Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rab13 Small G Protein and Junctional Rab13-binding Protein (JRAB) Orchestrate Actin Cytoskeletal Organization during Epithelial Junctional Development*

Background: The Rab13-JRAB system transports cell adhesion molecules. Results: JRAB interacts with actinins and F-actin and spatiotemporally regulates actin dynamics via a conformational change that is dependent upon Rab13. Conclusion: Rab13 and JRAB regulate reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton throughout epithelial junctional development from establishment to maturation of cell-cell adhesion. Significance: The Rab13-JRAB system may simultaneously coordinate vesicle transport and actin cytoskeletal organization. During epithelial junctional development, both vesicle transport and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton must be spatiotemporally regulated. Coordination of these cellular functions is especially important, but the precise mechanism remains elusive. Previously, we identified junctional Rab13-binding protein (JRAB)/molecules interacting with CasL-like 2 (MICAL-L2) as an effector of the Rab13 small G protein, and we found that the Rab13-JRAB system may be involved in the formation of cell-cell adhesions via transport of adhesion molecules. Here, we showed that JRAB interacts with two actin-binding proteins, actinin-1 and -4, and filamentous actin via different domains and regulates actin cross-linking and stabilization through these interactions. During epithelial junctional development, JRAB is prominently enriched in the actin bundle at the free border; subsequently, JRAB undergoes a Rab13-dependent conformational change that is required for maturation of cell-cell adhesion sites. These results suggest that Rab13 and JRAB regulate reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton throughout epithelial junctional development from establishment to maturation of cell-cell adhesion.
Low-Voltage Multi-Mode Gm-C Channel Selection Filter for Mobile Applications

A CMOS transconductor for multi-mode mobile channel selection filter is presented. The transconductor includes a voltage-to-current converter and a current multiplier. Voltage-to-current conversion employs linear region MOS transistors and the circuit features high linearity over a wide input swing range. The current multiplier which operates in the weak inversion region provides a wide transconductance tuning range without degrading the linearity. A third-order Butterworth low-pass filter implemented with the transconductors was designed by TSMC 0.18-mum CMOS process. The measurement results show that the filter can operate with the cutoff frequency of 135 kHz to 2.2 MHz. The tuning range and the linearity performance would be suitable for the wireless specifications of GSM, Bluetooth cdma2000, and wideband CDMA. In the design, the maximum power consumption at the highest cutoff frequency is 2 mW under a 1-V supply voltage.
Diet-Induced Obesity Impairs the T Cell Memory Response to Influenza Virus Infection

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested that obesity may be an independent risk factor for increased severity of illness from the H1N1 pandemic strain. Memory T cells generated during primary influenza infection target internal proteins common among influenza viruses, making them effective against encounters with heterologous strains. In male, diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice, a secondary H1N1 influenza challenge following a primary H3N2 infection led to a 25% mortality rate (with no loss of lean controls), 25% increase in lung pathology, failure to regain weight, and 10- to 100-fold higher lung viral titers. Furthermore, mRNA expression for IFN-γ was >60% less in lungs of obese mice, along with one third the number of influenza-specific CD8+ T cells producing IFN-γ postsecondary infection versus lean controls. Memory CD8+ T cells from obese mice had a >50% reduction in IFN-γ production when stimulated with influenza-pulsed dendritic cells from lean mice. Thus, the function of influenza-specific memory T cells is significantly reduced and ineffective in lungs of obese mice. The reality of a worldwide obesity epidemic combined with yearly influenza outbreaks and the current pandemic makes it imperative to understand how influenza virus infection behaves differently in an obese host. Moreover, impairment of memory responses has significant implications for vaccine efficacy in an obese population.
Language identification using parallel sub-word recognition

Parallel sub-word recognition (PSWR) is a new model that has been proposed for language identification (LID) which does not need elaborate phonetic labeling of the speech data in a foreign language. The new approach performs a front-end tokenization in terms of sub-word units which are designed by automatic segmentation, segment clustering and segment HMM modeling. We develop PSWR based LID in a framework similar to the parallel phone recognition (PPR) approach in the literature. This includes a front-end tokenizer and a back-end language model, for each language to be identified. Considering various combinations of the statistical evaluation scores, it is found that PSWR can perform as well as PPR, even with broad acoustic sub-word tokenization, thus making it an efficient alternative to the PPR system.
Rule-Based Semantic Tagging. An Application Undergoing Dictionary Glosses

The project presented in this article aims to formalize criteria and procedures in order to extract semantic information from parsed dictionary glosses. The actual purpose of the project is the generation of a semantic network (nearly an ontology) issued from a monolingual Italian dictionary, through unsupervised procedures. Since the project involves rule-based Parsing, Semantic Tagging and Word Sense Disambiguation techniques, its outcomes may find an interest also beyond this immediate intent. The cooperation of both syntactic and semantic features in meaning construction are investigated, and procedures which allows a translation of syntactic dependencies in semantic relations are discussed. The procedures that rise from this project can be applied also to other text types than dictionary glosses, as they convert the output of a parsing process into a semantic representation. In addition some mechanism are sketched that may lead to a kind of procedural semantics, through which multiple paraphrases of an given expression can be generated. Which means that these techniques may find an application also in 'query expansion' strategies, interesting Information Retrieval, Search Engines and Question Answering Systems.
Treatment with the arginase inhibitor Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine improves vascular function and lowers blood pressure in adult spontaneously hypertensive rat

Objective High vascular arginase activity and subsequent reduction in vascular nitric oxide production were recently reported in animal models of hypertension. The present study investigated the effects of in-vivo arginase inhibition on blood pressure and vascular function in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats. Methods Ten-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive age-matched Wistar–Kyoto rats were treated with or without the selective arginase inhibitor Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine for 3 weeks (10 or 40 mg/kg per day, intraperitoneally). Systolic blood pressure and cardiac rate were measured before and during treatment. Flow and pressure-dependent reactivity as well as remodeling of mesenteric arteries, acetylcholine-dependent vasodilation of aortic rings, cardiac hypertrophy, arginase activity and nitric oxide production were investigated in 13-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats. Results In spontaneously hypertensive rats, Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine treatment decreased arginase activity (30–40%), reduced blood pressure (∼35 mmHg) and improved the reactivity of mesenteric vessels. However, vascular and cardiac remodeling was not different between treated and untreated spontaneously hypertensive rats. In Wistar–Kyoto rats, Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine did not affect blood pressure. Finally, arginase inhibition was associated with increased nitric oxide production. Consistent with this, the response of aortic rings to acetylcholine was fully restored by Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine, and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester significantly reduced the effect of Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine on flow-dependent vasodilation. Conclusion Pharmacological inhibition of arginase in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats decreases blood pressure and improves the reactivity of resistance vessels. These data represent in-vivo argument in favor of selective arginase inhibition as a new therapeutic strategy against hypertension.
Childhood ADHD is strongly associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders during adolescence: a population-based birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND To evaluate associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid psychiatric disorders using research-identified incident cases of ADHD and population-based controls. METHODS Subjects included a birth cohort of all children born 1976-1982 remaining in Rochester, MN after age five (n = 5,718). Among them we identified 379 ADHD incident cases and 758 age-gender matched non-ADHD controls, passively followed to age 19 years. All psychiatric diagnoses were identified and abstracted, but only those confirmed by qualified medical professionals were included in the analysis. For each psychiatric disorder, cumulative incidence rates for subjects with and without ADHD were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Corresponding hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox models adjusted for gender and mother's age and education at the subject's birth. The association between ADHD and the likelihood of having an internalizing or externalizing disorder was summarized by estimating odds ratios (OR). RESULTS Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was associated with a significantly increased risk of adjustment disorders (HR = 3.88), conduct/oppositional defiant disorder (HR = 9.54), mood disorders (HR = 3.67), anxiety disorders (HR = 2.94), tic disorders (HR = 6.53), eating disorders (HR = 5.68), personality disorders (HR = 5.80), and substance-related disorders (HR = 4.03). When psychiatric comorbidities were classified on the internalization-externalization dimension, ADHD was strongly associated with coexisting internalizing/externalizing (OR = 10.6), or externalizing-only (OR = 10.0) disorders. CONCLUSION This population-based study confirms that children with ADHD are at significantly increased risk for a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Besides treating the ADHD, clinicians should identify and provide appropriate treatment for psychiatric comorbidities.
Predictors of non-neoplastic lesions in lung tumours showing ground-glass opacity on thin-section computed tomography based on a multi-institutional prospective study†.

OBJECTIVES Peripheral small lung tumours (LTs) showing ground-glass opacity (GGO) tend to be treated without preoperative histological diagnosis due to difficulty in obtaining tissue samples. Exclusion of non-neoplastic lesions (NNLs) is essential when considering non-surgical treatment such as stereotactic radiotherapy. Here, we sought to determine preoperative factors associated with NNLs in peripheral LTs using data from a prospective study that investigated the efficacy of lesser pulmonary resection (JCOG0804/WJOG4507L). METHODS The key eligibility criteria of the study were as follows: (i) peripherally located definitive or suspected LC with maximum diameter ≤2 cm and (ii) radiological non-invasive tumour with consolidation/tumour ratio (CTR) of ≤0.25 based on thin-section computed tomography (CT). Among all the resected LTs, incidences of NNL and precancerous lesions were examined. Also, logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the predictors of NNL using maximum tumour dimension (≤1 cm/>1 cm) and CTR (0/>0) as an explanatory variable. RESULTS Between May 2009 and April 2011, 333 patients were prospectively enrolled from 51 institutions into the study. Among 333 patients, 345 LTs were included in the analysis. There were 314 (91.0%) LCs, 17 (4.9%) precancerous lesions and 14 (4.1%) non-cancerous lesions. Maximum tumour dimension ≤1 cm was identified as a significant predictor of NNLs with logistic regression analysis. There were 10 (8.6%) NNLs in 116 LT ≤1 cm, but 4 (1.7%) NNLs in 229 LTs >1 cm. CONCLUSIONS NNLs were found in only 4.1% of peripheral LTs with GGO. However, when the tumour diameter was ≤1 cm, ∼10% were NNLs, necessitating a histological diagnosis when non-surgical treatment was considered.
Catheter‐related thrombosis in cancer patients

Central venous catheters are commonly used in haematology departments for the administration of chemotherapy, blood products and parenteral nutrition in patients with haematological malignancy. Thrombosis is a recognized complication of such devices especially in oncology patients. Catheter‐related thrombi (CRT) may lead to pulmonary embolism and infection, as well as catheter failure and potential delays in treatment. The vast majority of CRT are asymptomatic, thus a high index of suspicion is required in making the diagnosis. Doppler ultrasound or venography may be employed to identify CRT. Once confirmed, the initiation of treatment is a balance between the risks of anticoagulation against potential complications of CRT. A number of risk factors for CRT are discussed along with an overview of catheter types, their appropriate choice and intravascular positioning.
Unusual thylakoid structures appearing during degradation of the photosynthetic apparatus in chloroplasts

Two types of thylakoid degradation are described, both including leaf bleaching (i.e. chlorophyll degradation) and destruction of the photosynthetic membranes. The first type of degradation is characterized by coiling of single thylakoids and by cup-shape stacking of grana thylakoids. This type of thylakoid degradation was observed in leaves of the aurea varieties (conditional mutants) of several trees and shrubs. Leaf bleaching and thylakoid damage required strong sun-illumination and was repairable by shading, although only in young, still growing leaves. A structurally similar type of membrane damage, although not repairable, was detected in wheat and bean leaves treated with cadmium, followed by sun-exposure. The formation of interthylakoidally located membrane coils was not always dependent on strong light; they were also found in plastids of senescing leaves of Sophora japonica. A second type of thylakoid degradation appeared as the result of irreversible damage: leaf bleaching induced by treatment with amitrole, followed by sun-exposure. The damage began with tight stacking of long straight grana thylakoids. Later, on plane and perpendicularly oriented sections of these grana thylakoids, osmiophilic particles with diameters around 8 nm became visible. These were arranged in hexagonal arrays, with an approximate spacing of 12 nm. The possible origin of these regular structures is discussed. Structurally similar substructures in tightly stacked grana thylakoids were also detected in plastids of the subepidermal cells of Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera and pyriformis during fruit ripening, i.e. during the chloroplast-chromoplast transition.
Fully dynamic algorithms for chordal graphs

We present the fist dynamic algorithm to support the following operations on a chordal graph: (1) test whether deleting or inserting an arbitrary edge maintains chordality, (2) delete or insert an arbitrary edge, provided it maintains chordahty. The algorithm also maintains a clique tree of the graph: which provides the graph’s clique number and chromatic number. We give two implementations. In the first, each operation runs in O(n) time, where n is the number of vertices. In the second, testing a deletion runs in O(n) time, testing an insertion runs in O(log* n) time, deleting runs in O(nlog rz) time, and inserting runs in O(n/logn) time. All of these are worst-case times. The algorithm is very simple and uses no complex data structures.
Financial Intermediation Chains in an OTC Market

This paper analyzes financial intermediation chains in a search model with an endogenous intermediary sector. We show that the chain length and price dispersion among interdealer trades are decreasing in search cost, search speed, and market size but increasing in investors' trading needs. Using data from the U.S. corporate bond market, we find evidence broadly consistent with these predictions. Moreover, as search speed approaches infinity, the search equilibrium does not always converge to the centralized-market equilibrium: prices and allocation converge, but the trading volume might not. Finally, we analyze the multiplicity and stability of the equilibrium.
Wound Repair and Regeneration

The skin is the biggest organ of the human being and has many functions. Therefore, the healing of a skin wound displays an extraordinary mechanism of cascading cellular functions which is unique in nature. As healing and regeneration processes take place in all parts of the human body, this review focuses on the healing processes of the skin and highlights the classical wound healing phases. While regeneration describes the specific substitution of the tissue, i.e. the superficial epidermis, mucosa or fetal skin, skin repair displays an unspecific form of healing in which the wound heals by fibrosis and scar formation. The first stage of acute wound healing is dedicated to hemostasis and the formation of a provisional wound matrix, which occurs immediately after injury and is completed after some hours. Furthermore, this phase initiates the inflammatory process. The inflammatory phase of the wound healing cascade gets activated during the coagulation phase and can roughly be divided into an early phase with neutrophil recruitment and a late phase with the appearance and transformation of monocytes. In the phase of proliferation the main focus of the healing process lies in the recovering of the wound surface, the formation of granulation tissue and the restoration of the vascular network. Therefore, next to the immigration of local fibroblasts along the fibrin network and the beginning of reepithelialization from the wound edges, neovascularization and angiogenesis get activated by capillary sprouting. The formation of granulation tissue stops through apoptosis of the cells, characterizing a mature wound as avascular as well as acellular. During the maturation of the wound the components of the extracellular matrix undergo certain changes. The physiological endpoint of mammalian wound repair displays the formation of a scar, which is directly linked to the extent of the inflammatory process throughout wound healing.
Do New Wipe Materials Outperform Traditional Lead Dust Cleaning Methods?

Government guidelines have traditionally recommended the use of wet mopping, sponging, or vacuuming for removal of lead-contaminated dust from hard surfaces in homes. The emergence of new technologies, such as the electrostatic dry cloth and wet disposable clothes used on mopheads, for removal of dust provides an opportunity to evaluate their ability to remove lead compared with more established methods. The purpose of this study was to determine if relative differences exist between two new and two older methods for removal of lead-contaminated dust (LCD) from three wood surfaces that were characterized by different roughness or texture. Standard leaded dust, <75 μm, was deposited by gravity onto the wood specimens. Specimens were cleaned using an automated device. Electrostatic dry cloths (dry Swiffer), wet Swiffer cloths, paper shop towels with non-ionic detergent, and vacuuming were used for cleaning LCD from the specimens. Lead analysis was by anodic stripping voltammetry. After the cleaning study was conducted, a study of the coefficient of friction was performed for each wipe material. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the surface and cleaning methods. There were significant interactions between cleaning method and surface types, p = 0.007. Cleaning method was found be a significant factor in removal of lead, p <0.001, indicating that effectiveness of each cleaning methods is different. However, cleaning was not affected by types of surfaces. The coefficient of friction, significantly different among the three wipes, is likely to influence the cleaning action. Cleaning method appears to be more important than texture in LCD removal from hard surfaces. There are some small but important factors in cleaning LCD from hard surfaces, including the limits of a Swiffer mop to conform to curved surfaces and the efficiency of the wetted shop towel and vacuuming for cleaning all surface textures. The mean percentage reduction in lead dust achieved by the traditional methods (vacuuming and wet wiping) was greater and more consistent compared to the new methods (electrostatic dry cloth and wet Swiffer mop). Vacuuming and wet wiping achieved lead reductions of 92% ± 4% and 91%, ± 4%, respectively, while the electrostatic dry cloth and wet Swiffer mops achieved lead reductions of only 89 ± 8% and 81 ± 17%, respectively.
Hyperspectral super-resolution of locally low rank images from complementary multisource data

Remote sensing hyperspectral images (HSI) are quite often locally low rank, in the sense that the spectral vectors acquired from a given spatial neighborhood belong to a low dimensional subspace/manifold. This has been recently exploited for the fusion of low spatial resolution HSI with high spatial resolution multispectral images (MSI) in order to obtain super-resolution HSI. Most approaches adopt an unmixing or a matrix factorization perspective. The derived methods have led to state-of-the-art results when the spectral information lies in a low dimensional subspace/manifold. However, if the subspace/manifold dimensionality spanned by the complete data set is large, the performance of these methods decrease mainly because the underlying sparse regression is severely ill-posed. In this paper, we propose a local approach to cope with this difficulty. Fundamentally, we exploit the fact that real world HSI are locally low rank, to partition the image into patches and solve the data fusion problem independently for each patch. This way, in each patch the subspace/manifold dimensionality is low enough to obtain useful super-resolution. We explore two alternatives to define the local regions, using sliding windows and binary partition trees. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated with synthetic and semi-real data.