Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orphan Nuclear Receptor NR4A1 Binds a Novel Protein Interaction Site on Anti-apoptotic B Cell Lymphoma Gene 2 Family Proteins*

B cell lymphoma gene 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins are key regulators of programmed cell death and important targets for drug discovery. Pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins reciprocally modulate their activities in large part through protein interactions involving a motif known as BH3 (Bcl-2 homology 3). Nur77 is an orphan member of the nuclear receptor family that lacks a BH3 domain but nevertheless binds certain anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2, Bfl-1, and Bcl-B), modulating their effects on apoptosis and autophagy. We used a combination of NMR spectroscopy-based methods, mutagenesis, and functional studies to define the interaction site of a Nur77 peptide on anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins and reveal a novel interaction surface. Nur77 binds adjacent to the BH3 peptide-binding crevice, suggesting the possibility of cross-talk between these discrete binding sites. Mutagenesis of residues lining the identified interaction site on Bcl-B negated the interaction with Nur77 protein in cells and prevented Nur77-mediated modulation of apoptosis and autophagy. The findings establish a new protein interaction site with the potential to modulate the apoptosis and autophagy mechanisms governed by Bcl-2 family proteins.
Performance Impact of Resource Provisioning on Workflows

Resource provisioning refers to the dedicated use of certain set of resources for certain timeframe. In this paper, we study the effect of using resource provisioning on the completion time of workflows, represented as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Provisioning can be done statically using advance reservations or using dynamic provisioning mechanisms such as Condor Glidein. A simulation is done using the Maui simulator, a workload trace collected from the NCSA Teragrid cluster and 13 workflows. The results show in general a reduction of about 50% in the workflow completion time using provisioning for the FIFO and fair share scheduling policies over no provisioning. We also address the issue of utilization of the provisioned resources using a simple metric which tries to maximize the ratio of utilization to the completion time. Finally we present the results of a survey on the support of advance reservation at the Grid sites.
The magnetic and chemical ordering of the heusler alloys Pd2MnIn, Pd2MnSn and Pd2MnSb

Abstract The magnetic and crystallographic structures of the alloys Pd2MnIn, Pd2MnSn and Pd2MnSb are described. The three alloys are shown to have the Heusler (L21) structure, and to exhibit magnetic order. Pd2MnIn can be obtained in ordered and partially disordered forms by suitable heat treatment. The ordered alloy is anti-ferromagnetic with a Neel temperature of 142°K. The magnetic structure has been determined from neutron diffraction measurements. The magnetic moments of 4·3 μB are confined to the Mn atoms, which are aligned in ferromagnetic (111) planes, with neighbouring planes oriented antiparallel as in NiO. In the partially disordered alloy most of the former anti-ferromagnetic order is destroyed along with the chemical order, but is replaced by anti-ferromagnetic order on a magnetic unit cell half the original size. The structures of Pd2MnSn and Pd2MnSb are insensitive to heat treatment. Both alloys are ordered, and ferromagnetic, with the magnetic moments residing on the Mn atoms. The Pd2MnSn .
A novel Bis-Furan derivative, two new natural furan derivatives from Rehmannia Glutinosa and their bioactivity

A novel bis-furan derivative and two new natural furan derivatives were isolated from the CHCl3 extracts of the dried roots of Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaerth) Lilosch. Their structures were identified as 1,5-bis(5-methoxymethyl)furan-2-yl-penta-1,4-dien-3-one 1, (E)-4-(5-(methoxymethyl)furan-2-yl)but-3-en-2-one 2 and (E)-4-(5-(hydroxymethyl)furan-2-yl)but-3-en-2-one 3 on the basis of spectral data. Moreover, biological assay showed that 1 (10 µg/mL) and 3 (10 µg/mL) can promote immune activity, 2 (100 µg/mL) and 3 (100 µg/mL) inhibit immune activity and 1 can inhibit blood platelet aggregation.
High-risk prostate cancer: combination of high-dose, high-precision radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy

Purpose of review High-risk prostate cancer (PCa) harbours a risk of local, regional and systemic relapse requiring the combination of a loco-regional treatment such as external beam radiotherapy for controlling the pelvic-confined disease, combined with an androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to potentiate irradiation and to destroy the infraclinical androgen-dependent disease outside the irradiated volume. Recent findings Many phase III randomized trials issued from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (USA) and from the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group have paved the way for establishing the indications of this combined approach. Summary For locally advanced PCa, the combination needs a long-term ADT (≥2 years) with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists. For high-risk localized PCa, the combination requires a 6-month complete androgen blockade. Image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy has replaced conventional irradiation and allows a dose escalation, improving the local control without increasing the toxicity. A multidisciplinary approach will enable physicians to tailor the treatment policy and a close cooperation with general practitioners and specialists will be set up to prevent as much as possible the side-effects of ADT.
A unified framework of image latent feature learning on Sina microblog

Large-scale user-contributed images with texts are rapidly increasing on the social media websites, such as Sina microblog. However, the noise and incomplete correspondence between the images and the texts give rise to the difficulty in precise image retrieval and ranking. In this paper, a hypergraph-based learning framework is proposed for image ranking, which simultaneously utilizes visual feature, textual content and social link information to estimate the relevance between images. Representing each image as a vertex in the hypergraph, complex relationship between images can be reflected exactly. Then updating the weight of hyperedges throughout the hypergraph learning process, the effect of different edges can be adaptively modulated in the constructed hypergraph. Furthermore, the popularity degree of the image is employed to re-rank the retrieval results. Comparative experiments on a large-scale Sina microblog data-set demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Metabolic Syndrome In Egyptian Patients with Primary Knee Osteoarthritis

Introduction : Osteoarthritis (OA) is among the most common musculoskeletal disorders affecting millions of people throughout different races in different ages and sexes Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in a group of Egyptian patients with primary knee Osteoarthritis (OA) and to detect its relation to the clinical, functional and radiographic findings. Patients and methods : The present study included 380 patients (150 males, 230 females) diagnosed as having primary knee OA. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to assess disease specific self-reported disability. X-rays were classified according to the Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) radiographic rating scale. 400 (260females, 140 males) apparently healthy volunteers without knee OA were used as control group. Results : MetS was prevalent in 53.7 % of the studied OA patients, in the control group was 37.3% of (P: <0.001). The prevalence of individual MetS components included 68.7 % for abdominal obesity, 66.8 % for hypertension, 36.1 % for hyperglycemia, 52.1 % for elevated triglycerides and 49.2 % for low high density lipoprotein (HDL). Patients with MetS had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) (P: 0.0013), longer disease duration (P: 0.021), more pain (P: 0.007), more stiffness (P: 0.043), worse functional impairment scores(P: 0.017) and advanced radiological progress (P:0.0001). Conclusions : MetS is prevalent in patients with primary knee OA. It is associated with poor clinical performance and advanced radiological changes. The most common component of MetS in our study is abdominal obesity.
Knowledge discovery with SOM networks in financial investment strategy

Recently, the recession of the global economy induces the coming of a new era of low interest-rates, which resulted in the stock market as an alternative investment channel for investors. The diversity and complication of domain knowledge existing in the stock market enhance its importance for developing a decision support system, which can gather real-time pricing information for supporting decision-making in financial investment. We tackle these challenges by proposing an integrated solution on the basis of K-chart analysis and the over-whelming self-organizing map neural networks. We not only endeavor to improve the accuracy of uncovering trading signals, but also to maximize the profits of trading. The resulting decision model can help investment decision-makers of national stable funds make the most profitable decisions. In addition, financial experts can benefit from the ability of verifying or refining their tacit investment knowledge offered by the uncovered knowledge.
Preparation and characterization of bacterial cellulose/heparin hybrid nanofiber for potential vascular tissue engineering scaffolds

Blending two polymers is a common and effective way to develop a new material with combinations of properties not possessed by individual polymers and to overcome some limitations of individual components. This study aimed at developing a novel scaffold to mimic natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and to promote blood compatibility. Heparin (Hep) and bacterial cellulose (BC), for the first time, were hybridized to prepare a novel class of nanofibrous scaffold for vascular tissue engineering by the co-synthesis process. The morphology of Hep–BC hybrid nanofiber was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hybrid was further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that hybridizing heparin brings anticoagulant sulfate groups into BC nanofiber and that Hep–BC nanofiber has a different structure in comparison to pristine BC. This work paves a new way of improving anticoagulant property of tissue engineered vessels other than coating process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ectopic histone H3S10 phosphorylation causes chromatin structure remodeling in Drosophila

Histones are subject to numerous post-translational modifications that correlate with the state of higher-order chromatin structure and gene expression. However, it is not clear whether changes in these epigenetic marks are causative regulatory factors in chromatin structure changes or whether they play a mainly reinforcing or maintenance role. In Drosophila phosphorylation of histone H3S10 in euchromatic chromatin regions by the JIL-1 tandem kinase has been implicated in counteracting heterochromatization and gene silencing. Here we show, using a LacI-tethering system, that JIL-1 mediated ectopic histone H3S10 phosphorylation is sufficient to induce a change in higher-order chromatin structure from a condensed heterochromatin-like state to a more open euchromatic state. This effect was absent when a `kinase dead' LacI-JIL-1 construct without histone H3S10 phosphorylation activity was expressed. Instead, the `kinase dead' construct had a dominant-negative effect, leading to a disruption of chromatin structure that was associated with a global repression of histone H3S10 phosphorylation levels. These findings provide direct evidence that the epigenetic histone tail modification of H3S10 phosphorylation at interphase can function as a causative regulator of higher-order chromatin structure in Drosophila in vivo.
The origin and early radiation of the therapsid mammal‐like reptiles: a palaeobiological hypothesis

The replacement of the basal synapsid pelycosaurs by the more ‘mammal‐like’ therapsids in the Permian was an important event in the history of tetrapods because it initiated the eventual transition to the mammals. It is also an example of taxon replacement in the fossil record that is unusually amenable to explanation, based on a combination of analysis of the biological significance of the inferred character changes, with the stratigraphic, palaeogeographic and palaeoecological circumstances of the time. An hypothesis is presented in which the origin of the therapsids resulted from a correlated progression of character evolution leading to higher levels of metabolic activity and homeostatic regulation of the body. It was a response to the availability of a seasonally arid, savanna‐like biome. The subsequent explosive radiation of therapsids was associated with habitat expansion made possible by the Mid‐Permian development of geographical continuity between that biome and the temperate biomes. The final extinction of the pelycosaurs was a case of incumbent replacement by the new therapsid lineages.
An Experimental Study on Fear of Public Speaking Using a Virtual Environment

This paper examines a necessary condition for successful exploitation of a virtual environment (VE) in therapeutic intervention for fear of public speaking. The condition is that clients experience a degree of anxiety in the VE that is similar to what they would have been expected to experience in a similar real world setting. We refer to this as a "presence" response. The experimental study involved 20 people who were confident public speakers and 16 who were phobic, assessed on a standard psychological scale. Half of each group spoke within a VE depicting an empty seminar room, and the other half within the same room but populated by a neutrally behaving virtual audience of five people. Three responses were measured--a questionnaire-based measure of anxiety, a measure of self-focused attention on somatic responses, and actual heart rate. On all responses, the people with phobia showed a significant increase in signs of anxiety when speaking to the virtual audience compared to the empty room, whereas the confident people did not. The result was strong in spite of the relatively low representational and behavioral fidelity of the virtual characters.
A powerful flare from Sgr A* confirms the synchrotron nature of the X-ray emission

We present the first fully simultaneous fits to the near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray spectral slope (and its evolution) during a very bright flare from Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's centre. Our study arises from ambitious multiwavelength monitoring campaigns with XMM–Newton, NuSTAR and SINFONI. The average multiwavelength spectrum is well reproduced by a broken power law with Γ_(NIR) = 1.7 ± 0.1 and Γ_X = 2.27 ± 0.12. The difference in spectral slopes (ΔΓ = 0.57 ± 0.09) strongly supports synchrotron emission with a cooling break. The flare starts first in the NIR with a flat and bright NIR spectrum, while X-ray radiation is detected only after about 10^3 s, when a very steep X-ray spectrum (ΔΓ = 1.8 ± 0.4) is observed. These measurements are consistent with synchrotron emission with a cooling break and they suggest that the high-energy cut-off in the electron distribution (γ_(max)) induces an initial cut-off in the optical–UV band that evolves slowly into the X-ray band. The temporal and spectral evolution observed in all bright X-ray flares are also in line with a slow evolution of γ_(max). We also observe hints for a variation of the cooling break that might be induced by an evolution of the magnetic field (from B ∼ 30 ± 8 G to B ∼ 4.8 ± 1.7 G at the X-ray peak). Such drop of the magnetic field at the flare peak would be expected if the acceleration mechanism is tapping energy from the magnetic field, such as in magnetic reconnection. We conclude that synchrotron emission with a cooling break is a viable process for Sgr A*'s flaring emission.
Collaborative working relationships between pharmacists and physicians: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVES To determine the degree of collaboration in a limited number of pharmacist-physician professional relationships and identify variables important in establishing collaboration between pharmacists and physicians. DESIGN A multicase design, using a personal interview and a mailed survey. SETTING Iowa. PARTICIPANTS Pharmacists in 10 community pharmacies and physicians with whom they collaborated. INTERVENTION Two researchers independently judged the stage of collaboration for each case and the level of effect each influence variable had on the development of pharmacist-physician collaboration. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Using the Collaborative Working Relationship Model, nine indicators of collaboration were assessed. In addition, influence variables were studied, which included individual, context, and exchange characteristics believed to affect the development of collaborative working relationships between pharmacists and physicians. RESULTS A Perrealt-Leigh reliability index of 0.89 was calculated as an estimate of interrater reliability of the judgments of nine indicators of collaboration. Four pharmacies were rated as having achieved early-stage collaboration, while six pharmacies were at late-stage collaboration. A high level of joint care activities, care communication, and increased accessibility to the physician and to patient information characterized late-stage collaboration. Six variables, labeled as discriminating, helped distinguish between early-stage collaboration and late-stage collaboration: the development of bidirectional communication, caring for mutual patients, the ability to identify a win-win opportunity, adding value to the medical practice, physician convenience, and movement toward balanced dependence between the pharmacist and physician. CONCLUSION The development of collaboration between pharmacists and physicians is influenced by characteristics of exchanges occurring between them. Continued study of collaborative working relationships between physicians and pharmacists can assist health care practitioners in developing a team-based approach to patient care, improving the ability of pharmacists and physicians to work together to coordinate patient care.
Widows’ Land Security in the Era of HIV/AIDS: Panel Survey Evidence from Zambia

In areas of Africa hard hit by HIV/AIDS, there are growing concerns that many women lose access to land after the death of their husbands. However, there remains a dearth of quantitative evidence on the proportion of widows who lose access to their deceased husband’s land, whether they lose all or part of that land, and whether there are factors specific to the widow, her family, or the broader community that influence her ability to maintain rights to land. This study examines these issues using average treatment effects models with propensity score matching applied to a nationally representative panel data of 5,342 rural households surveyed in 2001 and 2004. Results are highly variable, with roughly a third of households incurring the death of a male household head controlling less than 50% of the land they had prior to their husband’s death, while over a quarter actually controlled as much or even more land than while their husbands were alive. Widows who were in relatively wealthy households prior to their husband’s death lose proportionately more land than widows in households that were relatively poor. Older widows and widows related to the local headman enjoy greater land security. Women in matrilineal inheritance areas were no less likely to lose land than women in patrilineal areas.
A Type-and-Effect System for Shared Memory, Concurrent Implicit Invocation Systems

The notion of events in distributed publish-subscribe systems implies safe concurrency. However, that implication does not hold in object-oriented (OO) programs that utilize events for modularity. This is because unlike the distributed setting, where publisher and subscriber do not share state and only communicate via messages, additional communication between publisher and subscriber, e.g. via call-back or shared state, is common in OO programs that use events. Static type-and-effect systems can help expose potential concurrency, however, they are too conservative to handle an event-based idiom that involves zero or more dynamic dispatches on receiver objects in a dynamically changing list. To solve these problems, we present a hybrid (static/dynamic) type-and-effect system for exposing concurrency in event-based OO programs. This type-and-effect system provides deadlock and data race freedom in such usage of the event idiom. We have implemented this type-and-effect system as an extension of Java’s type system and it shows considerable speedup over the sequential version of several applications (up to 15.7x) at a negligible overhead.
Tactile microsensor elements prepared from aligned superelastic carbon microcoils and polysilicone matrix

Superelastic carbon microcoils (SE-CMC) with coil diameters of 10–15 µm and high elasticity were prepared by the Ni catalysed pyrolysis of acetylene. The SE-CMC could be extended and contracted to 5–10 times their original coil length; these effects accompanied changes in electrical parameters. The extension of the bulk SE-CMC sheets was highly sensitive to the applied load, and could respond to very low applied loads of the order of milligrams. Using the SE-CMCs as the sensing material and polysilicone resin as the composite matrix, tactile sensor elements with different alignments were prepared. It was found that the sensor elements had the high sensitivity of 1 mgf (1 Pa). The smallest dimensions of the SE-CMC microsensor elements obtained were 80 × 80 × 80 µm3 (the sensor was very small and the smallest detectable force was hard to measure). It was also found that the SE-CMC alignments in the matrix and the method of placement on the electrodes dramatically affected the sensing properties.
VEGF-C expression is not a prognostic factor in locally advanced colon adenocarcinoma

Aim of the study Evaluation of the relationships between increased expression of VEGF-C (vascular endothelial growth factor-C) and vessel density in the tumour-surrounding stroma, patient survival, and other conventional prognostic factors in patients with pT3-4 colon cancer. Material and methods Expression of VEGF-C and vessel density were immunohistochemically assessed in 104 specimens of primary, locally advanced (pT3-4) colon adenocarcinoma after surgical resection. Results A significant relationship was found between the expression of VEGF-C and increased vessel density in the tumour-surrounding stroma (p = 0.03). A relationship between VEGF-C expression and location of the tumour in the left side of the colon was also found (p = 0.003). Expression of VEGF-C was likely to occur in well-differentiated tumours. No relationship between patient overall survival and the expression level of VEGF-C in locally advanced colon cancer was observed. Conclusions The study results indicate that expression of VEGF-C in cells of locally advanced pT3-4 adenocarcinoma of the colon does not affect the survival time of the patients. Increased expression of VEGF-C is accompanied by a significant increase in vessel density in the pT3-4 tumour stroma. Increased expression of VEGF-C in cancer cells is related to the tumour location in the left side of the colon and better tumour differentiation.