Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Immunological Approach Reveals Biological Differences between the Two NDF/Heregulin Receptors, ErbB-3 and ErbB-4 (*)

The group of subtype I transmembrane tyrosine kinases includes the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (ErbB-1), an orphan receptor (ErbB-2), and two receptors for the Neu differentiation factor (NDF/heregulin), namely: ErbB-3 and ErbB-4. Here we addressed the distinct functions of the two NDF receptors by using an immunological approach. Two sets of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to ErbB-3 and ErbB-4 were generated through immunization with recombinant ectodomains of the corresponding receptors that were fused to immunoglobulin. We found that the shared ligand binds to highly immunogenic, but immunologically distinct sites of ErbB-3 and ErbB-4. NDF receptors differed also in their kinase activities; whereas the catalytic activity of ErbB-4 was activable by mAbs, ErbB-3 underwent no activation by mAbs in living cells. Likewise, down-regulation of ErbB-4, but not ErbB-3, was induced by certain mAbs. By using the generated mAbs, we found that the major NDF receptor on mammary epithelial cells is a heterodimer of ErbB-3 with ErbB-2, whereas an ErbB-1/ErbB-2 heterodimer, or an ErbB-1 homodimer, is the predominant species that binds EGF. Consistent with ErbB-2 being a shared receptor subunit, its tyrosine phosphorylation was increased by both heterologous ligands and it mediated a trans-inhibitory effect of NDF on EGF binding. Last, we show that the effect of NDF on differentiation of breast tumor cells can be mimicked by anti-ErbB-4 antibodies, but not by mAbs to ErbB-3. Nevertheless, an ErbB-3-specific mAb partially inhibited the effect of NDF on cellular differentiation. These results suggest that homodimers of ErbB-4 are biologically active, but heterodimerization of the kinase-defective ErbB-3, probably with ErbB-2, is essential for transmission of NDF signals through ErbB-3.
Comparative apparent metabolisable energy values of high, medium and low tannin varieties of sorghum in cockerel, guinea fowl and quail

1. Nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy values (AMEN) of three varieties of sorghum (white—low tannin, brown—medium tannin and red—high tannin) were measured in three species of poultry (cockerel, guinea fowl and Japanese quail) by a practical diet replacement (total collection) method. 2. Each variety of sorghum was tested at two concentrations (200 and 400 g/kg of reference diet) in 6 replications with one cockerel or guinea fowl or two quails per replication. The duration of the trial included a 10 d preliminary feeding period (on conventional grower diet) followed by a 12 d adaptation period (on reference and test diets) and a 3 d balance period (with recording of feed intake and excreta output). 3. The calculated AMEN values of different sorghum varieties were: white—12.9, 12.8 and 12.7; brown—12.7, 12.3 and 12.6; and red—11.4, 11.1 and 11.6 MJ/kg for cockerels, guinea fowls and quails, respectively. The mean AMEN value of red sorghum (11.3 MJ/kg) was significantly lower than those of brown (12.5 MJ/kg) or white sorghum (12.8 MJ/kg). A negative correlation was observed between tannin concentration and AMEN. 4. There was no significant difference in the AMEN values of white, brown and red sorghum varieties to the different poultry species. AMEN values of sorghum for the cockerel could, therefore, be used in practical feed formulation for guinea fowl and quail.
In a Twenty-First Century 'Minute'

The Rio Grande River forms a boundary between the United States and Mexico. Under a treaty concluded in 1944, both the United States and Mexico regulate the allocation of the Rio Grande waters. Over the past decade, commentators have demonstrated that the 1944 Treaty needs updating, and they have made calls to adopt updated principles and understandings to enhance cooperation. By developing a proactive, policy-oriented twenty-first century Minute that makes an umbrella commitment to modern principles of international watercourse law, the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) can respond to this call for modernization. The IBWC should incorporate current, prospective-looking, and pragmatic international law principles. The U.N. Convention for the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses codifies these principles and has already been applied in a key international watercourse dispute, the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros case. There is a clear need to add new, pragmatic vocabulary to the 1944 Treaty. The IBWC should use the U.N. Convention as a guide in future interpretations of the 1944 Treaty between the United States and Mexico.
Analysis of the Soft Budget Constraint Problem in the Local Allocation Tax: Determinants of "modification coefficients" in Ordinary Expenditure (in Japanese)

It is pointed out that the Local Allocation Tax (LAT), an intergovernmental fiscal transfer aimed at offsetting and balancing the disparity between expenditure and revenue in local governments, relates to efforts to increase tax revenue and mitigate expenditure. According to Ikegami (1998) and (2003) and Akai et al. (2003), "modification coefficient" used to adjust for the impact of physical, institutional and regional characteristics on provision costs of local government services is altered based on requests from local governments in a manner that permit their wasteful spending and the soft budget constraint problem arises in determination of modification coefficient. This work investigates whether the soft budget constraint problem arises under changes in modification coefficient and local governments engaging in inefficient provision of public services are provided additional resources through change of coefficient. Two main results are obtained. First, in police expenses, elementary and junior high school expenses and public hygiene and sanitation expenses, local governments that incur high costs in public service provision could improve the estimates of LAT by changing modification coefficient. Second, in elementary and junior high school and public and sanitation expenses, the disparities of coefficients among local governments became larger while inefficient local governments could increase their modification coefficients.
Tunable high-channel-count bandpass plasmonic filters based on an analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency

We have proposed a novel type of bandpass plasmonic filter consisting of metal–insulator–metal bus waveguides coupled with a series of side-coupled cavities and stub waveguides. The theoretical modeling demonstrates that our waveguide-resonator system performs a plasmonic analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in atomic systems, as is confirmed by numerical experiments. The plasmonic EIT-like response enables the realization of nanoscale bandpass filters with multiple channels. Additionally, the operating wavelengths and bandwidths of our filters can be efficiently tuned by adjusting the geometric parameters such as the lengths of stub waveguides and the coupling distances between the cavities and stub waveguides. The ultracompact configurations contribute to the achievement of wavelength division multiplexing systems for optical computing and communications in highly integrated optical circuits.
Genetic Screens for Caenorhabditis elegans Mutants Defective in Left/Right Asymmetric Neuronal Fate Specification

We describe here the results of genetic screens for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants in which a single neuronal fate decision is inappropriately executed. In wild-type animals, the two morphologically bilaterally symmetric gustatory neurons ASE left (ASEL) and ASE right (ASER) undergo a left/right asymmetric diversification in cell fate, manifested by the differential expression of a class of putative chemoreceptors and neuropeptides. Using single cell-specific gfp reporters and screening through a total of almost 120,000 haploid genomes, we isolated 161 mutants that define at least six different classes of mutant phenotypes in which ASEL/R fate is disrupted. Each mutant phenotypic class encompasses one to nine different complementation groups. Besides many alleles of 10 previously described genes, we have identified at least 16 novel “lsy” genes (“laterally symmetric”). Among mutations in known genes, we retrieved four alleles of the miRNA lsy-6 and a gain-of-function mutation in the 3′-UTR of a target of lsy-6, the cog-1 homeobox gene. Using newly found temperature-sensitive alleles of cog-1, we determined that a bistable feedback loop controlling ASEL vs. ASER fate, of which cog-1 is a component, is only transiently required to initiate but not to maintain ASEL and ASER fate. Taken together, our mutant screens identified a broad catalog of genes whose molecular characterization is expected to provide more insight into the complex genetic architecture of a left/right asymmetric neuronal cell fate decision.
The Major Structural Subunits of Dr and F1845 Fimbriae Are Adhesins

ABSTRACT Fimbrial adhesins mediate the attachment of pathogenic Escherichia coli to various host tissues leading to the development of disease. The Dr hemagglutinin and F1845 fimbriae belong to the Dr family of adhesins, which is associated with urinary tract infections and diarrheal disease. These adhesins bind to the Dra blood-group antigen present on decay-accelerating factor (DAF). The Dr hemagglutinin is unique in this family since it also binds to type IV collagen and its binding is inhibited by the presence of chloramphenicol. We have purified the major structural subunits of Dr and F1845 fimbriae, DraE and DaaE, as fusions to maltose-binding protein and to oligohistidine tags and examined their binding to erythrocytes, Chinese hamster ovary cell transfectants expressing DAF, and a DAF fusion protein. The DraE and DaaE fusion proteins bind to the DAF receptor in a specific manner resembling the distinct phenotypes of the corresponding Dr and F1845 fimbriae. In contrast to binding studies with the DAF receptor, the DraE fusion proteins did not bind to type IV collagen.
Targeting Informative Messages to a Network of Consumers

Abstract This paper considers duopolists targeting informative messages to consumers who share information locally with their network neighbors. A monopolist targets a parsimonious set of nodes that informs all consumers either directly or by word-of-mouth. A duopolist faces a tradeoff between this efficient targeting and possible preemption by a competitor's message. Under gentle price competition, duopolists saturate the network when messages are cheap, and target sets similar to the monopolist's when messages are costly. Under fierce price competition, duopolists' messages segment the network in an intermingled patchwork. Effects of network structure and the cost of messages on firm outcomes are discussed.
6-Hydroxycyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA dehydrogenase and 6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA hydrolase, enzymes of the benzoyl-CoA pathway of anaerobic aromatic metabolism in the denitrifying bacterium Thauera aromatica.

Benzoyl-CoA is a common intermediate in the anaerobic bacterial metabolism of many aromatic substrates. Two enzymes and ferredoxin of the central benzoyl-CoA pathway in Thauera aromatica have been purified so far. Benzoyl-CoA reductase reduces the aromatic ring with reduced ferredoxin yielding cyclohexa-1,5-diene-1-carbonyl-CoA [Boll, M. & Fuchs, G. (1995) Eur. J. Biochem. 234, 921-933]. Dienoyl-CoA hydratase subsequently adds one molecule of water and thereby produces 6-hydroxycyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA [Laempe, D. , Eisenreich, W. , Bacher, A. , & Fuchs, G. (1998) Eur. J. Biochem. 255, 618-627]. Here two new enzymes, which convert this intermediate to the noncyclic product 3-hydroxypimelyl-CoA, were purified from T. aromatica and studied. 6-Hydroxycyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA dehydrogenase is an NAD(+)-specific beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase that catalyzes 6-hydroxycyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA + NAD(+) --> 6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA + NADH + H(+). 6-Oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA hydrolase acts on the beta-oxoacyl-CoA compound and catalyzes the addition of one molecule of water to the double bound and the hydrolytic C-C cleavage of the alicyclic ring, 6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carbonyl-CoA + 2 H(2)O --> 3-hydroxypimelyl-CoA. The genes for both enzymes, had and oah, were cloned, had was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant protein was purified. Hence, presumably all enzymes of the central benzoyl-CoA pathway of anaerobic aromatic metabolism from this organism have now been purified and studied and the corresponding genes have been cloned and sequenced.
Ensemble Of adaptive correlation filters for robust visual tracking

Correlation filters have recently been popular due to their success in short-term single-object tracking as well as their computational efficiency. Nevertheless, the appearance model of a single correlation filter based tracking algorithm quickly forgets the past poses of the target object due to the updates over time. To overcome this undesired forgetting, our approach is to run trackers with separate models simultaneously. Hence, we propose a novel tracker relying on an ensemble of correlation filters, where the ensemble is obtained via a decision tree partitioning in the object appearance space. Our technique efficiently searches among the ensemble trackers and activates the ones which are most specialized on the current object appearance. Our tracking method is capable of switching frequently in the ensemble. Thus, an inherently adaptive and non-linear learning rate is achieved. Moreover, we demonstrate the superior performance of our method in benchmark video sequences.
Right to information (RTI) legislation: the role of infomediaries in enhancing citizens’ access to information

ABSTRACT Merely creating a legal space by enacting right to information (RTI) legislation is often not enough to ensure citizens’, especially women's, access to information. Based on a pilot intervention on RTI implementation in Bangladesh, this article explores whether the introduction of information intermediaries, or “infomediaries”, enhances rural citizens’ access to information through using the RTI Act. It was found that due to the assisted access provided by infomediaries, the number of RTI Act users increased significantly in the intervention areas compared to the national average, with five times more women than men being able to use the Act.
Characterization of Zinc-Induced Neuronal Death in Primary Cultures of Rat Cerebellar Granule Cells

Although zinc is essential for the activity of numerous biological systems, and zinc deficiency has been associated with various pathologies, this metal can also exert direct neurotoxic action. In primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule neurons, a brief, 15- to 30-min exposure to zinc (100-500 microM) resulted in concentration-dependent delayed neuronal death. The toxicity of zinc depended on the maturity of the neuronal cultures-it was not apparent prior to Day 5 and it reached a plateau at about 9-10 days in vitro. We assayed cell injury by measuring mitochondrial functioning (MTT assay) and cell death with the trypan blue exclusion assay. Apoptosis was assayed by the morphological appearance of cells following fluorescence staining with propidium iodide and by the in situ TUNEL technique. Mitochondrial injury was an early result of zinc treatment. Actinomycin D, an inhibitor of macromolecular synthesis, attenuated delayed cell death. The calcium channel blockers nimodipine and amlodipine reduced both mitochondrial injury and cell death; the blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors with MK-801 or CNQX was ineffective. These results suggest that calcium channel-blocker-sensitive mitochondrial injury and DNA damage are operative in the protein-synthesis-dependent neurotoxicity of zinc. An imbalance of zinc homeostasis might play a role in the pathophysiology of apoptosis-associated neurodegenerative disorders.
21.2 A 3nW signal-acquisition IC integrating an amplifier with 2.1 NEF and a 1.5fJ/conv-step ADC

Signal acquisition systems for emerging applications, such as impiantatile or unobtrusively wearable autonomous sensors, large sensor arrays, or wireless self-powered sensors, require a minuscule form factor and very low power consumption. For example, the power available from a state-of-the-art 1mm3 solid-state thin-film battery is limited to 4nWfora 10yr lifetime [1], and a 1mm3 energy harvester attached to a running person delivers only 7.4nW [2]. While several low-power signal acquisition systems have been proposed [3-5], their consumption is still in the 20-to-1000nW range. Circuits aiming at low absolute power often result in low power-efficiency (due to overhead), high PVT sensitivity and poor reliability (due to the use of simplistic circuitry). This work presents a fully-integrated signal acquisition IC with six-fold lower power consumption than prior art, which provides state-of-the-art power-efficiency and ensures enough circuit reliability, precision and bandwidth to enable practical applications.
New evidence for purinergic signaling in the olfactory bulb: A2A and P2Y1 receptors mediate intracellular calcium release in astrocytes

Purinergic receptors play a key role in neuron‐glia and glia‐neuron interactions. In the present study, we have recorded cytosolic Ca2+ responses using confocal imaging in astrocytes of acute olfactory bulb slices from mice (postnatal days 3–8). By application of agonists and antagonists, we identified two types of receptors, P2Y1 and A2A, that mediated Ca2+ responses attributable to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in the astrocytes. Both receptor types were activated by application of ATP and ADP;however, when enzymatic ATP degradation was suppressed by the alkaline phosphatase inhibitor levamisole, ATP only activated MRS2179‐sensitive P2Y1 but not ZM241385‐sensitive A2A receptors. The dose‐response curve for A2A receptors activated by adenosine revealed an EC50 of 0.3 μM, one order of magnitude smaller than the EC50 of 5 μM determined for P2Y1 receptors activated by ADP. Electrical stimulation of the olfactory nerve in the presence of glutamate receptor blockers to suppress excitation of postsynaptic neurons evoked Ca2+ responses in most of the astrocytes, which were inhibited by blocking both P2Y1 and A2A receptors. Our results indicate that olfactory nerve terminals release not only glutamate, but also ATP, which activates P2Y1 receptors and, after degradation of ATP to adenosine, A2A receptors in astrocytes. —Doengi, M. , Deitmer, J. W. , Lohr, C. New evidence for purinergic signaling in the olfactory bulb: A2A and P2Y1 receptors mediate intracellular calcium release in astrocytes. FASEB J. 22, 2368–2378 (2008)
Sorting of Phaseolin to the Vacuole Is Saturable and Requires a Short C-Terminal Peptide

Phaseolin, one of the major legume proteins for human nutrition, is a trimeric glycoprotein of the 7S class that accumulates in the protein storage vacuoles of common bean. Phaseolin is cotranslationally introduced into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum; from there, it is transported through the Golgi complex to the storage vacuoles. Phaseolin is also transported to the vacuole in vegetative tissues of transgenic plants. By transient and permanent expression in tobacco leaf cells, we show here that vacuolar sorting of phaseolin is saturable and that saturation leads to Golgi-mediated secretion from the cell. A mutated phaseolin, in which the four C-terminal residues (Ala, Phe, Val, and Tyr) were deleted, efficiently formed trimers but was secreted entirely outside of the cells in transgenic tobacco leaves, indicating that the deleted sequence contains information necessary for interactions with the saturable vacuolar sorting machinery. In the apoplast, the secreted phaseolin remained intact; this is similar to what occurs to wild-type phaseolin in bean storage vacuoles, whereas in vegetative vacuoles of transgenic plants, the storage protein is fragmented.
Tissue Distribution of the Death Ligand TRAIL and Its Receptors

Recombinant human (rh) TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) harbors potential as an anticancer agent. RhTRAIL induces apoptosis via the TRAIL receptors TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 in tumors and is non-toxic to nonhuman primates. Because limited data are available about TRAIL receptor distribution, we performed an immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of the expression of TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2, the anti-apoptotic TRAIL receptor TRAIL-R3, and TRAIL in normal human and chimpanzee tissues. In humans, hepatocytes stained positive for TRAIL and TRAIL receptors and bile duct epithelium for TRAIL, TRAIL-R1, and TRAIL-R3. In brains, neurons expressed TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2, TRAIL-R3 but no TRAIL. In kidneys, TRAIL-R3 was negative, tubuli contorti expressed TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2, and TRAIL, and cells in Henle's loop expressed only TRAIL-R2. Heart myocytes showed positivity for all proteins studied. In colon, TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2, and TRAIL were present. Germ and Leydig cells were positive for all proteins studied. Endothelium in liver, heart, kidney, and testis lacked TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2. In alveolar septa and bronchial epithelium TRAIL-R2 was expressed, brain vascular endothelium expressed TRAIL-R2 and TRAIL-R3, and in heart vascular endothelium only TRAIL-R3 was present. Only a few differences were observed between human and chimpanzee liver, brain, and kidney. In contrast to human, chimpanzee bile duct epithelium lacked TRAIL, TRAIL-R1, and TRAIL-R3, lung and colon showed no TRAIL or its receptors, TRAIL-R3 was absent in germ and Leydig cells, and vascular endothelium showed only TRAIL-R2 expression in the brain. In conclusion, comparable expression of TRAIL and TRAIL receptors was observed in human and chimpanzee tissues. Lack of liver toxicity in chimpanzees after rhTRAIL administration despite TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 expression is reassuring for rhTRAIL application in humans. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:821–831, 2004)
Knockout of p75NTR impairs re‐myelination of injured sciatic nerve in mice

Remyelination is an important aspect of nerve regeneration after nerve injury but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The neurotrophin receptor, p75NTR, in activated Schwann cells in the Wallerian degenerated nerve is up‐regulated and may play a role in the remyelination of regenerating peripheral nerves. In the present study, the role of p75NTR in remyelination of the sciatic nerve was investigated in p75NTR mutant mice. Histological results showed that the number of myelinated axons and thickness of myelin sheath in the injured sciatic nerves were reduced in mutant mice compared with wild‐type mice. The myelin sheath of axons in the intact sciatic nerve of adult mutant mice is also thinner than that of wild‐type mice. Real‐time RT–PCR showed that mRNA levels for myelin basic protein and P0 in the injured sciatic nerves were significantly reduced in p75NTR mutant animals. Western blots also showed a significant reduction of P0 protein in the injured sciatic nerves of mutant animals. These results suggest that p75NTR is important for the myelinogenesis during the regeneration of peripheral nerves after injury.