Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Four things to know about myosin light chains as reporters for non‐muscle myosin‐2 dynamics in live cells

The interplay between non‐muscle myosins‐2 and filamentous actin results in cytoplasmic contractility which is essential for eukaryotic life. Concomitantly, there is tremendous interest in elucidating the physiological function and temporal localization of non‐muscle myosin‐2 in cells. A commonly used method to study the function and localization of non‐muscle myosin‐2 is to overexpress a fluorescent protein (FP)‐tagged version of the regulatory light chain (RLC) which binds to the myosin‐2 heavy chain by mass action. Caveats about this approach include findings from recent studies indicating that the RLC does not bind exclusively to the non‐muscle myosin‐2 heavy chain. Rather, it can also associate with the myosin heavy chains of several other classes as well as other targets than myosin. In addition, the presence of the FP moiety may compromise myosin's enzymatic and mechanical performance. This and other factors to be discussed in this commentary raise questions about the possible complications in using FP‐RLC as a marker for the dynamic localization and regulatory aspects of non‐muscle myosin‐2 motor functions in cell biological experiments. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Mounier–Kuhn syndrome: a case of tracheal smooth muscle remodeling

Mounier–Kuhn syndrome is a rare clinical disorder characterized by tracheobronchial dilation and recurrent lower respiratory tract infections. While the etiology of the disease remains unknown, histopathological analysis of Mounier–Kuhn airways demonstrates that the disease is, in part, characterized by cellular changes in airway smooth muscle.
Summer fluxes of methane and carbon dioxide from a pond and floating mat in a continental Canadian peatland

Abstract. Ponds smaller than 10 000 m2 likely account for about one-third of the global lake perimeter. The release of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from these ponds is often high and significant on the landscape scale. We measured CO2 and CH4 fluxes in a temperate peatland in southern Ontario, Canada, in summer 2014 along a transect from the open water of a small pond (847 m2) towards the surrounding floating mat (5993 m2) and in a peatland reference area. We used a high-frequency closed chamber technique and distinguished between diffusive and ebullitive CH4 fluxes. CH4 fluxes and CH4 bubble frequency increased from a median of 0.14 (0.00 to 0.43) mmol m−2 h−1 and 4 events m−2 h−1 on the open water to a median of 0.80 (0.20 to 14.97) mmol m−2 h−1 and 168 events m−2 h−1 on the floating mat. The mat was a summer hot spot of CH4 emissions. Fluxes were 1 order of magnitude higher than at an adjacent peatland site. During daytime the pond was a net source of CO2 equivalents to the atmosphere amounting to 0.13 (−0.02 to 1.06) g CO2 equivalents m−2 h−1, whereas the adjacent peatland site acted as a sink of −0.78 (−1.54 to 0.29) g CO2 equivalents m−2 h−1. The photosynthetic CO2 uptake on the floating mat did not counterbalance the high CH4 emissions, which turned the floating mat into a strong net source of 0.21 (−0.11 to 2.12) g CO2 equivalents m−2 h−1. This study highlights the large small-scale variability of CH4 fluxes and CH4 bubble frequency at the peatland–pond interface and the importance of the often large ecotone areas surrounding small ponds as a source of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Transmission of optical coherent-state qubits

We discuss the long-distance transmission of qubits encoded in optical coherent states. Through absorption, these qubits suffer from two main types of errors, namely the reduction of the amplitude of the coherent states and accidental application of the Pauli Z operator. We show how these errors can be fixed using techniques of teleportation and error-correcting codes.
A Homozygous Mutation in the TUB Gene Associated with Retinal Dystrophy and Obesity

Inherited retinal dystrophies are a major cause of childhood blindness. Here, we describe the identification of a homozygous frameshift mutation (c.1194_1195delAG, p.Arg398Serfs*9) in TUB in a child from a consanguineous UK Caucasian family investigated using autozygosity mapping and whole‐exome sequencing. The proband presented with obesity, night blindness, decreased visual acuity, and electrophysiological features of a rod cone dystrophy. The mutation was also found in two of the proband's siblings with retinal dystrophy and resulted in mislocalization of the truncated protein. In contrast to known forms of retinal dystrophy, including those caused by mutations in the tubby‐like protein TULP‐1, loss of function of TUB in the proband and two affected family members was associated with early‐onset obesity, consistent with an additional role for TUB in energy homeostasis.
Macrophage Models of Gaucher Disease for Evaluating Disease Pathogenesis and Candidate Drugs

Macrophages differentiated from monocytes or induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with Gaucher disease facilitate investigation of disease pathogenesis and validation of new candidate drugs. Emptying the Trash Studies of Gaucher disease, caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, have been hindered by the lack of cellular models that show glycolipid accumulation in the lysosomes of macrophages, a hallmark characteristic of the disease. Using blood and skin samples from patients with Gaucher disease, Aflaki et al. now have developed macrophage models that recapitulate characteristics of the disease, including loss of glucocerebrosidase activity, glycolipid accumulation in lysosomes, and impaired macrophage function. Treatment of patient-derived macrophages with a new small-molecule drug corrected the enzyme deficiency, reduced lysosomal storage of lipids, and restored macrophage function. These new cellular models of Gaucher disease should facilitate our understanding of this disorder and the development of new drugs. Gaucher disease is caused by an inherited deficiency of glucocerebrosidase that manifests with storage of glycolipids in lysosomes, particularly in macrophages. Available cell lines modeling Gaucher disease do not demonstrate lysosomal storage of glycolipids; therefore, we set out to develop two macrophage models of Gaucher disease that exhibit appropriate substrate accumulation. We used these cellular models both to investigate altered macrophage biology in Gaucher disease and to evaluate candidate drugs for its treatment. We generated and characterized monocyte-derived macrophages from 20 patients carrying different Gaucher disease mutations. In addition, we created induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived macrophages from five fibroblast lines taken from patients with type 1 or type 2 Gaucher disease. Macrophages derived from patient monocytes or iPSCs showed reduced glucocerebrosidase activity and increased storage of glucocerebroside and glucosylsphingosine in lysosomes. These macrophages showed efficient phagocytosis of bacteria but reduced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and impaired chemotaxis. The disease phenotype was reversed with a noninhibitory small-molecule chaperone drug that enhanced glucocerebrosidase activity in the macrophages, reduced glycolipid storage, and normalized chemotaxis and production of reactive oxygen species. Macrophages differentiated from patient monocytes or patient-derived iPSCs provide cellular models that can be used to investigate disease pathogenesis and facilitate drug development.
Loss of control over eating, adiposity, and psychopathology in overweight children.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between loss of control over eating, adiposity, and psychological distress in a nontreatment sample of overweight children. METHOD Based on self-reports of eating episodes, 112 overweight children, 6-10 years old, were categorized using the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns-Adolescent Version into those describing episodes of loss of control over eating (LC), and those with no loss of control (NoLC). Groups were compared on measures of adiposity, dieting, and eating behavior, and associated psychological distress. RESULTS LC children (33.1%) were heavier and had greater amounts of body fat than NoLC children. They also had higher anxiety, more depressive symptoms, and more body dissatisfaction. 5.3% met questionnaire criteria for BED. Episodes of loss of control occurred infrequently, were often contextual, and involved usual meal foods. DISCUSSION As in adults, overweight children reporting loss of control over eating have greater severity of obesity and more psychological distress than those with no such symptoms. It remains unknown whether children who endorse loss of control over eating before adolescence will be those who develop the greatest difficulties with binge eating or obesity in adulthood.
Complementary Phosphorylation Sites in the Adaptor Protein SLP-76 Promote Synergistic Activation of Natural Killer Cells

Targeted tyrosine phosphorylation of an adaptor protein is required for the synergistic activation of natural killer cells by distinct pairs of receptors. Converging on an Adaptor for Deadly Activation Natural killer (NK) cells target and kill virally infected cells and tumor cells, and their activation depends on the integration of responses to activating and inhibitory cell-surface receptors. Even in the absence of inhibitory receptor signaling, stimulation of an individual activating receptor fails to activate NK cells because of cell-intrinsic inhibition of signaling. However, combined stimulation of particular pairs of activating receptors results in a synergistic response that crosses the threshold required for cellular activation. Kim and Long found that pairs of activating receptors that enabled human NK cell activation led to the phosphorylation of a pair of complementary tyrosine residues in the adaptor protein SLP-76, whereas combined stimulation of nonsynergistic receptors failed to phosphorylate both tyrosines. Phosphorylation of both residues in SLP-76 was required for downstream signaling that led to cytokine production and target cell killing. Thus, SLP-76 acts as a molecular checkpoint that controls the activation of NK cells. The cytotoxic effects of natural killer (NK) cells and their ability to secrete cytokines require synergistic signals from specific pairs of co-activation receptors, such as CD314 (also known as NKG2D) and CD244 (2B4), which bind to distinct ligands present on target cells. These signals are required to overcome inhibition mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav1, which promotes activation of NK cells. Here, we showed that the adaptor protein SLP-76 (Src homology 2 domain–containing leukocyte phosphoprotein of 76 kilodaltons) was required for this synergy and that distinct tyrosine residues in SLP-76 were phosphorylated by each member of a pair of synergistic receptors. Selective phosphorylation of tyrosine 113 or tyrosine 128 in SLP-76 enabled binding of SLP-76 to Vav1. Selective phosphorylation of SLP-76 at these residues was restricted to receptors that stimulated ligand-dependent target cell killing; antibody-dependent stimulation of the Fc receptor CD16 promoted phosphorylation at both sites. Knockdown and reconstitution experiments with SLP-76 mutant proteins showed the distinct role of each tyrosine in the synergistic mobilization of Ca2+, revealing an unexpected degree of selectivity in the phosphorylation of SLP-76 by NK cell co-activation receptors. Together, these data suggest that combined phosphorylation of separate tyrosine residues in SLP-76 forms the basis of synergistic NK cell activation.
UHPLC-MS/MS phenolic profiling and in vitro antioxidant activities of Inula graveolens (L.) Desf

Abstract Inula graveolens (L.) Desf. is an annual aromatic herb which has various uses on alternative medicine in many region of the world. In this study, antioxidant activities of ethanol and water extracts of the plant leaves were determined by in vitro DPPH method and phenolic composition of the plant sample was determined by LC-MS/MS analysis. The results showed that chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, hyperoside, protocatechuic acid and quercetin were the major phenolic compounds among the 27 standard compounds. The significant antioxidant capacity of the plant might be related with the high abundance of phenolic compounds.
East vs West: An Empirical Study of Cross-Cultural Differences in Time Use

Using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of individualism and masculinity, we theoretically develop a set of hypotheses that predict differences in the use of time based on culture. We test our hypotheses using data collected via a time-use diary in Japan and the United States from undergraduate business students. Our results indicate that cultural dimensions are significant predictors of the time spent in a number of activities.
Empathy as a motivator of dyadic helping across group boundaries: The dis-inhibiting effect of the recipient’s perceived benevolence

A growing body of work suggests that group-based dissimilarity limits the influence of empathy on helping across group boundaries. The present research examines under which conditions empathy becomes “dis-inhibited” as a motivator of out-group helping. We propose that, when intergroup dissimilarity is high, empathy’s influence on helping critically depends upon the out-group target’s perceived benevolence, i.e. sociability and trustworthiness. Study 1 (N = 123) and 2 (N = 176) manipulated an out-group target’s intercultural dissimilarity and his or her individual features. Results confirmed that when dissimilarity was high, the target’s sociability (Study 1) and benevolence (Study 2) had a facilitative effect on the empathy-helping intentions relationship. When dissimilarity was low, in contrast, empathy predicted helping intentions independent of the target’s individual features. Study 3 (N = 178) manipulated trustworthiness and sociability orthogonally and confirmed the primary role of the out-group target’s trustworthiness over the target’s sociability in dis-inhibiting the empathy-helping relationship among participants with a conservative political orientation.
The GeneInsight suite: a platform to support laboratory and provider use of DNA‐based genetic testing

The future of personalized medicine will hinge on effective management of patient genetic profiles. Molecular diagnostic testing laboratories need to track knowledge surrounding an increasingly large number of genetic variants, incorporate this knowledge into interpretative reports, and keep ordering clinicians up to date as this knowledge evolves. Treating clinicians need to track which variants have been identified in each of their patients along with the significance of these variants. The GeneInsightSM Suite assists in these areas. The suite also provides a basis for interconnecting laboratories and clinicians in a manner that increases the scalability of personalized medicine processes. Hum Mutat 32:1–5, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microcredit Could Influence Empowerment of Women. A Quantitative Study in Chittagong, Bangladesh

This paper will explore some of the ways in which microcredit have improved the empowerment of women in Chittagong, Bangladesh in terms of change in annual family income, change in health conditions change in decision-making ability and change in purchasing capacity. This was a quantitative research and using a survey method. Data was collected from a sample of 113 borrowers of microcredit loans. The AMOS software developed for analyzing the Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) and SPSS was used. The findings revealed that decision making capacity and family income have a significant impact towards empowerment of women. The findings supported the results from some earlier studies and also bring out several new ideas such as the importance of family income. The findings have significantly contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the empowerment of women borrowers in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The implications were in the areas of encouraging poor women to increase their self-esteem and self-worth, and thereby empower them. It is recommended that microcredit lending be continued and suitable policies and legislation be implemented to ensure successful implementation. The results of this study will add to the current body of knowledge as well as assist in creating foundational solutions to ensure successful outcomes arising from microcredit loans in Bangladesh.
A self-organizing maps classifier structure for brain computer interfaces

IntroductionBrain Computer Interfaces provide an alternative communication path to severe paralyzed people and uses electrical signals related to brain activity in order to identify the user’s intention. In this paper a classifier based on a Self-Organizing Map is introduced.MethodsElectroencephalography signal is used on this work as a source for the user’s intention. This signal represents the brain activity and is processed in order to extract the frequency features presented to the classifier, which uses a Self-Organizing Map and a series of probability masks in order to identify the correct class.ResultsThe proposed structure was evaluated using a dataset of Electroencephalography with three mental tasks. The system was able to identify the different states of the users intention with an accuracy of 71.21% for a three-class problem using only 25 neurons for one of the users.ConclusionThe classifier proposed in this paper has an accuracy that is around the value of similar works in the literature, using the same data, but using a small time window for the classification, meaning the system can have a better time response for the user.
Effective Suppression of False Rumors in Social Network Service

This paper considers the problem of suppressing the spread of false tweet in SNS (Social Networking Service) which would cause serious damages to the users such as defamation and bankruptcy. The idea of the proposed method is to inject warning tweet to the social network so that the spread of the false tweet is effectively suppressed. More concretely, we notify the warning tweet to the users who received the false tweet but did not retweet it. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by simulations. The result of simulations indicate that the proposed injection method reduces the spread of false tweet to 20% of un-injected case and the effect of suppression is maximized when the injection to the followees of target users is repeated at an early stage of the spreading of false tweet.
Th1 and Th17 cells

Autoreactive effector CD4+ T cells have been associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Early studies implicated the interferon (IFN)‐γ‐producing T helper (Th)1 subset of CD4+ cells as the causal agents in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. However, further studies have suggested a more complex story. In models thought to be driven by Th1 cells, mice lacking the hallmark Th1 cytokine IFN‐γ were not protected but tended to have enhanced susceptibility to disease. Identification of the IL‐17‐producing CD4+ effector cell lineage (Th17) has helped shed light on this issue. Th17 effector cells are induced in parallel to Th1, and, like Th1, polarized Th17 cells have the capacity to cause inflammation and autoimmune disease. This, together with the finding that deficiency of the Th17‐related cytokine IL‐23 but not the Th1‐related cytokine IL‐12 causes resistance, led to the notion that Th17 cells are the chief contributors to autoimmune tissue inflammation. Nevertheless, mice lacking IL‐17 are not protected from disease and display elevated numbers of IFN‐γ‐producing CD4+ T cells, and, in some cases, lack of IFN‐γ does confer resistance. Recent studies report overlapping as well as differential roles of these cells in tissue inflammation, which suggests the existence of a more complex relationship between these two effector T‐cell subsets than has hitherto been suspected. This review will attempt to bring together current information regarding interaction, balance, and collaborative potential between the Th1 and Th17 effector lineages.
Pain Catastrophizing is Not Associated With Spinal Nociceptive Processing in People With Chronic Widespread Pain

Objectives: Pain catastrophizing has been associated with higher pain intensity, increased risk of developing chronic pain and poorer outcomes after treatment. Despite this, the mechanisms by which pain catastrophizing influences pain remain poorly understood. It has been hypothesized that pain catastrophizing may impair descending inhibition of spinal level nociception. The aims of this study were to compare spinal nociceptive processing in people with chronic widespread pain and pain-free controls and examine potential relationships between measures of pain catastrophizing and spinal nociception. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with chronic widespread pain and 22 pain-free individuals participated in this study. Spinal nociception was measured using the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold and NFR inhibition, measured as the change in NFR area during exposure to a second, painful conditioning stimulus (cold water immersion). Pain catastrophizing was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and a situational pain catastrophizing scale. Results: Compared with pain-free controls, patients with chronic widespread pain had higher pain catastrophizing scores and lower NFR thresholds. Although NFR area was reduced by a painful conditioning stimulus in controls, this was not apparent in individuals with chronic widespread pain. No significant correlations were observed between measures of pain catastrophizing and spinal nociception. Discussion: Despite increased excitability and decreased inhibition of spinal nociception in patients with chronic widespread pain, we could find no evidence of a significant relationship between pain catastrophizing and measures of spinal nociceptive processing.
Sexual Consciousness Orientation of Dirty Words

As an abnormal and marginal language,dirty words are everywhere in the present time.Most dirty words have clear sexual consciousness orientation,people's especially women's sex organs or sexual behaviors being directly used as the target.Behind the sexual orientation are the complicated relationship of social right,status between the male and the female.It also displays the difference and change of sexual psychology of the two genders.The analysis of this consciousness not only can exhibit social culture,social relationship and sexual psychology,but also it can show some essential things in dirty words,thus providing useful reference for forbidding these words.
Tacit Collusion over Foreign Direct Investment under Oligopoly

A two-country model of the FDI versus export decisions of firms is analysed. The analysis considers both the Cournot duopoly and the Bertrand duopoly models with differentiated products. It is shown that the static game is often a prisoners' dilemma where both firms are worse off when they both undertake FDI. To avoid the prisoners' dilemma, in an infinitely-repeated game, the firms can collude over their FDI versus export decisions. Then, a reduction in trade costs may lead firms to switch from exporting to undertaking FDI when trade costs are relatively high. Also, collusion over FDI may increase welfare.