Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sp3‐Mediated VEGF regulation is dependent on phosphorylation by extra‐cellular signals regulated kinases (Erk)

We have previously demonstrated that phosphorylation by Erk of Sp1 was essential for its full activity in the context of the VEGF promoter. Here, we show that Sp3, which, as Sp1, belongs to the GC‐rich binding transcription factor family, is also phosphorylated by Erk in vitro on serine 73. We have established cell lines in which expression of wild‐type Sp3 or a serine 73 to alanine (S73A) mutant is controlled by tetracycline. One of these cells lines also express the Raf:ER chimera which permits stimulation of Erk by tamoxifen. Difference in electrophoretic mobility and antibody directed against the phosphorylated serine 73 demonstrate that it is phosphorylated in vivo. Wild‐type Sp3 half‐life is increased upon Erk activation but the S73 is poorly implicated in this mechanism suggesting that Erk‐dependent Sp3 stability depends on other(s) domain(s) of the protein. Electro‐mobility shift assays and utilization of Gal4/Sp3 chimeric proteins show that Erk does not alter Sp3 DNA binding capacity but enhances its transcriptional activity. The S73A mutant Sp3 posses a reduced activity in Erk‐stimulated cells. In the inducible cell lines, expression of wild‐type form of Sp3 increases VEGF production whereas the S73A form has a reduced potential reflecting its lower transcriptional activity. Altogether our results described a new link between constitutive Erk activity and the regulation of VEGF expression two common denominators implicated in tumor angiogenesis. J. Cell. Physiol. 213: 454–463, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Magnetostriction of Silicon Steel Sheets Under Different Magnetization Conditions

The magnetostriction of electrical steel is one of the main sources causing deformation and vibration in rotational machine and transformer cores. The presence of dc bias or higher harmonics of magnetic field in the electrical apparatus cores makes the vibration and noise of cores more serious. Therefore, it is necessary to identify how different magnetization patterns contribute to the magnetostriction noise. This paper performs the measurement of magnetostrictive strain in non-oriented and grain-oriented electrical steel sheets under sinusoidal excitation, one with a dc bias and the other with a third harmonic component, respectively. An investigation of the effect of dc biased magnetic field on the magnetostrictive property is carried out. The influences of a third harmonic of magnetic field with a variety of amplitudes and phase delay on magnetostriction are studied and the acoustic noise level is calculated due to the presence of the second (100 Hz) and fourth (200 Hz) harmonics of magnetostrictive strain. The research results are important for evaluating the noise of electrical machine and transformer core effectively.
New indexes of body fat distribution, visceral adiposity index, body adiposity index, waist-to-height ratio, and metabolic disturbances in the obese.

BACKGROUND AND AIM The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between new obesity-related indexes, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and body composition in individuals with obesity. METHODS The study group consisted of 72 women and 34 men, aged 39.0 ± 5.9 years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 32.6 ± 2.4 kg/m², admitted for body weight reduction. In all participants body weight (BW), height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), BMI, waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), body adiposity index (BAI), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were assessed. Using bioelectrical impedance (BIA, TANITA MC 180M) the following parameters were obtained: the level of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and body fat percentage (FM%). Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG), glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were determined. RESULTS It was observed that almost all the studied indicators: WC, WHtR, BAI, VAI, and BMI, positively correlated with VAT estimated by bioimpedance, but only VAI, WC, and WHtR were strongly associated with glucose and lipid disturbances in the obese. BAI and BMI correlated with total FM%, while WC, WHtR, and VAI correlated with total body weight. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that VAI, WC, and WHtR can be useful in the assessment of increased VAT accumulation associated with disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism. BAI should be calculated separately for each sex, then it could be also useful for the prediction of disturbances in glucose metabolism. However, further studies are needed to recognise cut-off values for BAI, as a marker of body fatness, associated with adverse health effects.
A Twin Study of Depression Symptoms, Hypertension, and Heart Disease in Middle‐Aged Men

Objective: Epidemiological and clinical studies have established an association between major depression and cardiovascular disease. We utilized a twin design to test whether there are common genetic and environmental risk factors underlying depression symptoms, hypertension and heart disease. Methods: Association studies were conducted with 6,903 male‐male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry who responded to both a 1990 health questionnaire and a 1992 telephone administration of a structured psychiatric interview. Data from 2,731 complete twin pairs were used to fit genetic models which determined the extent to which lifetime depression symptoms, heart disease and hypertension shared genetic and/or environmental factors. Results: Heart disease was significantly associated with 1‐4 symptoms and 5 or more symptoms of depression (odds ratio [OR] = 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.54‐4.46 and OR = 4.02; 95% CI: 2.16‐7.46). Hypertension was significantly associated with 1 to 4 symptoms and 5 or more symptoms of depression (OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.11‐1.50 and OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.21‐1.83). The genetic correlations were significant between depression symptoms and hypertension (r = .19), and between depression symptoms and heart disease (r = .42). Of the total variance in depression, 8% was common to hypertension and heart disease, 7% of the variance in hypertension was common with depression symptoms and heart disease, and 64% of the variance in heart disease was common with depression symptoms and hypertension. Conclusions: Men who reported cardiovascular disease were significantly more likely to have depression symptoms. The lifetime co‐occurrence of these phenotypes is partly explained by common genetic risk factors.
Practical realization of a microwave Bessel beam launcher

An experimental setup is realized to practically generate Bessel beams in the microwave regime. The setup, which consists of a series of circular loop antennas inserted coaxially inside a circular metallic waveguide, excites the waveguide's transverse-electric modes such that their superposition forms a Bessel beam at the open-end of the waveguide. The excitation currents are calculated from the needed excitation coefficients of each guided mode, which, in turn, are calculated from the modal decomposition of the beam. The efficiency of the setup is evaluated and the obtained experimental results are compared to the theoretical estimates.
SPR based hybrid electro-optic biosensor platform: SPR-cell with side emitting plastic optical fiber

A novel sensing platform based on a SPR-cell, implemented with side-emitting plastic optical fiber has been design and optimized to work in the 1.36–1.40 refractive index range. The SPR-cell was integrated into a low-cost hybrid platform capable of complementary and sensitive detection of analyte refractive index variation, using electrochemical and optical approach.
Individual and Holistic Information Processing

ii Acknowledgements.iii List of Tables.v List of Figures.v Introduction.1 Review of the Literature.2 Individual and Collectivist Cultures. 2 Information Processing: Adding vs. Averaging. 3 Research Project Overview. 4 Theoretical frameworks. 5 Religiosity. 5 Connectedness. 6 Preliminary Study: Information Processing: Testing the Averaging Effect. 6 Sample.6 Method.6 Results.7 Discussion.7 Study 1: Information Processing in Independent vs. Interdependent Cultures. 8 Sample.8 Hypothesis.8 Method.9 Results.9 Discussion.10 Study 2: Cultural Priming. 11 Sample.11 Hypothesis.11 Method.12 Results.15 Main Effects and Interactions . 17 Discussion.18 Reliability and Validity of the Data.19 References. 21 Vita. 24
Streptomyces actinomycinicus sp. nov., isolated from soil of a peat swamp forest.

A novel actinomycete, strain RCU-197T, was isolated from soil of a peat swamp forest in Rayong Province, Thailand. Using a polyphasic approach, the strain was classified in the genus Streptomyces. It contained ll-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. No diagnostic sugars were detected in whole-cell hydrolysates and there was a lack of mycolic acids. The major menaquinones were MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8). The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C14 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The polar lipids profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol mannoside, an unknown aminolipid and two unknown phospholipids. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed the strain formed distinct clade within the genus Streptomyces and was closely related to Streptomyces echinatus NBRC 12763T (98.78 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). According to the polyphasic approach as well as DNA-DNA relatedness, the strain could be clearly differentiated from closely related species and represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces actinomycinicus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RCU-197T ( = JCM 30864T = TISTR 2208T = PCU 342T).
Real‐time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction to detect propionibacterial ribosomal RNA in the lymph nodes of Chinese patients with sarcoidosis

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of using the copy number of propionibacterial rRNA as a biomarker for sarcoidosis. Ribosomal RNA of Propionibacterium acnes and P. granulosum was measured by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) using formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded tissue of lymph node biopsy from 65 Chinese patients with sarcoidosis, 45 with tuberculosis and 50 controls with other diseases (23 with non‐specific lymphadenitis and 27 with mediastinal lymph node metastasis from lung cancer). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was analysed to determine an optimal cut‐off value for diagnosis, and the diagnostic accuracy of the cut‐off value was evaluated in additional tissue samples [24 patients with sarcoidosis and 22 with tuberculosis (TB)]. P. acnes or P. granulosum rRNA was detected in 48 of the 65 sarcoidosis samples but only in four of the 45 TB samples and three of the 50 control samples. Analysis of the ROC curve revealed that an optimal cut‐off value of the copy number of propionibacterial rRNA for diagnosis of sarcoidosis was 50·5 copies/ml with a sensitivity and specificity of 73·8 and 92·6%, respectively. Based on the cut‐off value, 19 of the 24 additional sarcoidosis samples exhibited positive P. acnes or P. granulosum, whereas only one of the 22 additional TB samples was positive, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 79·2 and 95·5%, respectively. These findings suggest that propionibacteria might be associated with sarcoidosis granulomatous inflammation. Detection of propionibacterial rRNA by RT–PCR might possibly distinguish sarcoidosis from TB.
Backlight Dimming Algorithm Based on Video Quality Metric (VQM) for Video Contents

In this paper, we proposed a backlight dimming algorithm for videos, aiming to achieve better video quality measured in video quality metric (VQM) with controlled power consumption. In order to avoid the complex computation of VQM in the testing process, a training procedure is performed to find prediction model. For each training video, a VQM result curve corresponding to different clipping points is first built, to facilitate the consequent search for optimal clipping point. To build a prediction model for optimal clipping point to be used in testing stage, the optimal clipping point of each video is associated with the spatial information (SI) and temporal information (TI) of the video; the association is modeled by a 2-D LOWESS (LOcally WEighted Scatterplot Smoothing) surface. Therefore in the testing phase, for every video, the SI and TI are first computed, and mapped into the LOWESS model to find the predicted optimal clipping point, which is applied to all frames in the video. A generalized version of the proposed method is designed to have even better power reduction performance. The experiment results show that the generalized proposed work can achieve the best power reduction (17.9%), compared with state-of-the-art methods I2GEC (10.5%), MGEC4 (11.2%), MGEC16 (8.7%), and SPBD (8.7%). And the video quality of the generalized proposed method can be maintained, showing almost no visual difference with the original video. Thus, it is demonstrated that the proposed work can achieve good balance between video quality and power consumption.
Fiscal Dynamics after a Financial Crisis: Evidence from OECD Countries

We analyze the dynamics of fiscal positions in the aftermath of financial crises based on a sample of 23 advanced OECD countries from 1970 to 2016. We apply a local projection approach and confirm that financial distress leads to a strong increase in debt-to-GDP ratios which also appears to be persistent. We provide robust evidence for a persistent shift to expenditures on social security. This shift most likely comes at the cost of public investment. In contrast, evidence in favor of significant changes in the composition of tax revenues is rather weak. Most likely, financial distress leads governments to shift tax burden to revenues from indirect taxes. Our findings also unveil that compositional shifts are especially pronounced in economies with relatively large financial sectors. We conclude that financial distress not only leads to high fiscal costs but also to a deterioration of the quality of public expenditures not only in the short- but also in the medium-run. And, according to our results, governments do not use episodes of financial distress as a "window of opportunity" to improve the quality of tax structures.
Sympatric and allopatric combinations of Lymnaea columella and Fasciola hepatica from southern and south-eastern Brazil

Abstract Experimental infections of Lymnaea columella with Fasciola hepatica were carried out to test the effect of sympatric and allopatric combinations between parasite and host, by using snails and flukes from southern and south-eastern Brazil. Four groups of 50 snails were infected with four miracidia per snail: two groups in sympatric and two groups in allopatric combinations. Sympatric combinations between parasite and host were more efficient than allopatric ones when snails from Itajubá were used, but the opposite was observed in infections involving snails from Pelotas. The sympatric association between L. columella and F. hepatica from Itajubá was significantly higher than in the other combinations. We concluded that the host–parasite relationship between L. columnella and F. hepatica may vary according to the geographical origin of the snails and flukes involved.
Role of class 3 semaphorins in the development and maturation of the septohippocampal pathway

In examining the role of Class 3 secreted semaphorins in the prenatal and postnatal development of the septohippocampal pathway, we found that embryonic (E14–E16) septal axons were repelled by the cingulate cortex and the striatum. We also found that the hippocampus exerts chemorepulsion on dorsolateral septal fibers, but not on fibers arising in the medial septum/diagonal band complex, which is the source of septohippocampal axons. These data indicate that endogenous chemorepellents prevent the growth of septal axons in nonappropriate brain areas and direct septohippocampal fibers to the target hippocampus. The embryonic septum expressed np‐1 and np‐2 mRNAs, and the striatum and cerebral cortex expressed sema 3A and sema 3F. Experiments with recombinant semaphorins showed that Sema 3A and 3F, but not Sema 3C or 3E, induce chemorepulsion of septal axons. Sema 3A and 3F also induce growth cone collapse of septal axons. This indicates that these factors are endogenous cues for the early guidance of septohippocampal fibers, including cholinergic and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic axons, during the embryonic stages. During postnatal stages, when target cell selection and synaptogenesis take place, np‐1 and np‐2 were expressed by septohippocampal neurons at all ages tested. In the target hippocampus, pyramidal and granule cells expressed sema 3E and sema 3A, whereas most interneurons expressed sema 3C, but few expressed sema 3E or 3A. Combined tracing and expression studies showed that GABAergic septohippocampal fibers terminated preferentially onto sema 3C‐positive interneurons. In contrast, cholinergic septohippocampal fibers terminated onto sema 3E and sema 3A‐expressing pyramidal and granule cells. The data suggest that Class 3 secreted semaphorins are involved in postnatal development. Moreover, because GABAergic and cholinergic axons terminate onto neurons expressing distinct, but overlapping, patterns of semaphorin expression, semaphorin functions may be regulated by different signaling mechanisms at postnatal stages. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Understanding SE Growth: The Case of Bangladesh

This thesis seeks to explore the hybrid nature of Social Enterprises (SEs) by investigating how they incorporate co-existence of social and economic goals and embed in multiple institutional domains. By synthesising insights from three literature domains - hybrid organisations, institutional views and strategic management - this thesis advances the understanding about the hybrid nature of SEs mainly in two ways. First, it examines the extent to which managerial tensions may result in hybrid SEs due to co-existence of values and influences from pluralistic institutional domains. Second, it explores how such organisations mobilise resources and capabilities in order to respond to internal tensions. The three research questions addressed in the thesis are: i) What is the nature of SE growth in Bangladesh? ; ii) How does the institutional context influence SE growth in Bangladesh? and iii) What role do SEs’ resources and capabilities play in responding to the institutional influences? The study adopts a multiple case study approach, collecting data from eleven Bangladeshi SEs. With rapid rise of hybrid forms of SEs in Bangladesh, the findings of the study have both practical and policy implications. The insights on SEs’ internal tensions can enable Bangladeshi policy makers to realise the needs and challenges of hybrid SEs in the country. This may aid the development of customised policies, incentives and support systems that are required to facilitate the growth of such organisations. The insights on the management of tensions can aid the leaders and managers in hybrid SEs to respond to their internal tensions more appropriately.The study identifies six operational models through analysis of the social goal, economic mission, income source, governance structure and institutional setting of the studied cases. These models are: SEs that are fully reliant on grant, NGOs with trading elements, NGOs with full reliance on trading, social business es, public and private limited corporations, and NGOs with conventional subsidiary enterprise. The findings further showed that the studied SEs have pursued social and economic goals simultaneously through adoption of four growth strategies: expansion, diversification, autonomous growth and partnership. The study identifies a number of competing pressures originating from multiple institutional domains which have affected the way they accomplished their social and economic goals. This interplay between SEs’ dual goals and institutional influences led to ten different tensions inside the studied cases. The management of these tensions, at the functional level, involved orchestration of SEs’ resources and capabilities in a particular way. The specific ways of mobilisation of resources and capabilities ultimately led the SEs towards five different growth paths: i) forced adoption/coercive adoption, ii) proactive response, iii) adapt, iv) influence, and v) side-stepping.
A novel depth map quality metric and its usage in depth map coding

While the depth maps of 3D video are represented as luminance images, they are used to aid rendering of novel views and are not viewed by an end user. Therefore, metrics that measure the quality of images that are for end user viewing does not necessarily reflect the quality of depth maps in terms of its ability to render views. This paper investigates the relationship between the quality of the rendered views and different quality measures of the depth map. A novel depth map quality metric is proposed based on a distortion model that approximates rendering errors due to pixel errors in the depth map. The proposed depth map quality metric correlates very well with the quality of the rendered views, as compared to the PSNR and SSIM of the depth map. The application of the proposed depth map quality metric is further illustrated by incorporating the metric at the encoding mode selection stage of a video encoder. Experimental results suggest that with the proposed encoding mode selection scheme bit rate savings of up to 30% can be achieved compared to traditional encoding mode selection scheme based on sum of squared errors.
Optimal methods for meta‐analysis of genome‐wide association studies

Meta‐analysis of genome‐wide association studies involves testing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using summary statistics that are weighted sums of site‐specific score or Wald statistics. This approach avoids having to pool individual‐level data. We describe the weights that maximize the power of the summary statistics. For small effect‐sizes, any choice of weights yields summary Wald and score statistics with the same power, and the optimal weights are proportional to the square roots of the sites' Fisher information for the SNP's regression coefficient. When SNP effect size is constant across sites, the optimal summary Wald statistic is the well‐known inverse‐variance‐weighted combination of estimated regression coefficients, divided by its standard deviation. We give simple approximations to the optimal weights for various phenotypes, and show that weights proportional to the square roots of study sizes are suboptimal for data from case‐control studies with varying case‐control ratios, for quantitative trait data when the trait variance differs across sites, for count data when the site‐specific mean counts differ, and for survival data with different proportions of failing subjects. Simulations suggest that weights that accommodate intersite variation in imputation error give little power gain compared to those obtained ignoring imputation uncertainties. We note advantages to combining site‐specific score statistics, and we show how they can be used to assess effect‐size heterogeneity across sites. The utility of the summary score statistic is illustrated by application to a meta‐analysis of schizophrenia data in which only site‐specific P‐values and directions of association are available. Genet. Epidemiol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 35:581‐591, 2011