Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sel1p/Ubx2p Participates in a Distinct Cdc48p‐Dependent Endoplasmic Reticulum‐Associated Degradation Pathway

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves a critical role in the biogenesis of secretory proteins. Folding of nascent polypeptides occurs in the ER before anterograde transport through the secretory pathway, whereas terminally misfolded secretory proteins are recognized and eliminated by ER‐associated degradation (ERAD). Here, we investigated the role of the ubiquitin regulatory X (UBX) domain‐containing protein Sel1p in ER quality control and transport. Mutant sel1Δ yeast displayed a constitutively active unfolded protein response and a mildly reduced rate of secretory protein transport from the ER. Immunoisolation of Sel1p from detergent‐solubilized ER microsomes revealed a protein complex containing both Cdc48p and Npl4p and suggested a direct role for Sel1p in ERAD. In cells that lack Sel1p, we observed a reduction in the level of Cdc48p bound to ER membranes and a decrease in the turnover rate of two model ERAD substrates, carboxypeptidase Y* and Ste6*. In addition, we found that Sel1p and a second UBX domain‐containing protein, Shp1p, associated with Cdc48p in a mutually exclusive manner. Interestingly, the association of Sel1p with Cdc48p was regulated by ATP, while the interaction of Shp1p with Cdc48p was not influenced by ATP. Based on these findings, we conclude that Sel1p operates in the ERAD pathway by coupling Cdc48p to ER membranes and that Shp1p acts in a distinct Cdc48p‐dependent protein degradation pathway.
[Preoperative hepatic and regional arterial infusion chemotherapy in the prevention of liver metastasis after colorectal cancer surgery].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of preoperative hepatic and regional arterial infusion chemotherapy (PHRAIC) in the prevention of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer after surgery. METHODS 110 patients of colorectal cancer underwent perfusion of 3 anti-tumor drugs into the hepatic artery and nutrient artery of the tumor respectively, radical surgery of the colorectal cancer 7 days after, and then general venous chemotherapy 3 weeks after operation, 112 patients underwent radical surgery of the colorectal cancer and general venous chemotherapy 3 weeks after operation. Follow-up was carried out every month with a follow-up period of 34 months +/- 3 months. RESULTS There were no significant difference in post-operational complications between these 2 groups. The 3-year liver metastasis rate, 3-year tumor-free survival rate, overall survival rate, and median survival time of the stage III patients in the PHRAIC group were 12.7%, 82.3%, 87.7%, and 40 months +/- 5 months, all significantly better than those in the control group (28.3%, 58.7%, 75.5%, and 36 months +/- 3 months respectively, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION PHRAIC reduces the liver metastasis of colorectal cancer after radical surgery and improves the survival of the stage III patients.
Twisting touch: combining deformation and touch as input within the same interaction cycle on handheld devices

We present a study that investigates the potential of combining, within the same interaction cycle, deformation and touch input in a handheld device. Using a flexible, input-only device connected to an external display, we compared a multitouch input technique and two hybrid deformation-plus-touch input techniques (bending and twisting the device, plus either front- or back-touch), in an image-docking task. We compared and analyzed the performance (completion time) and user experience (UX) obtained in each case, using multiple assessment metrics. We found that combining device deformation with front-touch produced the best UX. All the interaction techniques showed the same efficiency in task completion. This was a surprising finding, since multitouch (an integral input technique) was expected to be the most efficient technique in an image docking task (an interaction in an integral perceptual space). We discuss these findings in relation to self-reported qualitative data and observed interaction-procedure metrics. We found that the interaction procedures with the hybrid techniques were more sequential but also more paced. These findings suggest that the benefits of deformation input can still be observed when deformation and touch are combined in an input device.
Very rapid effect of pitavastatin on microvascular function in comparison to rosuvastatin: reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometric study

Background: It has been reported that pitavastatin improves endothelial function faster than other statins. Recently introduced reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) provides objective and quantitative assessment of peripheral microvascular function. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether peripheral microvascular function improved 2 hours after pitavastatin in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) using RH-PAT, and the results were compared with those of rosuvastatin. Methods: This study included 94 subjects with CAD, assigned to a group given 2 mg of pitavastatin (n = 36), a group given 2.5 mg of rosuvastatin (n = 38), and a control group (n = 20). RH-PAT examinations were performed before and 2 hours after statin administration. Results: The RH-PAT index increased 2 hours after pitavastatin administration from 1.82 ± 0.45 to 2.16 ± 0.62 (P = 0.02), whereas there were no differences in the RH-PAT index in the rosuvastatin group (1.79 ± 0.71 to 1.91 ± 0.53, P = 0.09) and the control group (1.68 ± 0.36 to 1.84 ± 0.58, P = 0.4). No significant changes were observed at 2 hours in serum cholesterol levels in each group. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that peripheral microvascular function improved 2 hours after a single clinical dose of pitavastatin, but not after rosuvastatin.
Algorithms for variance reduction in a policy-gradient based actor-critic framework

We consider the framework of a set of recently proposed two-timescale actor-critic algorithms for reinforcement-learning (RL) using the long-run average-reward criterion and linear feature-based value-function approximation. The actor and critic updates are based on stochastic policy-gradient ascent and temporal-difference algorithms, respectively. Unlike conventional RL algorithms, policy-gradient-based algorithms guarantee convergence even with value-function approximation but suffer due to high variance of the policy-gradient estimator. To minimize this variance for an existing algorithm, we derive a stochastic-gradient-based novel critic update. We propose a novel baseline structure for variance minimization of an estimator and derive an optimal baseline which makes the covariance matrix a zero matrix - the best achievable. We derive a novel actor update based on the optimal baseline deduced for an existing algorithm. We derive another novel actor update using the optimal baseline for an unbiased policy-gradient estimator which we deduce from the Policy-Gradient Theorem with Function Approximation. We obtain a novel variance-minimization-based interpretation for an existing algorithm. The computational results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms outperform the state-of-the-art on Garnet problems.
Feature Exploration for Cross-Lingual Pronoun Prediction

We explore a large number of features for cross-lingual pronoun prediction for translation between English and German/French. We find that features related to German/French are more informative than features related to English, regardless of the translation direction. Our most useful features are local context, dependency head features, and source pronouns. We also find that it is sometimes more successful to employ a 2-step procedure that first makes a binary choice between pronouns and other, then classifies pronouns. For the pronoun/other distinction POS ngrams were very useful.
A MORPHOLOGIC AND GENETIC STUDY OF THE ISLAND FOX, UROCYON LITTORALIS

The Island Fox, Urocyon littoralis, is a dwarf form found on six of the Channel Islands located 30–98 km off the coast of southern California. The island populations differ in two variables that affect genetic variation: effective population size and duration of isolation. We estimate that the effective population size of foxes on the islands varies from approximately 150 to 1,000 individuals. Archeological and geological evidence suggests that foxes likely arrived on the three northern islands minimally 10,400–16,000 years ago and dispersed to the three southern islands 2,200–4,300 years ago. We use morphometrics, allozyme electrophoresis, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction‐site analysis, and analysis of hypervariable minisatellite DNA to measure variability within and distances among island fox populations. The amount of within‐population variation is lowest for the smallest island populations and highest for the mainland population. However, the larger populations are sometimes less variable, with respect to some genetic measures, than expected. No distinct trends of variability with founding time are observed. Genetic distances among the island populations, as estimated by the four techniques, are not well correlated. The apparent lack of correspondence among techniques may reflect the effects of mutation rate and colonization history on the values of each genetic measure.
VLSI Architecture for Real-Time HD1080p View Synthesis Engine

This paper presents a real-time HD1080p view synthesis engine based on the reference algorithm from 3-D video coding team by solving high computational complexity and high memory cost problems. For the computational complexity, we propose the bilinear interpolation to simplify the hole filling process, and the Z scaling method with floating-point format to reduce the cost of homography calculation. For the memory cost, we propose the frame-level pipelining to reduce the requirement of warped depth maps, and the column-order warping method to remove the Z-buffer in occlusion handling. With the 90 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, our view synthesis engine can archive the throughput of 32.4 f/s for HD1080p videos with the gate count of 268.5 K and the internal memory of 69.4 kbytes. The experimental result shows our implementation has the similar synthesis quality as the original reference algorithm.
Identificación de nuevas dianas de los represores JAZ y caracterización de su papel en la activación de respuestas a la fitohormona jasmonato en Arabidopsis thaliana

Las hormonas vegetales llamadas jasmonatos (JAs) son oxilipinas derivadas de acidos grasos que estan implicadas en la regulacion de numerosos aspectos fisiologicos del crecimiento, desarrollo y defensa de las plantas. En presencia de estimulos exogenos o endogenos la hormona, (+)-7-iso-jasmonoil-L-isoleucina, promueve la degradacion de los represores de la ruta de senalizacion de JA, las proteinas JAZ, y libera a los factores de transcripcion (FTs) de los complejos generales de represion constituidos por las proteinas NINJA y TOPLESS. En esta situacion, FTs como MYC2, pero tambien otros, inician la reprogramacion transcripcional de la celula y la activacion de las respuestas a JA. Debido a que los elementos de la ruta de senalizacion de esta hormona identificados hasta el momento de comenzar esta tesis no explicaban completamente la diversidad y especificidad de respuesta a JA, el objetivo de este trabajo consistio en la busqueda de nuevos componentes en esta ruta de senalizacion hormonal que pudiesen dar respuesta a estos dos aspectos, diversidad y especificidad, de la respuesta a JA. Cuando se inicio esta tesis, MYC2 era la unica diana conocida de los represores JAZ. Sin embargo, MYC2 no podia ser el unico FT implicado en la senalizacion de JA porque los mutantes myc2 no bloquean todas las respuestas a la hormona. Por eso, este trabajo se centro en la identificacion de genes funcionalmente redundantes con MYC2. A traves de la combinacion de varias estrategias experimentales (genetica, genomica, biologia molecular y bioquimica) los logros conseguidos en esta tesis han sido los siguientes: 1- La identificacion de nuevas dianas de los represores JAZ (MYC3, MYC4, AtAIB, bHLH003 y bHLH013). 2- La caracterizacion de los FTs MYC3 y MYC4 que actuan de manera redundante con MYC2 en la regulacion positiva de las respuestas de defensa mediadas por JA. 3- La caracterizacion de AtAIB, otro FT de la familia bHLH , que media la represion de la expresion genica del cloroplasto en respuesta a JA. 4- Finalmente, se ha visto que mutaciones en componentes de la senalizacion de etileno y en transportadores de auxinas incrementan el fenotipo de insensibilidad a JA en raiz de jin1-2/myc2. Por lo tanto, la senalizacion de etileno y el transporte de auxinas median en parte la inhibicion del crecimiento de raiz provocada por JA.
Postmigration Living Problems and Common Psychiatric Disorders in Iraqi Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands

In a previous community-based, national study among Iraqi asylum seekers, a long asylum procedure was found to have a higher risk for common psychiatric disorders than adverse life events in Iraq. In the present article, the postmigration period is considered in more detail and evaluated in relationship with psychiatric disorders. Respondents were interviewed with fully structured, culturally validated, translated questionnaires. With the use of a Post- migration Living Problems questionnaire, worries about all kinds of problems were gathered. Psychiatric (DSM-IV) disorders were measured with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1. Factor analysis was done on the postmigration living problems, and in univariate and multivariate analyses, associations with psychopathology were calculated. Results show that clusters of postmigration living problems could be identified: family issues, discrimination, asylum procedure, socioeconomic living conditions, socioreligious aspects, and work-related issues. There was a significant relationship between all clustered postmigration living problems and psychopathology, except for socioreligious aspects. Multivariate logistic regression showed that lack of work, family issues, and asylum procedure stress had the highest odds ratios for psychopathology. The findings appeal to governments to shorten the asylum procedures, allow asylum seekers to work, and give preference to family reunion. Mental health workers should recognize the impact of postmigration living problems and consider focusing their treatment on coping with these problems instead of traumas from the past.
A novel checkpoint mechanism regulating the G 1 / S transition data

data Supplementary http://www.genesdev. org/cgi/content/full/21/6/649/DC1 "Supplemental Research Data" References http://www.genesdev. org/cgi/content/full/21/6/649#References This article cites 32 articles, 17 of which can be accessed free at: service Email alerting click here top right corner of the article or Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the
Crystal structure of the 30 S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus: purification, crystallization and structure determination.

We describe the crystallization and structure determination of the 30 S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus. Previous reports of crystals that diffracted to 10 A resolution were used as a starting point to improve the quality of the diffraction. Eventually, ideas such as the addition of substrates or factors to eliminate conformational heterogeneity proved less important than attention to detail in yielding crystals that diffracted beyond 3 A resolution. Despite improvements in technology and methodology in the last decade, the structure determination of the 30 S subunit presented some very challenging technical problems because of the size of the asymmetric unit, crystal variability and sensitivity to radiation damage. Some steps that were useful for determination of the atomic structure were: the use of anomalous scattering from the LIII edges of osmium and lutetium to obtain the necessary phasing signal; the use of tunable, third-generation synchrotron sources to obtain data of reasonable quality at high resolution; collection of derivative data precisely about a mirror plane to preserve small anomalous differences between Bijvoet mates despite extensive radiation damage and multi-crystal scaling; the pre-screening of crystals to ensure quality, isomorphism and the efficient use of scarce third-generation synchrotron time; pre-incubation of crystals in cobalt hexaammine to ensure isomorphism with other derivatives; and finally, the placement of proteins whose structures had been previously solved in isolation, in conjunction with biochemical data on protein-RNA interactions, to map out the architecture of the 30 S subunit prior to the construction of a detailed atomic-resolution model.
Single‐strand conformation polymorphism‐based analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 reveals significant substructuring in hookworm populations

Sequence heterogeneity in a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (pcox1) was measured for the hookworms, Ancylostoma caninum from Australia, A. duodenale from China, and Necator americanus from China and Togo using single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis combined with DNA sequencing. The pcox1 sequences were characterised for individual nematodes displaying genetic variation within each of the three species, and those were compared with pcox1 sequences of four other species of hookworm. While intraspecific variation in the pcox1 sequence ranged from 0.5 to 8.6% for A. caninum, 0.3 to 3.3% for A. duodenale, and 0.3 to 4.3% for N. americanus, interspecific differences varied from 4.8 to 12.9%. Sequence data also provided information on nucleotide compositions and substitution patterns. Genetically distinct groups were detected within A. caninum and A. duodenale, indicating significant population substructuring within these species. Also, N. americanus individuals from China all differed from those from Togo at four nucleotide positions, supporting a previous proposal (based on ribosomal DNA sequence data) that N. americanus may represent a species complex. The findings indicated the value of pcox1 sequence data and the mutation scanning approach for studying the genetic structures of hookworm populations, which should have important epidemiological relevance.
Estimating the Meridional Energy Transports in the Atmosphere and Ocean

Abstract The poleward energy transports in the atmosphere–ocean system are estimated for the annual mean and the four seasons based on satellite measurements of the net radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere, atmospheric transports of energy at the north or south poles various types of corrections had to be made, so that the global balances are maintained. This also enabled us to estimate the uncertainties in the procedures used. The uncertainties found are similar to those reported by Hastenrath based on different satellite data sets but using the same correction method. Finally, oceanic heat transports are computed for the annual mean and seasons. One of the crucial terms in the heat budget, the interseasonal storage of energy in the oceans, is estimated for three different layers 0–112, 0–552 and 0–550 m, enabling a further error estimate in the inferred oceanic heat transports. The present results confirm the presence of a strong annual cycle in the transport of energy by the oceans.
Investigation of ionospheric clutter using ionosondes in mid-latitude and arctic regions aimed at feasibility assessment of the high-frequency surface-wave radar surveillance

This paper studies ionospheric clutter conditions and compares ionosonde measurements in the mid-latitude and arctic regions to determine the most favourable conditions for HFSWR surveillance for surface vessels and low-altitude air targets. The best time to perform HFSWR surveillance is between approximately 06:00-15:00 UT and 20:00-00:00 UT. During these hours, the number of days that sporadic-E interference occurs in a month and the range of frequencies reflected is minimized compared to other times of the day. Of the sites considered, Resolute Bay is the most favourable site for HFSWR surveillance in the summer since sporadic-E interference occurs least often, resulting in reduced signal interference. Similarly, Eureka is the preferred site during the winter months. In addition, the ionosphere at Eureka generally reflects the lowest range of maximum frequencies (~4 - 8 MHz), again resulting in less clutter interference. In all the observations, polar cap sites Eureka and Resolute Bay yield results that are less prone to sporadic-E interference than the mid-latitude site Cambridge Bay.
Superhydrophobic New Zealand leaves: contact angle and drop impact experiments

Dynamic wetting of the adaxial leaf surfaces of several New Zealand native plants has been studied using water drops, contact angle measurements and drop impact experiments. Three native plants (Arthropodium bifurcatum, Euphorbia glauca and Veronica albicans) are identified as superhydrophobic, having advancing contact angles >160°, with <12° hysteresis and <10° roll off angle. These data are comparable to leaves of the lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), an international superhydrophobicity benchmark. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a range of epidermal microstructures and submicron epicuticle wax textures on native leaves, including superhydrophobic microstructures that are similar to those found on exotic leaves. Drop impacts on N. nucifera, A. bifurcatum and E. glauca were filmed using a high speed camera at Weber number between 15 and 200. Drops impacting on the two native plants exhibited asymmetry due to vascular bundles on the leaf surfaces. Biomimicry and dynamic wetting are important for development of industrial superhydrophobic surfaces.
A5 Llyn Ogwen peatslide, Capel Curig, North Wales

A minor peatslide event occurred near Llyn Ogwen, Snowdonia National Park, North Wales in November 2005, during a period of heavy rainfall. The mass movement consisted of some 250 m3 of peat debris that obstructed the A5 London to Holyhead trunk road and affected a nearby construction project. Four principal factors contributed to the peatslide: (1) prolonged wet weather; (2) saturated peat conditions; (3) a steeply dipping surface of smooth rockhead of Ordovician microgranite; (4) a natural drainage pipe at the point of initiation of the slide. Safety measures to protect road users included erection of concrete barriers along the highway verge to prevent secondary debris from reaching the carriageway, removal of displaced blocks of peat from the flow track of the peatslide and a programme of geological surveillance to monitor for any variations in site conditions. A remedial strategy was suggested to protect the slope from further degradation. However, conservation designations at the site gave rise to stringent conditions for environmental engineering works and so greater reliance on natural vegetation recovery will probably apply in this case.
An Optimization-Based GTS Allocation Scheme for IEEE 802.15.4 MAC with Application to Wireless Body-Area Sensor Networks

IEEE 802.15. 4 standard is widely used in wireless personal area networks (WPANs). This standard supports a limited number of guaranteed time slots (GTSs) for time-critical or delay-sensitive data transmission.We propose a GTS allocation scheme to improve reliability and bandwidth utilization in IEEE 802.15. 4-based wireless body area sensor networks (WiBaSe-Nets). A knapsack problem is formulated to obtain optimal GTS allocation such that a minimum bandwidth requirement is satisfied for the sensor devices. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve better GTS utilization and higher packet delivery ratio than the standard IEEE 802.15. 4 scheme does.