Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oncogenic deletion mutants of gp130 signal from intracellular compartments

ABSTRACT Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and, hence, activation of the IL-6 receptor signalling subunit glycoprotein 130 (gp130; also known as interleukin-6 receptor subunit &bgr;, IL6ST), has been linked to inflammation and tumour formation. Recently, deletion mutations in gp130 have been identified in inflammatory hepatocellular adenoma. The mutations clustered around one IL-6-binding epitope and rendered gp130 constitutively active in a ligand-independent manner. Here, we show that gp130 deletion mutants, but not wild-type gp130, localise predominantly to intracellular compartments, notably the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and early endosomes. One of the most frequent mutants, gp130 Y186-Y190del (&Dgr;YY) is retained in the ER quality control system because of its association with the chaperone calnexin. Furthermore, we can show that gp130 &Dgr;YY induces downstream signalling from both ER and endosomes, and that both signals contribute to ligand-independent cell proliferation. We also demonstrate that the endosomal localisation of gp130 &Dgr;YY is crucial for fully fledged STAT3 activation. Therefore, aberrant signalling from intracellular compartments might explain the tumorigenic potential of naturally occurring somatic mutations of gp130.
Anti-MET ImmunoPET for Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Novel Fully Human Antibody Fragments

MET, the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor, plays important roles in tumorigenesis and drug resistance in numerous cancers, including non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As increasing numbers of MET inhibitors are being developed for clinical applications, antibody fragment–based immunopositron emission tomography (immunoPET) has the potential to rapidly quantify in vivo MET expression levels for drug response evaluation and patient stratification for these targeted therapies. Here, fully human single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) isolated from a phage display library were reformatted into bivalent cys-diabodies (scFv-cys dimers) with affinities to MET ranging from 0.7 to 5.1 nmol/L. The candidate with the highest affinity, H2, was radiolabeled with 89Zr for immunoPET studies targeting NSCLC xenografts: low MET-expressing Hcc827 and the gefitinib-resistant Hcc827-GR6 with 4-fold MET overexpression. ImmunoPET at as early as 4 hours after injection produced high-contrast images, and ex vivo biodistribution analysis at 20 hours after injection showed about 2-fold difference in tracer uptake levels between the parental and resistant tumors (P < 0.01). Further immunoPET studies using a larger fragment, the H2 minibody (scFv-CH3 dimer), produced similar results at later time points. Two of the antibody clones (H2 and H5) showed in vitro growth inhibitory effects on MET-dependent gefitinib-resistant cell lines, whereas no effects were observed on resistant lines lacking MET activation. In conclusion, these fully human antibody fragments inhibit MET-dependent cancer cells and enable rapid immunoPET imaging to assess MET expression levels, showing potential for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(11); 2607–17. ©2014 AACR.
simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace mounts of nitrite in environmental and biological samples using-amino-5-hydroxynaphthalene-2 , 7-disulphonic acid monosodium salt

A very simple, sensitive, fairly selective and rapid spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nitrite has been described. This method is based on the diazotized intramolecular coupling of electrophilic diazonium cation with the phenolic group of 4-amino-5-hydroxynaphthalene2,7-disulphonic acid monosodium salt (AHNDMS) in a phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.5. The cyclic product has a purple color with maximum absorbance at 560 nm and is stable for 6 h. Optimum reaction itrite determination pectrophotometry -Amino-5-hydroxynapthalene-2,7isulphonic cid monosodium salt conditions and other important analytical parameters for the maximum color development were established. Beer’s law was found to obey for nitrite in the concentration range of 0.1–1.6 g ml−1 with molar absorptivity of 2.6 × 104 l mol−1 cm−1 and Sandell’s sensitivity of 0.0075 g ml−1. The effect of interfering ions on the determination is described. The recommended method was applied for the determination of nitrite in different water, soil and human saliva samples. The performance of the recommended method f Stud e refe itrite in environmental samples itrite in biological samples was evaluated in terms o proposed method over th
Power sharing after Yugoslavia. Functionality and Dysfunctionality of Power Sharing Institutions Post-war Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo

Post-conflict societies invariably experience great difficulty in making their new democratic power-sharing institutions work. In Northern Ireland, the system for power sharing prescribed in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement has repeatedly broken down. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the system prescribed under the Dayton Accord of 1995 depends for its survival on the presence of a substantial international peacekeeping force. From Power Sharing to Democracy examines the theoretical underpinnings of power sharing as a means of achieving sustainable democratic governance. Contributors examine key areas, including Afghanistan, Cyprus, Kosovo, Macedonia, and South Africa, where power-sharing constitutions and political institutions have been employed or proposed. They provide an in-depth exploration of consociationalism, under which the previously warring ethnic communities are guaranteed a proportionate share of political offices and protection of their vital interests, and federalism, which provides for substantial territorial autonomy in cases where the communities are territorially segregated.
FPGA Implementation of a Scalable and Highly Parallel Architecture for Restricted Boltzmann Machines

Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) are an effective model for machine learning; however, they require a significant amount of processing time. In this study, we propose a highly parallel, highly flexible architecture that combines small and completely parallel RBMs. This proposal addresses problems associated with calculation speed and exponential increases in circuit scale. We show that this architecture can optionally respond to the trade-offs between these two problems. Furthermore, our FPGA implementation performs at a 134 times processing speed up factor with respect to a conventional CPU.
Optimal sensing time allocation for minimum aggregate interference to primary system

In practical cognitive radio, perfect detection of idle channels can not be guaranteed, unavoidably leading to interference to primary system. In this letter, the problem of allocation of sensing time over multiple channels to minimize the aggregate interference to primary system subject to the constraints that interferences in each channel are kept below some constants is considered. By exploiting the hidden convexity of this problem, the optimal solution is obtained by reliable and efficient algorithms. Simulations the optimal solution can considerably mitigate the aggregate interference to primary system.
Tandem mass spectrometry and density functional theory of RDX fragmentation pathways: Role of ion-molecule complexes in loss of NO3 and lack of molecular ion peak.

RATIONALE Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) is an explosive compound that finds a wide range of military and civilian applications. RDX has been a target in environmental matrices by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS). MS/MS in negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode of RDX provides important fragmentation patterns that are useful for structural elucidation. The fragmentation patterns are needed for proper identification of precursor and product ions in analytical methods that depend on MS/MS approaches for a reliable identification of RDX. METHODS This study focuses on the MS fragmentation mechanisms of RDX in NCI mode using both MS/MS and density functional theory (DFT). The DFT studies were performed at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. RESULTS The DFT results showed that NCI of RDX leads to the formation of an anion-molecule complex that was energetically more stable than the RDX anion. The fragmentation proceeds through two pathways, leading to the loss of NO(2) and NO(3). The loss of NO(3) takes place in an anion-molecule complex leading to the formation of characteristic nitroso group fragment ions. Using the fragmentation schemes, important ion structures are proposed including structures for m/z 160, 129, 102, and 86. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate the importance of both charge-induced and charge-remote dissociations in RDX pathways. The ion structures identified along the pathways could be used as targets in analytical methods for reliable identification purposes.
Capital flows to Latin American countries: effects of foreign direct investment and remittances on growth and development

Capital Flows to Latin American Countries: Effects of Foreign Direct Investment and Remittances on Growth and Development. (August 2007) Diego Eduardo Vacaflores Rivero, B.A., University of Pittsburgh; M.A., The University of Akron Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Dennis W. Jansen The significant restructuring of international capital flows to developing countries – in particular to Latin American countries – observed in the last quarter century has generated significant research in the area to examine its potential impact on development efforts. The resurgence of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the increasing significance of remittances, both as shares of gross domestic product (GDP), have made these types of capital flows the most analyzed. Despite the large fraction of empirical studies that find a positive and significant relationship between FDI and economic growth, an important fact that has been so far overlooked in the literature is its impact on standards of living in host countries. This dissertation first establishes the strong complementary connection between FDI and economic growth in Latin America, measured by increases in GDP per capita growth rates, to then examine additional channels through which it could affect the welfare of the region. I first show that FDI has a positive effect on central government tax revenues, which is mainly channeled through its effect on taxes on goods and services. I then show that FDI has a positive and significant effect on the employment rates in these host countries, with female employment rate getting the largest impact – relative to males. Remittances are another capital flow that plays a large and important role in certain economies, exceeding 10% of GDP in some countries. The impact of remittances on the main macroeconomic measures of a small open economy is analyzed in the last section using a stochastic limited participation model with cash in advance constraints and costly adjustment of cash holdings. After verifying that the model
The Effects of Body Weight Support Treadmill Training with Power-Assisted Functional Electrical Stimulation on Functional Movement and Gait in Stroke Patients

ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to examine the effect of body weight support treadmill training (BWSTT) with power-assisted functional electrical stimulation on functional movement and gait in stroke patients. DesignThirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). All subjects participated in the same standard rehabilitation program. In addition, the experimental group participated in BWSTT with power-assisted functional electrical stimulation for 30 mins per day, five times a week, for 4 wks, and those in the control group participated in BWSTT for 30 minutes per day, five times a week, for 4 wks. Functional movement was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale, the Timed Up and Go test, and the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement. Gait ability was assessed using an electrical walkway system. ResultsSignificant differences in the time factor for functional movement and gait (P < 0.05) were observed in the experimental and control groups. For the group × time interaction, significant improvements were observed in the functional movement (Berg Balance Scale [10.93 vs. 6.00], Timed Up and Go test [−9.25 vs. −5.25 secs], and Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement scores [14.07 vs. 9.80]) and gait (velocity [40.07 vs. 18.64 cm/sec], cadence [30.57 vs. 17.75 steps per minute], paretic side step length [19.36 vs. 8.46 cm], and stride length [30.57 vs. 12.71 cm]) (P < 0.05). ConclusionsThe findings of the current study demonstrated the efficacy of BWSTT with power-assisted functional electrical stimulation on the functional movement and gait ability in stroke patients. Therefore, the authors suggest that power-assisted functional electrical stimulation may be an effective method for the improvement of functional movement and gait ability of stroke patients when added to BWSTT.
An Empirical Study of Organizational Commitment: A Multi-Level Approach

Since many organizations tend to be hierarchically structured, data obtained from these organizations can be delineated better by multilevel analysis. An empirical multilevel investigation was conducted to identify the determinants of organizational commitment using a statistical technique, hierarchical linear modeling. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that organizational commitment was positively related to satisfaction and trust at the individual-level. At the group-level, the relationships between organizational commitment and role states variables (role clarity and role conflict) were found to be significant. Further, the positive relationship between organizational commitment and the level of trust was stronger in the more cohesive groups. In contrast, the relationship between commitment and satisfaction was not influenced by the cohesiveness of the groups.
Distinct mechanisms triggering glial differentiation in Drosophila thoracic and abdominal neuroblasts 6-4.

Neurons and glia are produced in stereotyped patterns after neuroblast cell division during development of the Drosophila central nervous system. The first cell division of thoracic neuroblast 6-4 (NB6-4T) is asymmetric, giving rise to a glial precursor cell and a neuronal precursor cell. In contrast, abdominal NB6-4 (NB6-4A) divides symmetrically to produce two glial cells. To understand the relationship between cell division and glia-neuron cell fate determination, we examined and compared the effects of known cell division mutations on the NB6-4T and NB6-4A lineages. Based on observation of expression of glial fate determination and early glial differentiation genes, the onset of glial differentiation occurred in NB6-4A but not in NB6-4T when both cell cycle progression and cytokinesis were genetically arrested. On the other hand, glial differentiation started in both lineages when cytokinesis was blocked with intact cell cycle progression. These results showed that NB6-4T, but not NB6-4A, requires cell cycle progression for acquisition of glial fate, suggesting that distinct mechanisms trigger glial differentiation in the different lineages.
Ultrasonic Array Doppler Sensing for Human Movement Classification

Classification of human movements is an important problem in healthcare and well-being applications. An ultrasonic array Doppler sensing method is proposed for classifying movements from a given set. The proposed method uses velocity and angular information derived from Doppler frequencies and direction-of-arrival (DoA) by processing the signals at the receiver sensor array. Doppler frequency estimation is done by obtaining an initial estimate based on the Fourier transform in conjunction with a predictive tracker. A Root-MUSIC algorithm is used at the estimated Doppler frequencies to obtain DoA corresponding to the dominating moving object. Using speed, direction, and angle as features, a Bayesian classifier is employed to distinguish between a set of movements. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using an analytical model of arm movements and also using experimental data sets. The proposed ultrasonic Doppler array sensor and processing methods provide a new, compact solution to human arm movement classification.
Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by chronic heat stress and dietary tyrosine in broiler chickens

1. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of high temperature and dietary tyrosine (Tyr) content on performance and activity of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5.), an enzyme that catalyses the first step in the metabolic degradation of Tyr in broiler chickens. 2. Two-week-old birds were allocated to one of three temperature treatments: 24 ° C (control), 36 ° C (heat stress, HS) and 24 ° C pair-fed (24PF) for 2 weeks and fed on diets containing 100% (Experiment 1) and 50, 100 and 200% (Experiment 2) of the NRC requirement for Tyr. 3. In Experiment 1, exposure of chickens to 36 ° C for 2 weeks caused significant increase in hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity but no significant change in activity of hepatic phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.1) (an enzyme that catalyses conversion of phenylalanine to Tyr) compared with the 24PF birds. No significant changes attributable to heat stress were detected in hepatic glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1) activity. 4. In Experiment 2, heat stress caused reductions in weight gain and feed intake in chickens on all diets, compared with their control counterparts. Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased by heat stress compared with their 24PF counterparts in chickens fed on the 100 and 200% Tyr diets, while in chickens fed the 50% Tyr diet, it was reduced by heat stress. 5. From these results, it is suggested that hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by heat stress and dietary Tyr content and the increased tyrosine aminotransferase activity with, in part, relatively low phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in hepatic tissues may be involved in the Tyr metabolism characteristic of heat-stressed chickens.
Optimal stochastic control and risk minimisation in Insurance

The thesis examines a generalised problem of optimal control of a firm through reinsurance, dividend policy and convex risk minimisation in the presence of market friction. The major mathematical tool applied is the theory of stochastic control for jump-diffusions. In the absence of intervention the financial reserves of the firm are assumed to evolve according to a stochastic differential equation with a jump component. In the second and third chapters, the objective is to derive reinsurance and dividend policies that maximize the expected total discounted value of a spectrally negative process in incomplete markets. The assumption is that transaction costs are incurred whenever dividends are paid out. Several verification theorems are derived and proved for combined singular and impulse control. The verification theorems are new results which provide a federative approach to the analysis of control problems involving transaction costs in finance and insurance. Two methodologies are examined for risk minimisation. First, we investigate risk minimisation using zero-sum stochastic differential game theory in the presence of transaction costs. Our major contribution in this direction is that we have investigated, for the first time in the literature, a singular control problem for jump 7 diffusion stochastic differential games. Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman-Isaacs variational inequalities (HJBIVI) are formulated and proved for the case of zero-sum stochastic differential games. The notion of HJBIVI is later on extended to the more general case of Nash equilibrium. Minimisation of risk is also studied using g-expectation. In this case a five step scheme is formulated. The scheme constitutes a mechanism for solving forward-backward stochastic differential equations. The solution provided by such a scheme minimises risk of terminal wealth of an insurance company. An existence and uniqueness theorem for the solution is provided. Several examples are discussed, throughout the thesis, to illustrate the theory. ,NUFU
Evolutionary potential in the wild: more than meets the eye

The genus Aquilegia consists of 60–70 perennial plant species widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Its flowers have a delicate and ornamental appearance that makes them a favourite of gardeners. In this genus, adaptive radiations for both floral and vegetative traits have occurred. These adaptive radiations, and the key phylogenetic placement of Aquilegia between Arabidopsis and rice, make this genus a ‘model system’ for plant evolution ( Kramer 2009 ). In this issue, Castellanos et al. (2011) use a marker‐based method to infer heritability for floral and vegetative traits in two Aquilegia species. Layered on top of this are estimates of the strength of natural selection. This novel joint estimation of heritability and selection in the wild showed that vegetative traits, compared to floral traits, have the highest evolutionarily potential. Evolutionary potential is the most important quantity to measure in wild populations. It combines inheritance and strength of selection and predicts the potential for populations to adapt to changing environments. The combination of molecular techniques with species in natural environments makes this work a model for molecular ecological investigations.
Incidence of pulmonary hypertension and its clinical relevance in patients with interstitial pneumonias: comparison between idiopathic and collagen vascular disease associated interstitial pneumonias.

OBJECT This study was undertaken to investigate the frequency of pulmonary hypertension (PH), and clinical parameters associated with PH in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) and collagen vascular disease-associated interstitial pneumonias (CVD-IPs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective analyses were performed in 163 consecutively enrolled patients (78 IIPs and 85 CVD-IPs) who were being evaluated for PH by Doppler echocardiography. PH was defined as an estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) of > or = 40 mmHg. The frequency of PH was evaluated and clinical parameters were compared between patients with PH and those without PH. RESULTS Among patients successfully evaluated for sPAP by echocardiography, 20 of 70 (28%) patients with IIPs and 17 of 80 (21%) patients with CVD-IPs had PH. Among patients with IIP and CVD-IP, those with PH were more frequently treated with supplemental oxygen. Patients with IIP who had PH tended to be older and had decreased % diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (%DLCO). Additionally, in patients with IIP, sPAP was negatively correlated with %DLCO. However, this association was not found in patients with CVD-IP. Patients with CVD-IP who had PH were predominantly male. CONCLUSION PH was frequently observed in patients with both IIPs (28%) and CVD-IPs (21%) in the chronic phase of the disease. PH should be evaluated in patients with IPs who need supplemental oxygen, IIP patients with decreased diffusing capacity, and in patients with CVD-IP.