Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New antigenic targets in type 1 diabetes

Purpose of reviewThe β-cell-specific zinc transporter isoform 8 (SLC30A8) has recently emerged both as a major autoantigenic target of type 1 diabetes and also as a genetic marker for type 2 diabetes. We examine the hypothesis that the cell specificity and cellular localization of this granule membrane protein are significant factors in its contribution to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Recent findingsBoth type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with islet functional failure and both diseases may be linked to stress responses and changes in the secretory pathway, which lead to cell apoptosis and thus directly to reduction of β-cell mass or activation of underlying autoimmunity. In both cases, the common polymorphism at aa 325 has been implicated in disease, in type 1 diabetes by determining the autoantibody epitope specificity and in type 2 diabetes through association with altered β-cell mass and impaired secretion. SummaryFunctional studies of the transporter will be key to understanding the role of ZnT8 in type 2 diabetes. Investigation of the cellular immune response to ZnT8 will be essential in evaluating its contribution to type 1 diabetes. Measurement of autoantibodies to ZnT8 takes us a step closer to detection of prediabetes in the general population.
GaAs MOSFET with oxide gate dielectric grown by atomic layer deposition

For the first time, a III-V compound semiconductor MOSFET with the gate dielectric grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is demonstrated. The novel application of the ALD process on III-V compound semiconductors affords tremendous functionality and opportunity by enabling the formation of high-quality gate oxides and passivation layers on III-V compound semiconductor devices. A 0.65-/spl mu/m gate-length depletion-mode n-channel GaAs MOSFET with an Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ gate oxide thickness of 160 /spl Aring/ shows a gate leakage current density less than 10/sup -4/ A/cm/sup 2/ and a maximum transconductance of 130 mS/mm, with negligible drain current drift and hysteresis. A short-circuit current-gain cut-off frequency f/sub T/ of 14.0 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency f/sub max/ of 25.2 GHz have been achieved from a 0.65-/spl mu/m gate-length device.
Alternative Rotor Designs for High Performance Brushless Permanent Magnet Machines for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

This paper investigates different rotor topologies based on the spoke design as an alternative to the internal permanent magnet design currently used in the Toyota Prius 2004 design. Reference is made to the 2010 model where the magnet material and maximum torque are reduced, but the speed is doubled. A rare-earth spoke design is shown to be a viable alternative. The paper then goes further and investigates a ferrite alternative. While the torque density is reduced, it illustrates that the spoke magnet arrangement may a viable solution and may open up ferrite magnet use. To offset the reduction in torque density then the speed may be increased; this is the solution Toyota used in the 2010 machine for rare-earth magnet material reduction.
Exploring reality through new lenses

Can the essay genre used in education and reserarch provide new options for describing reality? This genre has already obtained a strong position in philosophy, in which it has proven to be appraopriate when dealing with “the far too big and the far too small questions”1. But what about the essay as a supplement to – or even a replacement for – traditonal descriptions within social science in higher education?
President-centered and Presidency-centered Explanations of Presidential Public Activity

This article assesses the president's public activities. It tests hypotheses derived from an explanation that suggests that presidential choice depends upon the nature of presidents-a "president-centered" explanation. It also tests hypotheses derived from the opposing account, that is, that presidential behavior reflects the president's institutional responsibilities and powers-a "presidency-centered" explanation. The latter includes the president's clerkship of official responsibilities, bargaining conditions, and the tenure of presidents. Technological innovations also affect presidential activity. The empirical evaluation of these explanations includes tests for three kinds of president-centered explanations, emphasizing individual presidents, Barber's presidential styles, and the recent interest in Washington outsiders. The empirical evidence suggests an important role for the presidency-centered explanation and the control for technology. The president-centered models, however, provide additional insight into presidential activities.
An analysis of the effects of skin reactive factor released from lymphoid cells by concanavalin A in vivo.

AN ouTGRoowTH of the development of well-defined and re-producible systems for assaying delayed hypersensitivity in vitro has been the gathering of much new information concerning the con-sequences of the interaction of antigen and "sensitized" lymphocytes. Bloom and Bennett1 demonstrated that a migration inhibitorv factor (NIIF) for macrophages is elaborated by lymphocvtes from tubercu-lin-sensitive guinea pigs when they are incubated with tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD). M1IF also is produced after specific challenge of lvmphocvtes sensitized to a variety of antigens other than into normal guinea skin lesions characteristic of delayed hypersensitivitv.4 presence skin reactive MIIF. laboratory and of Pick al 67 that nonspecific production of SRF occurs when "normal" lymphocvtes are incubated with the plant mitogen concanavalin A (Con A).
HfSiON n-MOSFETs Using Low-Work Function$hboxHfSi_x$Gate

The authors have developed a novel high-temperature stable HfSi x gate for high-kappa HfSiON gate dielectric. After a 1000 degC RTA, the HfSix/HfSiON devices showed an effective work function of 4.27 eV and a peak electron mobility of 216 cm2/Vmiddots at 1.6-nm equivalent oxide thickness, with additional merit of a process compatible with current very large scale integration fabrication lines
Antibodies to pneumococcal surface protein A families 1 and 2 in serum and saliva of children and the risk of pneumococcal acute otitis media.

BACKGROUND Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a highly variable yet cross-reactive protein that exists as 2 major families. We assessed the development of human serum and salivary antibodies against the PspA families 1 (PspA1) and 2 (PspA2) in early childhood and their role in the prevention of pneumococcal acute otitis media (AOM). METHODS Serum levels of IgG and salivary levels of IgA antibodies to PspA1 and PspA2 were measured by use of enzyme immunoassay from the samples from the Finnish Otitis Media Cohort Study obtained at the ages of 12 months (287 and 160 samples, respectively) and 18 months (258 and 131 samples, respectively). The Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the relative risk (RR) of pneumococcal AOM during the 6 months after sampling relative to concentration of serum or presence of salivary anti-PspA in the samples. RESULTS Anti-PspA1 and anti-PspA2 concentrations at 12 and 18 months were related to prior culture-confirmed pneumococcal exposure. The concentrations of serum anti-PspA were not significantly associated with the risk of pneumococcal AOM. At 18 months, the presence of salivary anti-PspA was significantly associated with a lower risk of pneumococcal AOM during the 6 months after sampling (RR, 0.27 [95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.69]). CONCLUSIONS The lowered risk of pneumococcal AOM associated with the presence of salivary anti-PspA at 18 months suggests that mucosal anti-PspA antibodies have a role in the prevention of pneumococcal AOM.
The draft genome of Tibetan hulless barley reveals adaptive patterns to the high stressful Tibetan Plateau

Significance The draft genome of Tibetan hulless barley provides a robust framework to better understand Poaceae evolution and a substantial basis for functional genomics of crop species with a large genome. The expansion of stress-related gene families in Tibetan hulless barley implies that it could be considered as an invaluable gene resource aiding stress tolerance improvement in Triticeae crops. Genome resequencing revealed extensive genetic diversity in Tibetan barley germplasm and divergence to sequenced barley genomes from other geographical regions. Investigation of genome-wide selection footprints demonstrated an adaptive correlation of genes under selection with extensive stressful environmental variables. These results reveal insights into the adaptation of Tibetan hulless barley to harsh environments on the highland and will facilitate future genetic improvement of crops. The Tibetan hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum), also called “Qingke” in Chinese and “Ne” in Tibetan, is the staple food for Tibetans and an important livestock feed in the Tibetan Plateau. The diploid nature and adaptation to diverse environments of the highland give it unique resources for genetic research and crop improvement. Here we produced a 3.89-Gb draft assembly of Tibetan hulless barley with 36,151 predicted protein-coding genes. Comparative analyses revealed the divergence times and synteny between barley and other representative Poaceae genomes. The expansion of the gene family related to stress responses was found in Tibetan hulless barley. Resequencing of 10 barley accessions uncovered high levels of genetic variation in Tibetan wild barley and genetic divergence between Tibetan and non-Tibetan barley genomes. Selective sweep analyses demonstrate adaptive correlations of genes under selection with extensive environmental variables. Our results not only construct a genomic framework for crop improvement but also provide evolutionary insights of highland adaptation of Tibetan hulless barley.
Blood Pressure Measurement in Freely Moving Rats by the Tail Cuff Method

Inconsistency in consecutive blood pressure values is one of the most frequently observed problems in tail cuff method. The aim of this study was to measure blood pressure using the tail cuff method in rats without heating, anesthesia, and movement restriction. In this study, it has been shown that blood pressure measurement could be obtained without problem using the tail cuff method in freely moving rats in their cage environment. Also, the reliability of consecutive blood pressure values obtained from freely moving rats was higher than ether anesthesia and restricted groups.
Alu sequence involvement in transcriptional insulation of the keratin 18 gene in transgenic mice

The human keratin 18 (K18) gene is expressed in a variety of adult simple epithelial tissues, including liver, intestine, lung, and kidney, but is not normally found in skin, muscle, heart, spleen, or most of the brain. Transgenic animals derived from the cloned K18 gene express the transgene in appropriate tissues at levels directly proportional to the copy number and independently of the sites of integration. We have investigated in transgenic mice the dependence of K18 gene expression on the distal 5' and 3' flanking sequences and upon the RNA polymerase III promoter of an Alu repetitive DNA transcription unit immediately upstream of the K18 promoter. Integration site-independent expression of tandemly duplicated K18 transgenes requires the presence of either an 825-bp fragment of the 5' flanking sequence or the 3.5-kb 3' flanking sequence. Mutation of the RNA polymerase III promoter of the Alu element within the 825-bp fragment abolishes copy number-dependent expression in kidney but does not abolish integration site-independent expression when assayed in the absence of the 3' flanking sequence of the K18 gene. The characteristics of integration site-independent expression and copy number-dependent expression are separable. In addition, the formation of the chromatin state of the K18 gene, which likely restricts the tissue-specific expression of this gene, is not dependent upon the distal flanking sequences of the 10-kb K18 gene but rather may depend on internal regulatory regions of the gene.
Relationships between luteal activity, fertility, blood metabolites and body condition score in multiparous Estonian Holstein dairy cows under different management

The objective was to compare the relationships between luteal activity and fertility, and relate these parameters to metabolic indices and body condition changes in multiparous Estonian Holstein cows on two commercial dairy farms under different management and levels of production and nutrition (higher, H, n=54 (71 lactations) and lower, L, n=39 (39 lactations)). For statistical analysis cows were categorized according to their milk progesterone (P4) profiles as follows: normal ovarian function; delayed start of cyclicity (DC) (interval from calving to first luteal response (P4⩾5 ng/ml up to and more than 50 d respectively, followed by regular cyclicity); cessation of luteal activity (prolonged interluteal interval, P4<5 ng/ml, with a duration of ⩾14 d between two adjacent luteal phases); prolonged luteal activity (P4 levels ⩾5 ng/ml for ⩾20 d without preceding insemination). The Mixed procedure of the SAS system was used to compare milk production traits, blood metabolites (ketone bodies, non-esterified fatty acids, total cholesterol) and aspartate aminotransferase, body condition scores (BCS) and fertility parameters between the two farms, and also fertility parameters between the farms within P4 categories. Differences in milk fat/protein ratio, ketone body levels and BCS indicated a deeper negative energy balance (NEB) during the first month after calving on farm L. On both farms nearly 50% of the recently calved dairy cows suffered from ovarian dysfunction during the post-partum period. Delayed start of cyclicity was the most prevalent abnormal P4 profile, 25% and 28% on farms H and L, respectively. Prolonged luteal activity accounted for one-third of atypical ovarian patterns on farm H, and cessation of luteal activity on farm L. On farm L, DC cows had lower BCS values from day 10 to day 90 after calving compared with normal cows (P<0·01) and cows lost more BCS (1·2 units) during the 40 d after calving than normal resumption cows (0·75 units; P<0·05). On farm H with moderate NEB the delayed start of ovulation post partum did not impair subsequent reproductive performance.
Technical note: evaluating mandibular ramus flexure as a morphological indicator of sex.

Described as a highly reliable method of sex identification, mandibular ramus flexure is a morphological trait expressed on the posterior border of the ramus at the occlusal plane (Loth and Henneberg [1996] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 99:473-485). In a blind test, 158 mandibles were examined for the presence of flexure as defined by Loth and Henneberg, resulting in 79.1% accuracy, which is well below the reported 91-99% accuracy. Twenty-five of these mandibles were assigned the ambiguous score of 0, an outcome of a +1 score for one side, and a -1 score for the other. Seventeen mandibles were examined twice to measure intraobserver error. Only 64.7% of the scores were duplicated in the second session, suggesting difficulty in consistent identification of flexure. Low overall accuracy, an invalid scoring system, and high intraobserver error indicate that mandibular ramus flexure is an unreliable technique for estimation of sex.
Progress in cancer screening practices in the United States

Understanding differences in cancer screening among population groups in 2000 and successes or failures in reducing disparities over time among groups is important for planning a public health strategy to reduce or eliminate health disparities, a major goal of Healthy People 2010 national cancer screening objectives. In 2000, the new cancer control module added to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collected more detailed information on cancer screening compared with previous surveys.
The Ku80 Carboxy Terminus Stimulates Joining and Artemis-Mediated Processing of DNA Ends

ABSTRACT Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is predominantly mediated by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) in mammalian cells. NHEJ requires binding of the Ku70-Ku80 heterodimer (Ku70/80) to the DNA ends and subsequent recruitment of the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKCS) and the XRCC4/ligase IV complex. Activation of the DNA-PKCS serine/threonine kinase requires an interaction with Ku70/80 and is essential for NHEJ-mediated DSB repair. In contrast to previous models, we found that the carboxy terminus of Ku80 is not absolutely required for the recruitment and activation of DNA-PKCS at DSBs, although cells that harbored a carboxy-terminal deletion in the Ku80 gene were sensitive to ionizing radiation and showed reduced end-joining capacity. More detailed analysis of this repair defect showed that DNA-PKCS autophosphorylation at Thr2647 was diminished, while Ser2056 was phosphorylated to normal levels. This resulted in severely reduced levels of Artemis nuclease activity in vivo and in vitro. We therefore conclude that the Ku80 carboxy terminus is important to support DNA-PKCS autophosphorylation at specific sites, which facilitates DNA end processing by the Artemis endonuclease and the subsequent joining reaction.
A cautionary note on the discrete uniform prior for the binomial N.

Analysis of wildlife data frequently involves estimation of population size N based on binomial counts. Bayesian analysts often use a constant prior for N, the choice motivated by a desire to avoid an informative prior, and to let the data speak for themselves. For instance, data augmentation methods for model Mh posit a super-population of size M >> N with individual detection probabilities z(i)p(i), with p(i) sampled from a parametric family of interest, and z(i) an indicator of membership in the target population; thus, N = Sigma(i)z(i). Treating z(i) as independent Bernoulli trials with success rate psi and assigning a uniform prior to psi is equivalent to assigning a discrete uniform prior for N on {0, 1,2,. , M}; by setting M large enough, analysts approximate the improper constant prior on the positive integers. In this paper, I demonstrate some paradoxical and plainly unacceptable features of the constant prior. These defects are not shared by the scale prior, which has been recommended for its good performance as measured by frequentist criteria. I show how the scale prior can be approximated in program OpenBUGS, including data augmentation applications for individual covariates.
Tumor autocrine motility factor is an angiogenic factor hat stimulates endothelial cell motility.

Autocrine motility factor (AMF) is a type of tumor-secreted cytokine that primarily stimulates tumor cell motility via receptor-mediated signaling pathways and is thought to be connected to tumor progression and metastasis. Using in vivo models, we showed that critical neovascularization responded to a biological amount of AMF. This angiogenic activity was fixed by specific inhibitors against AMF. AMF stimulated in vitro motility of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), inducing the expression of cell surface AMF receptor localizing a single predominant perinuclear pattern closely correlated with its motile ability. AMF also elicited the formation of tube-like structures mimicking angiogenesis when HUVECs were grown in three-dimensional type I collagen gels. We further immunohistochemically detected AMF receptors on the surrounding sites of newborn microvessels. These findings suggest that AMF is a possible tumor progressive angiogenic factor which may act in a paracrine manner for the endothelial cells in the clinical neoplasm, and it will be a new target for anti-angiogenic treatment.
Adipose‐derived factor CTRP9 attenuates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal formation

Obesity is closely associated with the progression of vascular disorders, including atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis. C1q/TNF‐related protein (CTRP) 9 is an adipocytokine that is down‐regulated in obese mice. Here we investigated whether CTRP9 modulates neointimal hyperplasia and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Left femoral arteries of wild‐type (WT) mice were injured by a steel wire. An adenoviral vector expressing CTRP9 (Ad‐CTRP9) or β‐galactosidase as a control was intravenously injected into WT mice 3 d before vascular injury. Delivery of Ad‐CTRP9 significantly attenuated the neointimal thickening and the number of bromode‐oxyuridine‐positive proliferating cells in the injured arteries compared with that of control. Treatment of VSMCs with CTRP9 protein attenuated the proliferative and chemotactic activities induced by growth factors including platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐BB, and suppressed PDGF‐BB‐stimulated phosphorylation of ERK. CTRP9 treatment dose‐dependently increased cAMP levels in VSMCs. Blockade of cAMP‐PKA pathway reversed the inhibitory effect of CTRP9 on DNA synthesis and ERK phosphorylation in response to PDGF‐BB. The present data indicate that CTRP9 functions to attenuate neointimal formation following vascular injury through its ability to inhibit VSMC growth via cAMP‐dependent mechanism, suggesting that the therapeutic approaches to enhance CTRP9 production could be valuable for prevention of vascular restenosis after angioplasty. —Uemura, Y. , Shibata, R. , Ohashi, K. , Enomoto, T. , Kambara, T. , Yamamoto, T. , Ogura, Y. , Yuasa, D. , Joki, Y. , Matsuo, K. , Miyabe, M. , Kataoka, Y. , Murohara, T. , Ouchi, N. Adipose‐derived factor CTRP9 attenuates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal formation. FASEB J. 27, 25–33 (2013). www.fasebj. org
Assessing public health interventions using Web content

Public health interventions are a fundamental tool for mitigating the spread of an infectious disease. However, it is not always possible to obtain a conclusive estimate for the impact of an intervention, especially in situations where the effects are fragmented in population parts that are under-represented within traditional public health surveillance schemes. To this end, online user activity can be used as a complementary sensor to establish alternative measures. Here, we provide a summary of our research on formulating statistical frameworks for assessing public health interventions based on data from social media and search engines (Lampos et al., 2015 [20]; Wagner et al., 2017 [37]). Our methodology has been applied in two real-world case studies: the 2013/14 and 2014/15 flu vaccination campaigns in England, where school-age children were vaccinated in a number of locations aiming to reduce the overall transmission of the virus. Disease models from online data combined with historical patterns of disease prevalence across different areas allowed us to quantify the impact of the intervention. In addition, a qualitative evaluation of our impact estimates demonstrated that they were in line with independent assessments from public health authorities.
Molecular typing of Helicobacter pylori isolates from a multicenter U.S. clinical trial by ureC restriction fragment length polymorphism

The molecular typing of 81 pretreatment Helicobacter pylori isolates and the comparison of 18 pretreatment-posttreatment pairs is described by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the ureC gene. The results of our study show the extreme genomic diversity of H. pylori and indicate that infection by H. pylori in the United States does not appear to be limited to a small number of RFLP types.