Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Splice variants of arrestins.

A large number of topologically related G proteincoupled receptors mediate transmembrane signaling by hormones, neurotransmitters, light, odors, and other factors. The signal from the activated receptor is transmitted via trimeric coupling proteins, G proteins, to cellular targets that include membrane ion channels, phosphodiesterases, phospholipases, and adenylate cyclases (Birnbaumer, 1990; Gilman, 1995). Mutations in genes that encode proteins involved in this type of signal transduction are implicated in many human diseases, including Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophia, thyroid carcinomas, ovarian adenomas, and some forms of retinitis pigmentosa (Schabel and Bohm, 1995). In one of the many mechanisms of desensitization, the receptors are inactivated by phosphorylation in a reaction catalysed by G proteincoupled receptor kinases and recruitment of capping regulatory proteins, the arrestins. Hundreds of G protein-coupled receptors are known; in contrast, only a handful of G protein-receptor kinases (GRKs) (six members ; Premont, Inglese and Lefkowitz, 1995) and arrestins have been identified (four genes coding for arrestin cone arrestin, β-arrestin 1, and β-arrestin 2; Palczewski, 1994). Thus, kinases and arrestins must possess broad specificity to account for the stereotypical inactivation of these receptors. Alternatively, a group of homologous but distinct proteins can be generated from a single gene by a mechanism that produces several alternative splice variants of mRNA (e.g. the plasma membrane calcium pump (Stauffer et al., 1994), or proteins could be heterogeneously modified by posttranslational mechanisms (e.g. heterogenous acylation, phosphorylation, or proteolysis) (Johnson et al., 1994; Graves et al., 1994). Recently, two novel splice variant forms of bovine (p%%) and human retinal arrestins have been identified (Smith et al., 1994; Smith, 1996). In this report, extracts of ROS membranes from mice were tested for the presence of different forms of arrestin. When proteins were separated by electrophoresis, electrotransferred to Immobilon, and probed with an antiarrestin antibody, significant amounts of two lower molecular weight forms of arrestin, M1-Arr and M2Arr were repeatedly found, in addition to full-length arrestin (Fig. 1). When probed with a panel of antiarrestin monoclonal antibodies specific to different regions of arrestin, these immunoblots revealed that
Liver-Enriched Gene 1, a Glycosylated Secretory Protein, Binds to FGFR and Mediates an Anti-stress Pathway to Protect Liver Development in Zebrafish

Unlike mammals and birds, teleost fish undergo external embryogenesis, and therefore their embryos are constantly challenged by stresses from their living environment. These stresses, when becoming too harsh, will cause arrest of cell proliferation, abnormal cell death or senescence. Such organisms have to evolve a sophisticated anti-stress mechanism to protect the process of embryogenesis/organogenesis. However, very few signaling molecule(s) mediating such activity have been identified. liver-enriched gene 1 (leg1) is an uncharacterized gene that encodes a novel secretory protein containing a single domain DUF781 (domain of unknown function 781) that is well conserved in vertebrates. In the zebrafish genome, there are two copies of leg1, namely leg1a and leg1b. leg1a and leg1b are closely linked on chromosome 20 and share high homology, but are differentially expressed. In this report, we generated two leg1a mutant alleles using the TALEN technique, then characterized liver development in the mutants. We show that a leg1a mutant exhibits a stress-dependent small liver phenotype that can be prevented by chemicals blocking the production of reactive oxygen species. Further studies reveal that Leg1a binds to FGFR3 and mediates a novel anti-stress pathway to protect liver development through enhancing Erk activity. More importantly, we show that the binding of Leg1a to FGFR relies on the glycosylation at the 70th asparagine (Asn70 or N70), and mutating the Asn70 to Ala70 compromised Leg1’s function in liver development. Therefore, Leg1 plays a unique role in protecting liver development under different stress conditions by serving as a secreted signaling molecule/modulator.
The Effects of Naturally occurring Androgens in Practical Diets Fed to Normal-Sired and Jack-Sired Progeny of Colio Salmon

Borghetti, J.R. , Iwamoto, R.N. , Hardy, R.W. and Sower, S. , 1989. The effects of naturally occurring androgens in practical diets fed to normal-sired and jack-sired progeny of coho salmon (Oncorhynch~ kisutch). Aquaculture, 77: 51-60. Three batches of vacuum-dried meal from spawned salmon were made. In the first batch, the testes from the males were removed before drying. In the second, the testes were not removed. In the third batch, the testes were not removed and the gonads removed from the first batch were added. Analysis of the meals showed levels of 0.2,0.7, and 1.5 ng testosterone/g of dry meal for batch 1 (0 x gonad), batch 2 ( 1 x gonad), and batch 3 (2 X gonad), respectively. The meals were used to make three test diets similar to the Oregon Moist Pellet, OP-4. Each diet was fed to two groups of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), one normal-sired and one jack-sired, for 119 days. Fish fed the 2 x gonad diet weighed more (P< 0.05 ) at the end of the study than fish fed the 0 x gonad diet. Jack-sired progeny were larger (P < 0.05) than normal-sired progeny fed 1 x and 2 x gonad diets. Fish length, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio were similarly affected by dietary treatment. The study demonstrated that low levels of naturally occurring androgens can cause a physiological response in juvenile coho salmon.
Determination of Soft X-ray Emission Spectroscopy Parameters using Experimental Data for Quantitative Microanalysis

Recent development in x-ray detection technology like the windowless energy dispersive spectrometer silicon drift detector (EDS SDD) [1] and the soft x-ray emission spectrometer (SXES) [2] allow the measurement of soft x-ray lines (> 50 eV). However, the conventional microanalysis models are not well tested for these soft x-ray lines. Furthermore, chemical bounding can affect the x-ray emission [3], which are not currently taken into account with the conventional models. The relationship between emitted xray intensity and accelerating voltage was noted by Andersen (1967) and Kyser (1971) use it to experimentally measured mass absorption coefficients (MACs). In this work, soft x-ray emission parameters like the MAC are determined by comparing experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations [4] using the emitted x-ray intensity and accelerating voltage relationship.
A 65 nm CMOS Power Amplifier With Peak PAE above 18.9% From 57 to 66 GHz Using Synthesized Transformer-Based Matching Network

Maintaining good power performance in a large bandwidth continues to challenge the design of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) power amplifiers (PAs), including mm-wave PAs with transformer-based matching networks (TMNs). With a TMN synthesizing method which is proposed based on the derived matching equations of TMN, this challenge is addressed in this paper for wideband mm-wave PAs by designing both inter-stage matching networks and output matching network with small mismatch in the entire operating bandwidth. A 60 GHz PA with synthesized TMNs is designed in a 65 nm bulk CMOS technology, achieving smaller degradation of power performance in the 9 GHz bandwidth compared to reported works in more advanced CMOS technologies. From 57 to 66 GHz, the PA is measured with saturated output power (PSAT) of 13.94 to 14.35 dBm, P1dBof 10.81 to 11.68 dBm, and peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 18.9% to 21.1%. The PA is capable of delivering 16QAM modulated signal with output power larger than 10.8 dBm and PAE higher than 10.1% in all the 4 channels of 802.11ad when EVM is 8.91%.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Examining Critical Issues Associated with the Incidence in the South East Region of the United States

OF THE THESIS Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Examining Critical Issues Associated With the Incidence in the South East Region of the United States by Christopher L. Chandler American Public University System May 17, 2015 Charles Town, West Virginia Dr. Carol Hoban, Thesis Professor The study shall review the critical issues that relate to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the South East Region of the United States. More precisely these regions incorporate the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. More intently, the study shall scrutinize the aspects of access care and effective treatment plans, financial and housing assistance that is available and applicable, and prevention through awareness and education. Most importantly, the study shall scrutinize the existent programs and their effectiveness. The methodologies that will be applicable in the data collection process incorporate Literature review, focus groups, and observation. The HIV programs in the Southeast region of the United States operate in line with authoritative objectives, but they face challenges in eliminating and minimizing the HIV virus in the area. An allinclusive framework is essential, and this will nurture new and robust HIV programs in
Optimization of triangular lattice defect in dynamic photonic crystal structures for optical storage and processing

A triangular lattice GaAs photonic crystal structure was proposed in a previous work [1] for optical storage in a dynamic modulation process. This work presents a defect optimization of this tunable coupled resonator array. Preserving translational invariance and adiabaticity, this structure exhibits an optical analogue to electromagnetic induced transparency. This triangular lattice structure shows an advantage over the previously proposed square one [2, 3] in compressing higher bandwidth pulses. The main problem of this structure is the introduction of higher group-velocity dispersion. In the present work, the structure is redesigned so as to change the operating range of frequency for the propagating pulse. In this way, the group-velocity dispersion is eliminated to values close to that of the square lattice structure. The final design, therefore, combines both higher compressible bandwidth and lower group-velocity dispersion in addition to a fabrication advantage.
Rapid light‐induced shifts in opsin expression: finding new opsins, discerning mechanisms of change, and implications for visual sensitivity

Light‐induced shifts in cone frequency and opsin expression occur in many aquatic species. Yet little is known about how quickly animals can alter opsin expression and, thereby, track their visual environments. Similarly, little is known about whether adult animals can alter opsin expression or whether shifts in opsin expression are limited to critical developmental windows. We took adult wild‐caught bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) from three different lighting environments (spring, swamp and variable), placed them under two different lighting treatments (clear vs. tea‐stained water) and monitored opsin expression over 4 weeks. We measured opsin expression for five previously described opsins (SWS1, SWS2B, SWS2A, RH2‐1 and LWS) as well as RH2‐2 which we discovered via 454 sequencing. We used two different metrics of opsin expression. We measured expression of each opsin relative to a housekeeping gene and the proportional expression of each opsin relative to the total pool of opsins. Population and lighting environment had large effects on opsin expression which were present at the earliest time points indicating rapid shifts in expression. The two measures of expression produced radically different patterns. Proportional measures indicated large effects of light on SWS1 expression, whereas relative measures indicated no such effect. Instead, light had large effects on the relative expression of SWS2B, RH2‐2, RH2‐1 and LWS. We suggest that proportional measures of opsin expression are best for making inferences about colour vision, but that measures relative to a housekeeping gene are better for making conclusions about which opsins are differentially regulated.
Determining Cutting Points of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Nurses to Measure Their Level of Burnout Online

This study is to determine cutting points for the Chinese version of the MBI-HSS and to design an online assessment tool that instantly measures a nurse’s burnout level. We illustrate (1) the traditional way for determining the cutting points of a scale when the binary classification groups was still known, and (2) the norm-reference approach without groups of binary classifications was used to determine the cutting points on three subscales for the MBIO-HSS. An online MBIO-HSS assessment APP for smartphones was incorporated with the cutting points to instantly display the level of burnout for nurses. The cutoff points of the MBI-HSS were ≤ 21 and ≤ 32 for the Emotional subscale, ≤ 23 and ≤ 30 for the Reduced Personal Accomplishment subscale, ≤ 6 and ≤ 12 for the Depersonalization subscale, and ≤ 15 and ≤ 17 (i.e., low, moderate, and high level) for the overall scores. An available-for-download online MBI-HSS APP for nurses was developed and demonstrated.
PrivacyStreams

Smartphone app developers often access and use privacy-sensitive data to create apps with rich and meaningful interactions. However, it can be challenging for auditors and end-users to know what granularity of data is being used and how, thereby hindering assessment of potential risks. Furthermore, developers lack easy ways of offering transparency to users regarding how personal data is processed, even if their intentions are to make their apps more privacy friendly. To address these challenges, we introduce PrivacyStreams, a functional programming model for accessing and processing personal data as a stream. PrivacyStreams is designed to make it easy for developers to make use of personal data while simultaneously making it easier to analyze how that personal data is processed and what granularity of data is actually used. We present the design and implementation of PrivacyStreams, as well as several user studies and experiments to demonstrate its usability, utility, and support for privacy.
Metastatic ability and the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in induced cancer stem‐like hepatoma cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to play important roles in cancer malignancy. Previously, we successfully induced sphere cancer stem‐like cells (CSLCs) from several cell lines and observed the property of chemoresistance. In the present study, we examined the metastatic potential of these induced CSLCs. Sphere cancer stem‐like cells were induced from a human hepatoma cell line (SK‐HEP‐1) in a unique medium containing neural survival factor‐1. Splenic injection of cells into immune‐deficient mice was used to assess hematogenous liver metastasis. Transcriptomic strand‐specific RNA‐sequencing analysis, quantitative real‐time PCR, and flow cytometry were carried out to examine the expression of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related genes. Splenic injection of CSLCs resulted in a significantly increased frequency of liver metastasis compared to parental cancer cells (P < .05). In CSLCs, a mesenchymal marker, Vimentin, and EMT‐promoting transcription factors, Snail and Twist1, were upregulated compared to parental cells. Correspondingly, significant enrichment of the molecular signature of the EMT in CSLCs relative to parental cancer cells was shown (q < 0.01) by RNA‐sequencing analysis. This analysis also revealed differential expression of CD44 isoforms between CSLCs and parental cancer cells. Increasing CD44 isoforms containing an extra exon were observed, and the standard CD44 isoform decreased in CSLCs compared to parental cells. Interestingly, another CD44 variant isoform encoding a short cytoplasmic tail was also upregulated in CSLCs (11.7‐fold). Our induced CSLCs possess an increased liver metastatic potential in which promotion of the EMT and upregulation of CD44 variant isoforms, especially short‐tail, were observed.
Kidney Kidney Function and Systolic Blood Pressure New Insights From Cystatin C : Data from the Heart and Soul Study

Results: We observed that SBP was linearly associated with cystatin C concentrations (1.19 0.55 mm Hg increase per 0.4 mg/L cystatin C, P .03) across the range of kidney functions. In contrast, using CrCl, SBP was significantly associated with kidney function only in subjects with CrCl 60 mL/min (6.4 2.13 mm Hg increase per 28 mL/min, P .003) but not 60 mL/min (0.36 0.77 mm Hg per 28 mL/min, P .64). Slopes differed
Verification of Hybrid Automata by Synthesis and Refinement

We present a verification technique to check properties of systems in the model of Linear Hybrid Automata. Given an automaton synthesized from a logic formula, we stepwise specialize transitions and states by operations which preserve the language accepted by the original automaton. We define a proof system based on refinement technique that preserves the properties of the original automaton, and we prove its correctness.
Development of CNT-Si3N4 Composites with High Strength and Electrical Conductivity by Adding HfO2

The preparation of electrically conductive silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) ceramics by dispersing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been studied in the recent years. However, the density and strength of Si 3 N 4 ceramics was found to deteriorate and the CNTs disappeared after firing at high temperatures because CNTs prevent Si 3 N 4 from densification and there is a possibility that the CNTs reacted with the Si 3 N 4 or SiO 2 . To prevent the CNTs from reacting and disappearing, low temperature densification is required. In this study, HfO 2 was added to a Si 3 N 4 -Y 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -AlN system to fabricate CNT-dispersed Si 3 N 4 ceramics at low temperatures. As a result, a sample to which HfO 2 had been added and which was fired at lower temperatures showed higher electrical conductivity and higher bending strength. It was also observed that the mechanical and electrical properties of the ceramics depended on the quantity of added CNTs.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content of Eruca sativa L .

Oxidative stress ensues due to the imbalance between the production and elimination of reactive oxygen species eventually leading to cell apoptosis which in turn aggravates chronic disorders like diabetes and its related complications. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of Eruca sativa L. against oxidative stress. E. sativa seeds were procured from the local market and authenticated from NISCAIR, New Delhi. In vitro antioxidative potential of E. sativa was evaluated by employing various in vitro antioxidant methods (total phenol content, total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, DPPH, hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide and superoxide dismutase scavenging activity. The total phenol content was found to be 216.00 and 229.00 mg/g GAE in EA and EHA and total antioxidant capacity was found to be 111.00 and 230.60 μM/g ascorbic acid equivalents respectively. In the DPPH radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, nitric oxide scavenging activity and superoxide radical scavenging activity, IC50 values of EA and EHA was found to be 3.28 and 3.53 μg/ml, 188.11 and 181. 56μg/ml, 73.05 and 64.33 μg/ml and 87.91 and 41.12mg/ml, respectively. The results obtained in this study clearly indicate that Eruca sativa L. has a significant potential to use as a natural anti-oxidant agent.
Yield of Stirred Cold Maceration and Extraction of Milled European Black Alder Wood and Bark using Different Solvents

Wood extractives, especially polyphenols, have great influence on the xylem colour of many wood species, which affects the success of hydrothermal wood processing, such as wood drying. One such wood species is European black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. ), which is prone to forming intense and uneven reddish-orange or reddish-brown discolourations immediately upon harvesting and processing. However, there is lack of published scientific data on the wood and bark extractives of black alder, as well as the most suitable solvents to extract them. In this work, total soluble extractives, phenols, and flavonoids have been quantified in the wood and bark of black alder. Furthermore, the influence of four different polar organic solvents and deionized water on extractives removal yields has been measured. It was found that the bark has much higher levels of extractives as compared to the wood. Furthermore, it has been found that the highest extractive yields were obtained by using methanol as the extraction solvent for all observed compound group classifications.
The probability of external causation: An empirical account of crosslinguistic variation in lexical causatives

Abstract This corpus-driven computational study addresses the question of why some verbs in some languages participate in the causative alternation while their counterparts in other languages do not. The results of this study suggest that the lexical property that underlies this variation is the probability of external causation. Alternating verbs are distributed on a scale of increasing probability for an external causer to occur. The probability of external causation can be empirically assessed in two ways, among others: first, by observing the typological distribution of causative and anticausative morphological markings across a wide range of languages; second, through the frequency distribution of causative and anticausative uses of the alternating verbs in a corpus of a single language. Our study reveals that these two measures are correlated. Moreover, we demonstrate that the corpus-based measure is applicable to a wide range of verbs. Extending the corpus-based investigation comparatively across two languages, English and German, we find that the frequencies of crosslinguistic realizations of lexical causatives are modulated by the probability of external causation, an underlying parameter assigned to verb types. Finally, we propose a probabilistic graphical model that clusters verbs based on the relation between the crosslinguistic distribution of their causative and anticausative realizations and the probability of external causation.
On the Symmetric $K$ -User Interference Channels With Limited Feedback

In this paper, we develop achievability schemes for symmetric K-user interference channels with a rate-limited feedback from each receiver to the corresponding transmitter. We study this problem under two different channel models: the linear deterministic model, and the Gaussian model. For the deterministic model, the proposed scheme achieves a symmetric rate that is the minimum of the symmetric capacity with infinite feedback, and the sum of the symmetric capacity without feedback and the symmetric amount of feedback. For the Gaussian interference channel, we use lattice codes to propose a transmission strategy that incorporates the techniques of Han-Kobayashi message splitting, interference decoding, and decode and forward. This strategy achieves a symmetric rate, which is within a constant number of bits to the minimum of the symmetric capacity with infinite feedback, and the sum of the symmetric capacity without feedback and the amount of symmetric feedback. This constant is obtained as a function of the number of users, K. We note that for the special case of Gaussian IC with K = 2, our proposed achievability scheme results in a symmetric rate that is within at most 21.085 bits/s/Hz of the outer bound, which is the first constant gap bound despite the constant gap claim in [1]. The symmetric achievable rate is used to characterize the achievable generalized degrees of freedom, which exhibits a gradual increase from no feedback to perfect feedback in the presence of feedback links with limited capacity.