Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genistein, a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Decreased the Affinity of p56lck to β-Chain of Interleukin-2 Receptor in Human Natural Killer (NK)-Rich Cells and Decreased NK-Mediated Cytotoxicity

Abstract Intracellular signal transduction has been reported to be triggered by phosphorylation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor by IL–2. In order to clarify the effect of tyrosine phosphorylation of IL–2 receptors on cell-mediated cytotoxicity by natural killer (NK) cells, we studied the effect of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, on the lethal effects of NK-rich cells for K562 cells. Exposure of NK-rich ceils to IL-2 (100 U/ml) for 3 days increased their cytotoxicities against K562 cells. The effect was reduced in the presence of 10 μg/ml of genistein. Samples Immunoprecipitated by anti-IL-2Rβ antibodies were prepared from NK-rich fractions with or without exposure to IL-2 and/or genistein. Coprecipitated proteins with 75, 65, and 56 kDa were detected with an antiphosphotyrosine antibody. The amount of phosphorylated tyrosine residues of 56-kDa protein, which was predominantly detected in NK-rich cells, was remarkably increased by IL-2 treatment. The enhanced phosphorylation of 56-kDa protein was reduced by the presence of genistein. These results suggested that IL-2 increased tyrosine phosphorylation and the affinity to IL-2Rβ of the 56-kDa proteins in NK-rich cells. Immunoprecipitated samples by anti-IL-2Rβ were reblotted with anti-p56lck antibody and revealed that the 56-kDa protein was Identified to be p56lck. The increase of coprecipitated p56lck with anti-IL-2Rβ antibody by the treatment with IL-2 suggested that the affinity of p56lck to IL-2Rβ was increased by IL-2 in NK-rich cells. The amount of coprecipitated p56lck with IL-2Rβ was reduced in the sample exposed to genistein. The affinity of p56lck to IL-2Rβ was considered to be regulated by IL-2-induced tyrosine phosphorylation. Our results demonstrated a potential role for tyrosine kinase, p56lck, in the signaling events that regulate the cytotoxicity by NK-rich cells.
Differential expression of IGF family members in heat-stressed embryos produced in vitro from OPU-derived oocytes of Nelore (Bos indicus) and Holstein (Bos taurus) cows.

The IGF system is related to embryo quality. We aim to determine the effect of the heat stress on the mRNA expression of IGF1 and IGF2, IGFR1 and IGFR2, IGFBP2 and IGFBP4, and PAPPA in in vitro production (IVP) blastocysts from Nelore and Holstein after ovum pick up (OPU) to better understand the differences between these breeds. Oocytes from four Nelore and seven Holstein were collected in six OPU sessions. Following in vitro maturation and fertilization using six Nelore or Holstein sires, embryos were divided into control (cultured at 39°C) and heat stress (HS; exposed to 41°C for 9 h). Blastocysts were submitted to RNA extraction. The IGF1 expression was higher in blastocysts under HS in both breeds, and the expression of IGFBP2 and IGFBP4 was higher in Holstein blastocysts under HS. The high PAPPA expression and the low expression of IGFBP2 and IGFBP4 are associated with a more efficient degradation of IGFBPs, which results in greater IGF bioavailability in Nelore blastocysts and may contribute to the superior HS tolerance in Nelore, when compared to Holstein.
Genetic characterization of polypeptide deformylase, a distinctive enzyme of eubacterial translation.

Deformylase performs an essential step in the maturation of proteins in eubacteria, by removing the formyl group from the N‐terminal methionine residue of ribosome‐synthesized polypeptides. In spite of this important role in translation, the enzyme had so far eluded characterization because of its instability. We report the isolation of the deformylase gene of Escherichia coli, def, by overexpression of a genomic library from a high‐copy‐number plasmid and selection for utilization of the substrate analogue formyl‐leucyl‐methionine as a source of methionine. The def gene encodes a 169 amino acid polypeptide that bears no obvious resemblance to other known proteins. It forms an operon with the fmt gene, that encodes the initiator methionyl‐tRNA(i) transformylase, which was recently characterized (Guillon et al., J. Bacteriol., 174, 4294‐4301, 1992). This operon was mapped at min 72 of the E. coli chromosome. The def gene could be inactivated if the fmt gene was also inactivated, or if biosynthesis of N10‐formyl‐tetrahydrofolate, the formyl donor in methionyl‐tRNA(i) transformylation, was blocked by trimethoprim. These findings designate deformylase as a target for antibacterial chemotherapy.
Insulin delivery by somatic cell gene therapy.

The feasibility of somatic cell gene therapy as a method of insulin delivery has been studied in mice. Murine pituitary AtT20 cells were transfected with a human preproinsulin DNA in a plasmid containing a metallothionein promoter and a gene conferring resistance to the antibiotic G418. The AtT20MtIns-1.4 clone of cells was selected because of its higher insulin-releasing activity compared with other clones. After culturing for 24 h in Dulbecco's medium containing 10 mM glucose, the AtT20MtIns-1.4 cells released human insulin at about 5 ng/10(6) cells per 24 h. Insulin release was not significantly altered by raised concentrations of glucose, potassium or calcium, but insulin release was increased by 20 mM arginine, 5 mM isomethylbutylxanthine and 90 microM zinc. AtT20MtIns-1.4 cells (2 x 10(6)) were implanted intraperitoneally into non-diabetic athymic nude (nu/nu) mice, and the mice were made diabetic by injection of streptozotocin after 7 days. Release of human insulin in vivo was assessed using a specific plasma human C-peptide assay. Human C-peptide concentrations were maintained at about 0.1 pmol/ml throughout the 29 days of the study. The development of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycaemia was delayed in recipients of the cells releasing human insulin, compared with a control group receiving an implant of non-transfected cells. At autopsy the implanted AtT20MtIns-1.4 cells in each recipient had formed a tumour-like aggregation, with an outer region of insulin-containing cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Apparent competition with an invasive plant hastens the extinction of an endangered lupine.

Invasive plants may compete with native plants by increasing the pressure of native consumers, a mechanism known as "apparent competition. " Apparent competition can be as strong as or stronger than direct competition, but the role of apparent competition has rarely been examined in biological invasions. We used four years of demographic data and seed-removal experiments to determine if introduced grasses caused elevated levels of seed consumption on native plant species in a coastal dune system in California, USA. We show that the endangered, coastal dune plant Lupinus tidestromii experiences high levels of pre-dispersal seed consumption by the native rodent Peromyscus maniculatus due to its proximity to the invasive grass, Ammophila arenaria. We use stage-structured, stochastic population models to project that two of three study populations will decline toward extinction under ambient levels of consumption. For one of these declining populations, a relatively small decrease in consumption pressure should allow for persistence. We show that apparent competition with an invasive species significantly decreases the population growth rate and persistence of a native species. We expect that apparent competition is an important mechanism in other ecosystems because invasive plants often change habitat structure and plant-consumer interactions. Possible implications of the apparent-competition mechanism include selective extinction of species preferred by seed consumers in the presence of an invasive species and biological homogenization of communities toward non-preferred native plant species.
Evaluating the influence of 3D-printing parameters on acoustic material properties

We present a non-destructive measurement procedure to obtain material properties on parts manufactured using the Fused-Deposition-Modeling (FDM) method. This manufacturing method leads to an anisotropic structure within the part and possible degradation of the material itself due to high temperatures. Utilizing our measurement setup, we obtain the material properties from a set of samples, varying the printing temperature. The measurements show an influence of the printing temperature on the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Young's modulus decreases due to a thermal degeneration by 3%. Poisson's ratio along the fiber direction increases by 7% because of better adhesion between the fibers and layers. The results can be utilized to include more design goals, such as maximum strength or maximum isotropy, when preparing a model for manufacturing in addition to already established design goals such as minimum surface roughness or maximum printing speed.
An array of murine leukemia virus-related elements is transmitted and expressed in a primate recipient of retroviral gene transfer

Direct RNA-PCR analyses of T-cell lymphomas that developed in rhesus macaques during a gene transfer experiment revealed the presence of several different recombinant murine leukemia viruses (MuLV). Most prominent was the expected MuLV recombinant, designated MoLTRAmphoenv in which the amphotropic env of the helper packaging virus was joined to the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the Moloney MuLV-derived vector. This retrovirus does not exist in nature. An additional copy of the core enhancer acquired from the vector LTR may have augmented the replicative properties of MoLTRAmphoenv MuLV in several different rhesus cell types compared with the prototype amphotropic MuLV4070A. Unexpectedly, at least two types of mink cell focus-forming MuLV elements, arising from endogenous retroviral sequences expressed in the murine packaging cell line, were also transmitted and highly expressed in one of the macaques. Furthermore, murine virus-like VL-30 sequences were detected in the rhesus lymphomas, but these were not transcribed into RNA. The unanticipated presence of an array of MuLV-related structures in a primate gene transfer recipient demands ever-vigilant scrutiny for the existence of transmissible retroviral elements and replication-competent viruses possessing altered tropic or growth properties in packaging cells producing retroviral vectors.
GABA-mediated positive autofeedback loop controls horizontal cell kinetics in tiger salamander retina

Horizontal cells (HCs) appear to release, and also to be sensitive to, GABA. The external GABA concentration is increased with depolarization of the HC membrane via an electrogenic GABA transporter. This extracellular GABA opens a GABAA-gated Cl- channel in the HC membrane. Since the equilibrium potential for Cl- (ECl) is near -20 mV, GABA released by the HC further depolarizes the HC. The GABA transporter and the GABAA receptor thus constitute a positive feedback loop in the HC membrane. This loop can slow down the kinetics of the light responses in HCs. GABA released via the GABA transporter can affect the GABAA receptor, probably because diffusion from the extracellular space is normally restricted by the intact retinal structure. We therefore used retinal slices rather than isolated HCs to maintain that structure. To measure single-cell currents in the slice, HCs were electrically uncoupled by including cAMP in the patch pipette. Under these conditions, bath application of GABA elicited two currents: (1) a picrotoxin-blocked current reversing near ECl, probably mediated by GABAA receptors, and (2) a picrotoxin-insensitive current similar to that elicited by cis-4-hydroxynipecotic acid (NIP) shown in other preparations to act at the GABA transporter. Under physiological conditions, the HC membrane potential is controlled by two major conductances, the GABAA-gated Cl- conductance described above, and the glutamate-gated conductance modulated by photoreceptor input. A bright light flash eliminates the glutamate-gated conductance, leaving only the GABA-gated Cl- conductance to control the membrane. With the Cl- conductance a significant fraction of the overall membrane conductance the GABAergic positive feedback loop can decrease the response kinetics. We increased the ambient extracellular GABA concentration by adding 50 microM GABA to the extracellular medium. This increased the ambient Cl- conductance, but the transporter still modulated Cl- conductance because responses to light stimuli were significantly slowed. The slowdown of the HC response could be reversed by interrupting the loop in two ways: (1) picrotoxin opened the loop and speeded the responses by uncoupling the GABA concentration from control of the membrane conductance, and (2) NIP opened the loop by uncoupling the extracellular GABA concentration from the Cl- conductance and therefore the membrane potential. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Social stratification in sport and sport policy in the European Union

Abstract The article is centered around the question whether the idea of sport for all is reflected in the participation profiles of the European Union 30 years after the ratification of the European Charter Sport for All. There is a long-standing and ongoing debate on whether socio-demographic and socio-economic aspects are still relevant factors to determine who becomes involved in sport and who does not. Empirical data and a comparative analysis of participation in sport in all 25 member states of the European Union are presented that facilitate reflection on the implementation policy of the idea of sport for all and add to the research literature on social determinants and stratification of sports participation.
Collateral Vessels on CT Angiography Predict Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Despite the abundance of emerging multimodal imaging techniques in the field of stroke, there is a paucity of data demonstrating a strong correlation between imaging findings and clinical outcome. This study explored how proximal arterial occlusions alter flow in collateral vessels and whether occlusion or extent of collaterals correlates with prehospital symptoms of fluctuation and worsening since onset or predict in-hospital worsening. Methods— Among 741 patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study involving CT angiographic imaging in acute stroke, 134 cases with proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion and 235 control subjects with no occlusions were identified. CT angiography was used to identify occlusions and grade the extent of collateral vessels in the sylvian fissure and leptomeningeal convexity. History of symptom fluctuation or progressive worsening was obtained on admission. Results— Prehospital symptoms were unrelated to occlusion or collateral status. In cases, 37.5% imaged within 1 hour were found to have diminished collaterals versus 12.1% imaged at 12 to 24 hours (P=0.047). No difference in worsening was seen between cases and control subjects with adequate collaterals, but cases with diminished sylvian and leptomeningeal collaterals experienced greater risk of worsening compared with control subjects measured either by admission to discharge National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale increase ≥1 (55.6% versus 16.6%, P=0.001) or ≥4 (44.4% versus 6.4%, P<0.001). Conclusion— Most patients with proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion rapidly recruit sufficient collaterals and follow a clinical course similar to patients with no occlusions, but a subset with diminished collaterals is at high risk for worsening.
Impact of Power Density Maximization on Efficiency of DC–DC Converter Systems

The demand for decreasing costs and volume leads to a constantly increasing power density of industrial converter systems. In order to improve the power density, further different aspects, like thermal management and electromagnetic effects, must be considered in conjunction with the electrical design. Therefore, a comprehensive optimization procedure based on analytical models for minimizing volume of DC-DC converter systems has been developed at the power electronic systems laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). Based on this procedure, three converter topologies-a phase-shift converter with current doubler and with capacitive output filter and a series-parallel resonant converter-are optimized with respect to power density for a telecom supply (400 V/48 V). There, the characteristic of the power density, the efficiency, and the volume distribution between the components as functions of frequency are discussed. For the operating points with maximal power density, the loss distribution is also presented. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the optimum with respect to junction temperature, cooling, and core material is investigated. The highest power density is achieved by the series-parallel resonant converter. For a 5-kW supply, a density of approximately 12 kW/L and a switching frequency of ca. 130 kHz are obtained.
Chapter 7 Black Women Faculty in Educational Leadership: Unpacking their Silence in Research

The field of education continues to become more diverse with respect to race and gender. Specifically, research on the educational and professional experiences of African American and female scholars have increased (Cubillo & Brown, 2003; Philipsen, 2008; Wolfinger, Mason & Goulden, 2008; Wyche & Graves, 1992). With respect to the field of education, there are a few studies of women's experiences as faculty in educational leadership (Mertz, 2009; Sherman, Beatty, Crum, & Peters, 2010). However, there is a silence in research regarding the experiences of Black (African American) women faculty in the field of educational leadership/administration. The field of leadership is written typically by and for a mainstream, masculine audience. To this end, women and African Americans are “othered” in this discourse. This chapter examines the experiences of four African American female scholars in programs of educational leadership/administration.
Specific phosphorylation sites underlie the stimulation of a large conductance, Ca2+‐activated K+ channel by cGMP‐dependent protein kinase

Smooth muscle contractility and neuronal excitability are regulated by large conductance, Ca2+‐activated K+ (BKCa) channels, the activity of which can be increased after modulation by type I cGMP‐dependent protein kinase (cGKI) via nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP signaling. Our study focused on identifying key phosphorylation sites within the BKCa channel underlying functional enhancement of channel activity by cGKI. BKCa channel phosphorylation by cGKIα was characterized biochemically using radiolabeled ATP, and regulation of channel activity by NO/cGMP signaling was quantified in rat aortic A7r5 smooth muscle cells by cell‐attached patch‐clamp recording. Serine to alanine substitutions at 3 of 6 putative cGKI phosphorylation sites (Ser691, Ser873, and Ser1112) in the BKCa α subunit individually reduced direct channel phosphorylation by 25–60% and blocked BKCa activation by either an NO donor or a membrane‐permeable cGMP by 80–100%. Acute inhibition of cGKI prevented stimulus‐evoked enhancement of BKCa channel activity. Our data further suggest that augmentation of BKCa activity by NO/cGMP/cGKI signaling requires phosphorylation at all 3 sites and is independent of elevations in [Ca2+]i. Phosphorylation of 3 specific Ser residues within the murine BKCa α subunit by cGKIα accounts for the enhanced BKCa channel activity induced by elevated [cGMP]i in situ. —Kyle, B.D. , Hurst, S. , Swayze, R. D. , Sheng, J., Braun, A.P. Specific phosphorylation sites underlie the stimulation of a large conductance, Ca2+‐activated K+ channel by cGMP‐dependent protein kinase. FASEB J. 27, 2027–2038 (2013). www.fasebj. org
PCR Production of a Digoxigenin‐labeled Probe for the Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus in Tissue Sections

In situ hybridization (ISH) provides a means for identifying viral genomes in the context of tissue pathology. We have developed a specific and sensitive ISH probe for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in formalin-fixed. paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Digoxigenin-11-dUTP was incorporated into a 435-base pair fragment of the CMV Major Immediate Early (MIE) gene with use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Hybridized probe was detected by reaction with antidigoxigenin antibody coupled to alkaline phosphatase and chromogenic substrates. This method has detected CMV infection in routine clinical specimens from a variety of tissue types, including colon, kidney, liver, and stomach. Infection in cells with and without characteristic inclusions is revealed with this probe. The background is so low that single infected cells are detected unambiguously. No cross-hybridization was observed with cells infected with other viruses of Herpesviridae. This approach may be useful for producing probes for the detection of other viral genomes in tissue sections.
Dielectric characterization of materials using a modified microstrip ring resonator technique

The goal of this study is to present a simple model based on the ring-resonator technique to measure nondestructively the permittivity and loss tangent of dielectric materials. The proposed measurement model utilizes a modified ring-resonator technique in one-layer and two-layer microstrip configurations. This method eliminates the requirement to metalize the samples and enables characterization of permittivity and dielectric loss from 2 to 40 GHz. The effects of conductor and radiation losses that may introduce significant errors in the calculation of the loss tangent, especially at very high frequencies, are minimized. The measurement precision is evaluated by comparing the results with those obtained by using two well-known standard techniques. Uncertainties associated with the proposed model are addressed.
Cell-intrinsic TLR2/MyD88 pathway in breast and colon cancer

Breast and colon cancers are the leading causes of cancer related deaths in western countries. Both cancers originate from an epithelial compartment, which has a cellular hierarchy. This hierarchy is defined by cells with self-renewal capacity and cells that are differentiated without self-renewal capacity and thus have limited proliferative capacity. Although the cellular hierarchies of the mammary gland and the intestinal tract have been and are currently under intense investigation, several findings still require further clarification (e.g., the presence or the absence of a bipotent stem cell compartment in the mammary gland.1,2)
Mixed-Signal Parallel Compressive Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radios

Wideband spectrum sensing for cognitive radios requires very demanding analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) speed and dynamic range. In this paper, a mixed-signal parallel compressive sensing architecture is developed to realize wideband spectrum sensing for cognitive radios at sub-Nqyuist rates by exploiting the sparsity in current frequency usage. Overlapping windowed integrators are used for analog basis expansion, that provides flexible filter nulls for clock leakage spur rejection. A low-speed experimental system, built with off-the-shelf components, is presented. The impact of circuit nonidealities is considered in detail, providing insight for a future integrated circuit implementation.
Identification of active and passive sentence for plagiarism detection

In this paper, method that can detect sentence similarity by considering active sentences and passive sentences is proposed. Indonesian language has several types of sentences, which have different sentence patterns. Although the sentences are different, there are still chances of similarity between one sentence with another sentence in the document. Sentence similarity in the document encourages the act of plagiarism. This problem needs to be identified in order to avoid plagiarism in the document. Experiments were conducted on 60 single sentences, which consists of 30 active sentences and 30 passive sentences, and were verified by Indonesian language experts. The results have shown a promising identification capability of active and passive sentences, which can be used for plagiarism detection.