Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The planar cell polarity protein VANGL2 coordinates remodeling of the extracellular matrix

Understanding how planar cell polarity (PCP) is established, maintained, and coordinated in migrating cell populations is an important area of research with implications for both embryonic morphogenesis and tumor cell invasion. We recently reported that the PCP protein Vang-like 2 (VANGL2) regulates the endocytosis and cell surface level of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP14 or MT1-MMP). Here, we further discuss these findings in terms of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, cell migration, and zebrafish gastrulation. We also demonstrate that VANGL2 function impacts the focal degradation of ECM by human cancer cells including the formation or stability of invadopodia. Together, our findings implicate MMP14 as a downstream effector of VANGL2 signaling and suggest a model whereby the regulation of pericellular proteolysis is a fundamental aspect of PCP in migrating cells.
Data reduction methods for single-mode optical interferometry Application to the VLTI two-telescopes beam combiner VINCI

The interferometric data processing methods that we describe in this paper use a number of innovative techniques. In particular, the implementation of the wavelet transform allows us to obtain a good immunity of the fringe processing to false detections and large amplitude perturbations by the atmospheric piston effect, through a careful, automated selection of the interferograms. To demonstrate the data reduction procedure, we describe the processing and calibration of a sample of stellar data from the VINCI beam combiner. Starting from the raw data, we derive the angular diameter of the dwarf star α Cen A. Although these methods have been developed specifically for VINCI, they are easily applicable to other single-mode beam combiners, and to spectrally dispersed fringes.
The SUMO-Specific Protease SENP5 Is Required for Cell Division

ABSTRACT Posttranslational modification of substrates by the small ubiquitin-like modifier, SUMO, regulates diverse biological processes, including transcription, DNA repair, nucleocytoplasmic trafficking, and chromosome segregation. SUMOylation is reversible, and several mammalian homologs of the yeast SUMO-specific protease Ulp1, termed SENPs, have been identified. We demonstrate here that SENP5, a previously uncharacterized Ulp1 homolog, has SUMO C-terminal hydrolase and SUMO isopeptidase activities. In contrast to other SENPs, the C-terminal catalytic domain of SENP5 preferentially processed SUMO-3 compared to SUMO-1 precursors and preferentially removed SUMO-2 and SUMO-3 from SUMO-modified RanGAP1 in vitro. In cotransfection assays, SENP5 preferentially reduced high-molecular-weight conjugates of SUMO-2 compared to SUMO-1 in vivo. Full-length SENP5 localized to the nucleolus. Deletion of the noncatalytic N-terminal domain led to loss of nucleolar localization and increased de-SUMOylation activity in vivo. Knockdown of SENP5 by RNA interference resulted in increased levels of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 conjugates, inhibition of cell proliferation, defects in nuclear morphology, and appearance of binucleate cells, revealing an essential role for SENP5 in mitosis and/or cytokinesis. These findings establish SENP5 as a SUMO-specific protease required for cell division and suggest that mechanisms involving both the catalytic and noncatalytic domains determine the distinct substrate specificities of the mammalian SUMO-specific proteases.
InAs Quantum Dot Lasers With Dry Etched Facet by Br-Ion Beam-Assisted Etching

The etching conditions of the AlGaAs materials in bromine ion beam-assisted etching (Br-IBAE) process have been determined. The etching rates can be varied from several nm/min to ~300 nm/min through controlling the bromine pressure and the substrate temperature. High-performance InAs quantum dot (QD) lasers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy system. The broad area QD lasers are fabricated by standard photolithography and metallization processes, while the laser facets are formed by Br-IBAE dry etching process. With the dry-etched facets, the InAs QD lasers have a threshold current density Jth, and slope efficiency, ηi of 480 A/cm2 and 34%, respectively. The Br-IBAE dry etched facet reflectivity of 0.28 is obtained from fitting the Jth versus reciprocal cavity length curves.
Psychiatric disorders and left-handedness in children living in an urban environment

The objective of this study was to conduct an analysis of left-handed children treated in an urban mental health clinic to investigate the frequency and severity of psychiatric disorders compared to right-handed peers. Data on handedness, diagnoses, hospitalizations and severity of mental disorders were collected on 692 consecutive children, 4–18 years old (M = 10.1, SD = 3.2), referred for psychiatric evaluation. Left-handed children were 18.2% of patients in the study, a rate significantly higher than left-hand dominance in the USA (p < .05). Compared to children with right-handedness, logistic regression analysis yielded 31% [odds ratio (OR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15–1.50] higher odds of having more psychiatric diagnosis, 70% (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.10–2.62) increased odds of anxiety, 53% (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.03–2.27) increased odds of depression and 78% (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.21–2.62) increased odds of oppositional defiant disorder for children who were left-handed. Left-handed children had increased odds of being prescribed antipsychotic and anxiolytic medication uses, 53% and 86% increased odds, respectively, and 66% (OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.08–2.55) increased odds of psychiatric hospitalizations. Left-handedness was a phenotypic risk factor for psychiatric disorders and increased severity of psychiatric disorders.
Breast cancer risk and lifestyle differences among premenopausal and postmenopausal African‐American women and white women

Very little is known about the role of lifestyle in breast cancer risk, and even less is known about whether differences in lifestyle contribute to the disparities in this risk between African‐American women and white women. In this study, the authors examined differences in diet and physical activity between African‐American women and white women and discuss the research that is needed regarding the role of lifestyle in breast cancer risk.
Political Education and Teaching——The pitfalls of middle school Curriculum for political science.

The main malpractice of the politics in the middle school is that it overlooked the different characteristics between the ideological and political education for the teen-agd students and the Party members or state cadres. The content of the textbooks is abstruse, which oversteps the students' level of understanding and their comprehension ability. It is over general politicalization. The process of education lays stress on the nature of theory and system. The interpretation and practice to any problems must reach a certain high level. The form of the moral education is over political zed. As a result the politics is seriously behind the social practice. The practical teaching effect is that the students accept and obey on the surface but they never turn the knowledge from politics into their own initiative action.The reform of the textbooks of politics for the middle school students must be enforced.
The relationship among pain, sensory loss, and small nerve fibers in diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Many individuals with diabetes experience neuropathic pain, often without objective signs of large-fiber neuropathy. We examined intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs) to evaluate the role of small nerve fibers in the genesis of neuropathic pain. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-five diabetic subjects with neuropathic pain and 13 without were studied. The pain was present for at least 6 months for which no other cause could be found. Punch skin biopsies were obtained from the distal leg. IENFs were stained using antibody to protein gene product 9.5 and counted with confocal microscopy. Neuropathy was graded by vibration perception and cold detection thresholds and the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument. RESULTS In the total cohort, IENF density was significantly lower in those with pain compared with those without (3 [1-6] vs. 10 [3-19], respectively, P = 0.02). There were significant inverse correlations between IENF and severity of neuropathy, with the pain group having a flatter gradient than their pain-free counterparts (P < 0.02). The difference in IENF density was greatest in subjects with less objective evidence of neuropathy (P < or = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS More severe loss of IENF is associated with the presence of neuropathic pain only in those with little or no objective sign of neuropathy. Thus, loss of IENF cannot explain pain in all cases, suggesting that different mechanisms underpin the genesis of pain at various stages of neuropathy.
Informant Perceptions of the Cause of Activities of Daily Living Difficulties in Parkinson’s Disease

Objective: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) can have difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL) that stem from cognitive, motor, or affective manifestations of the disease. Accurately attributing ADL difficulty specifically to cognitive decline is critical when conducting a neuropsychological evaluation of a person with PD. Informant description of ADL performance is frequently used for this purpose, but there has been little work assessing informants’ ability to attribute ADL dysfunction to a specific symptom source in PD. Method: Fifty community dwelling individuals with PD completed cognitive, motor, and affective measures. A knowledgeable informant completed an ADL scale that asked about degree and perceived source of difficulty (cognitive, motor, affective) for each task. Results: Informants indicated that motor dysfunction was the most common source of ADL difficulty, but the informants viewed difficulty with certain tasks, such as financial management, as particularly related to cognitive dysfunction. Informant reports of the source of ADL dysfunction (cognitive, motor, affective) were consistent with clinical measures of those specific dysfunctions. ADL dysfunction attributed to cognition specifically (χ2 = 9.80, p = .01) was higher in those with measurable cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Informant reports of the sources of ADL dysfunction correlate with clinical measures of these symptoms, suggesting that informants may provide useful clinical information about the cause of ADL dysfunction in persons with PD.
Operating Characteristics of Contactless Power Transfer From HTS Antenna to Copper Receiver With Inserted Resonator Through Large Air Gap

With the fast development of various wireless charging applications such as cell phones and electric vehicles, there is substantial interest in contactless power charging across an air gap. The contactless power transfer (CPT) system based on the resonance coupling method, which is composed of separate coils with the same resonance frequency, is feasible for exchanging energy within 2 m. However, generally, because the contactless charging system adopts a normal conducting wire, the size of the antenna is too large to be equipped to deliver a large amount of power promptly. From this point of view, we propose the combination of CPT technology with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) transmitter antenna, which we call the superconducting contactless power transfer (SUCPT). The superconducting transmitter antenna can deliver a mass amount of electric energy in spite of a small-scale antenna. The SUCPT technique is expected as a refined option to transfer a large amount of power and extend the distance. In this study, our research team achieved the improvement of transmission efficiency and extension of transfer distance using an HTS antenna in the inserted resonator coil between the HTS antenna and normal conducting receiver coils. We achieved improved transfer distance and quantity of about 25% compared with the normal conducting antenna under the same power conditions.
Board level reliability of automotive eWLB (embedded wafer level BGA) FOWLP

With shrinking chip sizes, Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) is becoming an attractive packaging technology with many advantages in comparison to standard Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages. With the advancement of various fan-out Wafer Level Packaging (FOWLP) designs, this advanced technology has proven to be a more optimal and promising solution compared to fan-in WLP because of the greater design flexibility in having more input/output (I/O) and improved thermal performance. In addition, FOWLP shows superior high-frequency performance with its shorter and simpler interconnection compared to flip chip packaging. eWLB (embedded wafer level BGA) is a type of FOWLP that enables applications requiring smaller form factor, excellent heat dissipation and thin package profiles. It also has the potential to evolve into various configurations with proven yields and manufacturing experience based on over 8 years of high volume production. This paper discusses the recent advancements in robust board level reliability performance of eWLB for automotive applications. A Design of Experiment (DOE) study will be reviewed which demonstrates improved Temperature Cycle on Board (TCoB) performance with experimental results. Several DOE studies were planned and test vehicles were prepared with the variables of solder materials, solder mask opening/Cu pad size of redistribution layer (RDL) design, copper (Cu) RDL thickness and under bump metallurgy (UBM), and Cu pad design (NSMD, SMD) on a printed circuit board (PCB). With these parametric studies and TCoB reliability tests, the test vehicle passed 1000x temperature cycles (TC). Daisy chain test vehicles were used for TCoB reliability performance in industry standard test conditions.
Levels of vaginal secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor are decreased in women with lower reproductive tract infections.

OBJECTIVE Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor contributes resistance to primary human immunodeficiency virus infection in the oral cavity. However, the levels of this inhibitor in the genital tract of women with sexually transmitted diseases or vaginitis are not well described. The objective was to determine vaginal inhibitor levels in women with symptomatic and asymptomatic genital infections. STUDY DESIGN We tested 207 nonpregnant women for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Chlamydia trachomatis, Candida species, and bacterial vaginosis by standard methods. A second group of symptom-free pregnant women (N = 231) was also studied. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and results were compared by nonparametric methods. RESULTS Vaginal levels of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor in both groups were significantly lower in women with any sexually transmitted disease than in those without infection (P<.0001). Patients with bacterial vaginosis and those with bacterial vaginosis with yeast vaginitis also had decreased levels (P<.025). CONCLUSIONS Levels of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor in vaginal fluid are decreased in women with lower genital tract infection. This may represent a common mechanism of increasing susceptibility to infection with human immunodeficiency virus.
Control of ovulation and fixed time insemination in heifers following cloprostenol

The time of ovulation was determined in heifers following two injections 11 days apart of 500 microgram of cloprostenol by recovery of reproductive tracts at slaughter. Ovulation had not begun by 72 hours while 31%, 61% and 95% had ovulated by 78, 92 and 96 hours respectively after the second injection of cloprostenol. Injection of synthetic LH-releasing factor (GnRH) given 48 hours after cloprostenol significantly hastened the time of ovulation in animals slaughtered at 78 hours after the second cloprostenol injection. Insemination of heifers at 48, 60 or 72 hours resulted in lower fertility than two inseminations at 60 and 72 hours or at 48 and 72 hours after treatment. Controlling the time of ovulation with GnRH did not increase the fertility following a single insemination 71 hours after the treatment with cloprostenol.
An Emerging Role for the Delta Opioid Receptor in the Regulation of Mu Opioid Receptor Function

Morphine and related opiates are commonly used in the clinical management of various types of pain. However, the antinociceptive properties of morphine are often overshadowed by the development of tolerance and dependence following its chronic use. The mechanisms underlying opiate tolerance are not fully understood, but appear to involve numerous and complex physiological adaptations. Recently, a role for the heterodimerization of mu and delta opioid receptors in the development of morphine tolerance has been proposed. This novel mechanism could help us to understand several observations, such as the critical role of delta opioid receptor regulation, the impact of delta opioid receptor binding site occupancy, and the participation of beta-arrestin2, in the development of morphine tolerance.
Knowledge, Health Seeking Behavior and Perceived Stigma towards Tuberculosis among Tuberculosis Suspects in a Rural Community in Southwest Ethiopia

Background Perceived stigma and lack of awareness could contribute to the late presentation and low detection rate of tuberculosis (TB). We conducted a study in rural southwest Ethiopia among TB suspects to assess knowledge about and stigma towards TB and their health seeking behavior. Methods A community based cross sectional survey was conducted from February to March 2009 in the Gilgel Gibe field research area. Any person 15 years and above with cough for at least 2 weeks was considered a TB suspect and included in the study. Data were collected by trained personnel using a pretested structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was done using SPSS 15.0 statistical software. Results Of the 476 pulmonary TB suspects, 395 (83.0%) had ever heard of TB; “evil eye” (50.4%) was the commonly mentioned cause of TB. Individuals who could read and write were more likely to be aware about TB [(crude OR = 2.98, (95%CI: 1.25, 7.08)] and more likely to know that TB is caused by a microorganism [(adjusted OR = 3.16, (95%CI: 1.77, 5.65)] than non-educated individuals. Males were more likely to know the cause of TB [(adjusted OR = 1.92, (95%CI: 1.22, 3.03)] than females. 51.3% of TB suspects perceived that other people would consider them inferior if they had TB. High stigma towards TB was reported by 199(51.2%). 220 (46.2%) did not seek help for their illness. Individuals who had previous anti-TB treatment were more likely to have appropriate health seeking behavior [(adjusted OR = 3.65, (95%CI: 1.89, 7.06)] than those who had not. Conclusion There was little knowledge about TB in the Gilgel Gibe field research area. We observed inappropriate health seeking behavior and stigma towards TB. TB control programs in Ethiopia should educate rural communities, particularly females and non-educated individuals, about the cause and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of TB.
An Approximation Algorithm for Locating Maximal Disks within Convex Polygons

This paper considers a problem of locating the given number of disks into a container so that the area covered by the disks is maximized. In the problem, the radii of the disks can be changed arbitrarily unless they overlap outside of the container, and the disks are allowed to overlap with each other. We present an approximation algorithm for this problem assuming that the container is a convex polygon. Our algorithm achieves approximation ratio (0.78 - ϵ) for any small ϵ > 0. Since the computation time of our algorithm depends on the number of corners of the convex polygon exponentially, we also give a heuristic to reduce the number of corners.
Two-Dimensional Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging (2D-SWI) of the Abdomen at 3T

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a powerful technique to produce an image with a strong contrast of magnetic susceptibility in a high field. The technique is particularly useful in emphasizing blood vessels, for example, the vein and iron accumulated lesions in the brain. What can be found by applying the technique to the abdomen instead of the brain? We carried out a newly developed 2D breath-held SWI of the abdomen in the field of 1.5 T and 3 T and compared the results.
Asymptotic Behavior and ratios of Complexity in Cellular Automata

We study the asymptotic behaviour of symbolic computing systems, notably one-dimensional cellular automata (CA), in order to ascertain whether and at what rate the number of complex versus simple rules dominate the rule space for increasing neighbourhood range and number of symbols (or colours), and how different behaviour is distributed in the spaces of different cellular automata formalisms. Using two different measures, Shannon's block entropy and Kolmogorov complexity, the latter approximated by two different methods (lossless compressibility and block decomposition), we arrive at the same trend of larger complex behavioural fractions. We also advance a notion of asymptotic and limit behaviour for individual rules, both over initial conditions and runtimes, and we provide a formalisation of Wolfram's classification as a limit function in terms of Kolmogorov complexity.
Prolonged Nuclear Retention of Activated Extracellular Signal-regulated Protein Kinase Promotes Cell Death Generated by Oxidative Toxicity or Proteasome Inhibition in a Neuronal Cell Line*

In the HT22 mouse hippocampal cell line and primary immature embryonic rat cortical neurons, glutamate-induced oxidative toxicity is associated with a delayed but chronic activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK-1/2). ERK-1/2 is also activated in HT22 cells that undergo caspase-dependent cell death upon inhibition of proteasome-dependent protein degradation brought about by MG132 treatment. As in glutamate-treated HT22 cells and primary neurons, inhibition of MEK-1, an upstream activator of ERK-1/2 protects against MG132-induced toxicity. Furthermore, activated ERK-1/2 is retained within the nucleus in glutamate- and MG132-treated HT22 cells. Although previous studies suggested that ERK-1/2 activation was downstream of many cell death-inducing signals in HT22 cells, we show here that cycloheximide, the Z-vad caspase inhibitor, and a nonlethal heat shock protect against glutamate- and MG132-induced toxicity without diminishing ERK-1/2 activation. In these cases, ERK-1/2, although chronically activated, is not retained within the nucleus but accumulates within the cytoplasm. Thus, persistent nuclear retention of activated ERK-1/2 may be a critical factor in eliciting proapoptotic effects in neuronal cells subjected to oxidative stress or proteasome inhibition.
Optimal Ordering Policies for Continuous Review Perishable Inventory Models

This paper extends the notions of perishable inventory models to the realm of continuous review inventory systems. The traditional perishable inventory costs of ordering, holding, shortage or penalty, disposal and revenue are incorporated into the continuous review framework. The type of policy that is optimal with respect to long run average expected cost is presented for both the backlogging and lost-sales models. In addition, for the lost-sales model the cost function is presented and analyzed.