCaMKII with estimated interprobe distances of 40 and 22-26 A. Incubation with ATP facilitates the assumption of the most compact conformation. Nonhydrolyzable ATP analogues partially replicate the effects of ATP, suggesting that while the binding of ATP induces a conformational change, Thr(286)-autophosphorylation is probably required for the transition of calmodulin into its most compact conformer. The rate constant for the association of Ca(2+)/TA-cal with alphaCaMKII is estimated as 2 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) and is not substantially affected by the presence of ATP. The rate of net calmodulin compaction measured by Ca(2+)/DA-cal is markedly slower, occurring with a rate constant of 2.5 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1), suggesting that unproductive complexes may play a role in the activation mechanism.
Tasman leakage: A new route in the global ocean conveyor belt

The existence of a new route that draws relatively cold waters from the Pacific Ocean to the North Atlantic via the Tasman outflow is presented. The new route materialises with comparable magnitude and characteristics in three independent numerical realisations of the global ocean circulation. Its realism is supported by hydrographic data interpolated via an inverse model. The “Tasman leakage” constitutes a sizeable component of the upper branch of the global conveyor belt and represents an extension to the prevailing views that hitherto emphasised the routes via the Drake Passage and the Indonesian Throughflow [ Gordon, 1986 ].
The study on cost-effectiveness analysis methods used for electric power equipments

With the rapid expansion of power systems in China, asset-intensive electric power companies need novel techniques in the asset management. Life cycle cost (LCC) technique has attracted wide attention because of its advanced concepts and successful applications in military fields. Among all the execution steps of LCC technique, LCC evaluation is critical which brings the LCC technique into practical application. The major work in LCC evaluation is to carry out cost-effectiveness analysis accurately. However, cost-effectiveness analysis on electric power equipment is still at preliminary stage with few practical examples, for the present. Therefore, the study on cost-effectiveness analysis methods applied to electric power equipment field is of great significance. Two main methods for cost-effectiveness analysis (cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) method and comprehensive analysis method) are summarized and compared in this paper. It shows that CER method is more applicable for the analysis of equipments with single function in simple structures because of its clearer concept and less computation. On the contrary, comprehensive analysis method is more applicable for the analysis of equipments with multiple functions in complex structures because of the comprehensive and accurate evaluation conclusion it provides. Three electric power equipment oriented cost-effectiveness analysis mathematical models of these two methods mentioned above are analyzed and compared based on their practical application examples, summarizing different application scopes of the three models. In conclusion, all the efforts made in this paper are to provide some help for successful implementation of LCC technique in electric power companies.
A feast of membrane protein structures in Madrid

The Centre for International Meetings on Biology was established in 1992 as a component of a private foundation: Fundacion Juan March. It organizes workshops and scientific activities that are held throughout the year and cover a wide range of topics in modern biology. At these meetings, about 20 invited speakers, who are actively involved in the different fields, present their latest results to a small number of participants. This meeting format promotes discussion and a rich exchange of results and ideas. [][1] Determining the atomic‐resolution structure of integral membrane proteins is an adventure for those with a strong stomach, but the results from the last 3 years formed a veritable feast of structures at the recent meeting in Madrid (February 12–14, 2001). Structure is an essential prerequisite to understanding how membrane proteins function and, in addition, how their functions can be modified by small molecules. This is of paramount importance in the pharmaceutical industry, which produces many drugs that bind to membrane proteins (e.g. Prozac and Imigram), and recognizes the potential of many recently identified G protein‐coupled receptors, ion channels and transporters as targets for future drugs. This conference discussed many issues that are critically important for membrane protein structure determination, namely increasing the expression levels of complex mammalian membrane proteins and making high‐quality two‐dimensional (2D) or three‐dimensional (3D) crystals; some of these issues were covered by a recent Workshop discussed in a previous report (Thomas, 2001). The major part of the Juan March meeting described how recent structural information on channels, pumps and transporters has led to detailed models of how ions and molecules cross a membrane, and is the subject of this report. The aquaglyceroporin family currently comprises more than 200 members, found in eubacteria, plants and animals, which transport a variety of substrates including water, by AQP1, and … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Sensitivity of Radiative–Convective Equilibrium Simulations to Horizontal Resolution

Abstract This paper investigates the impacts of horizontal resolution on the statistical behavior of convection. An idealized radiative–convective equilibrium is simulated for model resolutions ranging between 2 and 50 km. The simulations are compared based upon the analysis of the mean state, the energy and water vapor transport, and the probability distribution functions for various quantities. It is shown that, at a coarse resolution, the model is unable to capture the mixing associated with shallow clouds. This results in a dry bias in the lower troposphere, and in an excessive amount of water clouds. Despite this deficiency, the coarse resolution simulations are able to reproduce reasonably well the statistical properties of deep convective towers. This is particularly apparent in the cloud ice and vertical velocity distributions that exhibit a very robust behavior. A theoretical scaling for the vertical velocity as function of the grid resolution is derived based upon the behavior of an idealized ai.
Development of Grid resource discovery service based on semantic information

Grid computing is a type of parallel and distributed system that provides the possibility of sharing, choosing and collecting the autonomous resources (such as computer, software, databases, and equipments) that are distributed geographically. Resource discovery is one of the key subjects in distributed systems and especially Grids. We should consider that Grid consists of different applications that each of them consist of different hardware and software resources, therefore recognizing these resources is important in a Grid system. Classical approaches to Grid resource discovery are either centralized or hierarchical [1] (and will maybe prove inefficient as the scale of Grid systems rapidly increases). In this article, we have tried to represent an economic-based service for Grid resource discovery through study the existing methods of resources discovery and using semantic information, Service oriented architecture (SOA) and multiagent systems. In this article we call the suggested architecture "Galaxy".
Community policing in Kenya

The World Bank (2010) refers to Kenya’s capital as one of the most crime-ridden cities in Africa; crime and violence is a daily occurrence for most Kenyans. In an effort to improve community–police relations in Kenya following the post-election violence in 2007, the Ransley Report made recommendations to the Kenyan police that are based on democratic policing principles. A lack of police accountability and civilian oversight of the police were highlighted as key issues within the report. It was recognised that the lack of procedural justice leads to a lack of trust and collaboration between communities and the police (Republic of Kenya, 2009). It is, however, acknowledged that the police service in Kenya is unsupported, under-resourced and works in challenging circumstances (CHRI, 2007; CHRI, 2014) and therefore currently there is a need for complementary community safety projects and resources. From qualitative research conducted in Kenya in 2015 this paper will argue that policing can be improved within Kenya if there is community collective action, with supported leadership, which operates in collaboration with police adhering to democratic policing principles, although this is not without its challenges.
A Simple Practical Accelerated Method for Finite Sums

We describe a novel optimization method for finite sums (such as empirical risk minimization problems) building on the recently introduced SAGA method. Our method achieves an accelerated convergence rate on strongly convex smooth problems. Our method has only one parameter (a step size), and is radically simpler than other accelerated methods for finite sums. Additionally it can be applied when the terms are non-smooth, yielding a method applicable in many areas where operator splitting methods would traditionally be applied.
Chroma keying based on stereo images

Alpha matting is known as a process of accurately separating a foreground object from an image and it has been extensively studied in both academic and industrial areas as an important part of multimedia technology. However, most existing methods utilize single image to get its alpha matte. In this paper, we propose a novel chroma keying method based on stereo images, which can be applied to post-process the alpha matte generated by any matting approach. Given a pair of stereo images, a new matting Laplacian matrix is constructed based on the affinities between matching pixels and their neighbors from two frames. Based on the new matting Laplacian matrix, a new cost function is also formulated to estimate alpha values of the reference image through the propagation between stereo images. The experimental results illustrate that this method can be applied to different categories of existing alpha matting approaches and can obtain alpha matte of higher quality.
The nonhuman primate as a model for type 2 diabetes

Purpose of the reviewAlthough rodent models provide insight into the mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), they are limited in their translatability to humans. The nonhuman primate (NHP) shares important metabolic similarities with the human, making it an ideal model for the investigation of type 2 diabetes and use in preclinical trials. This review highlights the key contributions in the field over the last year using the NHP model. Recent findingsThe NHP has not only provided novel insight into the normal and pathological processes that occur within the islet, but has also allowed for the preclinical testing of novel pharmaceutical targets for obesity and T2DM. Particularly, administration of fibroblast growth factor-21 in the NHP resulted in weight loss and improvements in metabolic health, supporting rodent studies and recent clinical trials. In addition, the NHP was used to demonstrate that a novel melanocortin-4 receptor agonist did not cause adverse cardiovascular effects. Finally, this model has been used to provide evidence that glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies do not induce pancreatitis in the healthy NHP. SummaryThe insight gained from studies using the NHP model has allowed for a better understanding of the processes driving T2DM and has promoted the development of well tolerated and effective treatments.