Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyoma middle‐sized T antigen can be phosphorylated on tyrosine at multiple sites in vitro.

The polyoma middle‐sized T antigen (MT antigen) is associated with a protein kinase activity which phosphorylates tyrosine residues in polyoma T antigens in vitro. We have studied the sites of tyrosine phosphorylation of MT antigens phosphorylated in immunoprecipitates or in soluble form after partial purification by immunoaffinity chromatography. By analyzing the amino acid sequences of tryptic peptides of MT antigen, and by analyzing deletion mutant MT antigens, we have identified two major sites of phosphorylation in MT antigen, tyrosines 250 and 315. Additional sites were phosphorylated under some conditions. A synthetic peptide (Glu.Glu.Glu.Glu.Tyr.Met.Pro.Met.Glu), corresponding to the sequence around tyrosine 315, was phosphorylated when added to immunoprecipitates containing MT antigen.
Le concept de pression temporelle ultime et sa mesure

Cette recherche définit la pression temporelle ultime (PTU) comme la conscience d’un temps restant à vivre limité par le rapprochement de la mort et les réactions affectives qui l’accompagnent. Il s’agit d’une nouvelle catégorie de pression temporelle se différenciant des pressions temporelles chronique (PTC) ou situationnelle (PTS). Une échelle de mesure en est proposée dont la validité nomologique est testée sur différentes motivations au bénévolat des retraités, permettant notamment d’aller au-delà de l’utilisation du temps disponible de cette population comme critère primordial de recrutement et fidélisation de bénévoles.
Evaluation of placental function using near infrared spectroscopy during fetal growth restriction

Abstract Objectives: To investigate whether a near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system is useful for evaluation of the placental function in cases of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Methods: Subjects included 282 delivered neonates of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and 44 small for gestational age (SGA) babies. The measurement of the concentration of oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) was conducted using transabdominal NIRS targeting the placenta at around 20 weeks, 30 weeks and after 36 weeks of gestation and calculated tissue oxygen indexes (TOI=HbO2/total Hb). We correlated between TOIs and causes of FGR. Results: TOIs measured immediately before delivery in the SGA group with severe pre-eclampsia (79.2±3.8 (%±standard deviation (SD); P=0.002)) and placental abnormalities (78.2±3.6; P=0.043) were higher than in the AGA group (74.0±4.5). TOIs in the SGA group with umbilical cord abnormalities were lower (69.7±7.7; P=0.024) than in the AGA group. Conclusion: NIRS might provide information about blood oxygen level of the intervillous space and thus explain the cause of FGR.
Location of direct lightning impacts to overhead transmission lines by means of a time of arrival algorithm

A method for locating direct lightning impacts on overhead transmission lines is proposed. The method is based on the time of arrival of traveling waves generated by the lightning current injected into the overhead ground wire. The method requires the currents measured or calculated through the earth wire at each end of the transmission line and its length as input parameters. These signals are digitally processed and used by the method in order to estimate the lightning impact point. The performance of the method was evaluated by means of a Montecarlo simulation taking into account randomly generated values for the lightning discharge parameters and for the impact points along the transmission line. As a conclusion, it is shown that besides its excellent behavior, the results obtained can be used to identify transmission line sections with high flashover rates and with possible insulation problems.
Selection for the length of the spermatozoan midpiece in the mouse.

A subcellular dimension, the length of the spermatozoan midpiece, has been the subject of a two-way selection programme in mice. After thirteen generations of within-family selection the divergence between the selected lines amounted to 5·4 phenotypic standard deviations. The realized heritability was found to be 0·76 ± 0·02, dominance and commonenvironmental effects being apparently very small. The reality of the selection response was verified in measurements on live spermatozoa. Other measurements have shown that the change in the length of the midpiece has been independent of its width, and has occurred without a proportionate change in the length of the main-piece of the flagellum. An electron microscope study has shown that the selection has, in fact, brought about changes in the quantity of mitochondrial material in the sperm cells.
INTERLEUKIN‐6‐INDUCED PRODUCTION OF TYPE II ACUTE PHASE PROTEINS AND EXPRESSION OF junB GENE ARE DOWNREGULATED BY HUMAN RECOMBINANT GROWTH HORMONE IN VITRO

Growth hormone (GH), given therapeutically in many human diseases, is able to modulate the maturation and function of many cells of immune system. The present study demonstrates the effect of human recombinant GH on the production of acute phase proteins (APP) as well as on the gene expression of junB proto‐oncogene on human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. When applied alone GH resulted in an increase in the transcription of junB proto‐oncogene within 30min. The production of α2‐macroglobulin, haptoglobin and fibrinogen was also enhanced by rhGH treatment. However, both IL‐6‐stimulatedjunB gene expression (junB mRNA) and biosynthesis of type II APP (α2‐macroglobulin, fibrinogen, haptoglobin) were strongly inhibited by the GH. The results indicate that GH has a modulatory role in regulating inflammation both in the absence and presence of IL‐6. These findings call for further in vivo studies to determine the potential anti‐inflammatory actions of GH therapy.
The relationship between delayed or incomplete treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the factors associated with survival in patients with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in New York City. DESIGN Observational study of a citywide cohort of tuberculosis cases. SETTING New York City, April 1991, before the strengthening of its control program. PATIENTS All 229 newly diagnosed cases of tuberculosis documented by culture in April 1991. Most patients (74%) were male, and the median age was 37 years (range, 1-89 years). In all, 89% belonged to minority groups. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was present in 50% and multidrug resistance in 7% of the cases. Twenty-one patients (9%) were not treated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Follow-up information was collected through the New York City tuberculosis registry; death from any cause was verified through the National Death Index. RESULTS Cumulative all-cause mortality by October 1994 was 44%; the median survival for those who died was 6.3 months (range, 0 days to 3 years). The most important baseline predictors of mortality, adjusted for baseline clinical and demographic factors, were acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (91% vs 11% in HIV-seronegative patients; Cox relative risk [RR], 7.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-29.1), multidrug resistance (87% vs 39% in pansensitive cases; adjusted RR, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.3-14.5), and lack of treatment (81% vs 40%; adjusted RR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.0-9.7). Also, 11 of 13 HIV-infected patients who started treatment after a 1-month delay died. Among 173 patients surviving the recommended treatment period, those who completed therapy (66%) had a lower subsequent mortality (20% vs 37%; RR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9). CONCLUSIONS Mortality from tuberculosis was high, even among patients without multidrug resistance who were not known to be infected with HIV. Most HIV-seropositive patients with delayed therapy died. Multidrug resistance predicted higher mortality, and treatment completion was associated with improved subsequent patient survival.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-like phenotypic changes of retinal pigment epithelium induced by TGF-β are prevented by PPAR-γ agonists.

PURPOSE Proliferative eye diseases, such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, are caused partly by fibrotic change of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPECs). The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonist on the fibrotic change of primate RPECs. METHODS Monkey RPECs (MRPECs) isolated from a cynomolgus monkey eye were subcultured. To induce fibrotic change, MRPECs were cultured with TGF-β2 (3 ng/mL), and also cultured in the coexistence of TGF-β2 and the PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone (30 μM). The phenotype of the cultured MRPECs was evaluated by phase contrast microscopy and immunocytochemical analysis. The phosphorylation of Smad2/Smad3 proteins was examined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Primary MRPECs were cultured as a monolayer with a hexagonal cell shape, and positive expression of ZO-1, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, and RPE65 was confirmed. Cell morphology and the expression of these markers were maintained in the presence of pioglitazone, whereas the cells were elongated and the expression of these markers was reduced in its absence. Conversely, the expression of phalloidin, α-smooth muscle actin, and fibronectin was reduced in the presence of pioglitazone, whereas it was increased in the absence. Western blot assay demonstrated that phosphorylation of Smad2/Smad3 proteins was suppressed by pioglitazone. CONCLUSIONS The PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone inhibited the fibrotic change of primary MRPECs through the suppression of TGF-β signaling. Pioglitazone might prove to be a clinically applicable and effective pharmaceutic treatment for proliferative eye diseases.
Simulation of interlaminar and intralaminar damage in polymer-based composites for aeronautical applications under impact loading

La aplicacion de materiales compuestos de matriz polimerica reforzados mediante fibras largas (FRP, Fiber Reinforced Plastic), esta en gradual crecimiento debido a las buenas propiedades especificas y a la flexibilidad en el diseno. Uno de los mayores consumidores es la industria aeroespacial, dado que la aplicacion de estos materiales tiene claros beneficios economicos y medioambientales. Cuando los materiales compuestos se aplican en componentes estructurales, se inicia un programa de diseno donde se combinan ensayos reales y tecnicas de analisis. El desarrollo de herramientas de analisis fiables que permiten comprender el comportamiento mecanico de la estructura, asi como reemplazar muchos, pero no todos, los ensayos reales, es de claro interes. Susceptibilidad al dano debido a cargas de impacto fuera del plano es uno de los aspectos de mas importancia que se tienen en cuenta durante el proceso de diseno de estructuras de material compuesto. La falta de conocimiento de los efectos del impacto en estas estructuras es un factor que limita el uso de estos materiales. Por lo tanto, el desarrollo de modelos de ensayo virtual mecanico para analizar la resistencia a impacto de una estructura es de gran interes, pero aun mas, la prediccion de la resistencia residual despues del impacto. En este sentido, el presente trabajo abarca un amplio rango de analisis de eventos de impacto a baja velocidad en placas laminadas de material compuesto, monoliticas, planas, rectangulares, y con secuencias de apilamiento convencionales. Teniendo en cuenta que el principal objetivo del presente trabajo es la prediccion de la resistencia residual a compresion, diferentes tareas se llevan a cabo para favorecer el adecuado analisis del problema. Los temas que se desarrollan son: la descripcion analitica del impacto, el diseno y la realizacion de un plan de ensayos experimentales, la formulacion e implementacion de modelos constitutivos para la descripcion del comportamiento del material, y el desarrollo de ensayos virtuales basados en modelos de elementos finitos en los que se usan los modelos constitutivos implementados.
Biological activity of the Helicobacter pylori virulence factor CagA is determined by variation in the tyrosine phosphorylation sites

Helicobacter pylori is a causative agent of gastritis and peptic ulcer. cagA+H. pylori strains are more virulent than cagA− strains and are associated with gastric carcinoma. The cagA gene product, CagA, is injected by the bacterium into gastric epithelial cells and subsequently undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation. The phosphorylated CagA specifically binds SHP-2 phosphatase, activates the phosphatase activity, and thereby induces morphological transformation of cells. CagA proteins of most Western H. pylori isolates have a 34-amino acid sequence that variably repeats among different strains. Here, we show that the repeat sequence contains a tyrosine phosphorylation site. CagA proteins having more repeats were found to undergo greater tyrosine phosphorylation, to exhibit increased SHP-2 binding, and to induce greater morphological changes. In contrast, predominant CagA proteins specified by H. pylori strains isolated in East Asia, where gastric carcinoma is prevalent, had a distinct tyrosine phosphorylation sequence at the region corresponding to the repeat sequence of Western CagA. This East Asian-specific sequence conferred stronger SHP-2 binding and morphologically transforming activities to Western CagA. Finally, a critical amino acid residue that determines SHP-2 binding activity among different CagA proteins was identified. Our results indicate that the potential of individual CagA to perturb host-cell functions is determined by the degree of SHP-2 binding activity, which depends in turn on the number and sequences of tyrosine phosphorylation sites. The presence of distinctly structured CagA proteins in Western and East Asian H. pylori isolates may underlie the strikingly different incidences of gastric carcinoma in these two geographic areas.
SECULARIZATION OF THE WEST & THE REST The Legacy of Jeremy Bentham

Introduction 1 Scientific Revolution 1 Francis Bacon (1561-1626) 2 Robert Boyle (1627-1691) & the Latitudinalist Compromise 2 Institutional Revolution 3 Natural Law & Rights 3 Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) 3 John Locke (1632–1704), 4 Isaac Newton (1643-1727) 4 The Republican Revolution 5 Utilitarianism 6 England after the Republican Revolution 6 Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) 6 Vs. Boyle, Hobbes & Locke 6 Epistemology 7 Institutional Inspirations 8 Economics 9 References 13
Enzymatic reduction of protein-bound methionine sulfoxide.

An enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of methionine sulfoxide residues in ribosomal protein L12 has been partially purified from Escherichia coli extracts. Methionine sulfoxide present in oxidize [Met]enkephalin is also reduced by the purified enzyme. The enzyme is different from a previously reported E. coli enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of methionine sulfoxide to methionine [Ejiri, S. I. , Weissbach, H. & Brot, N. (1980) Anal. Biochem. 102, 393--398]. Extracts of rat tissues, Euglena gracilis, Tetrahymena pyriformis, HeLa cells, and spinach also can catalyze the reduction of methionine sulfoxide residues in protein.
Study on the Effects of Thermal Aging on Insulating Paper for High Voltage Transformer Composite with Natural Ester from Palm Oil Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS)

Mineral oil is widely used as liquid insulation in high voltage equipment. Due to environmental considerations, recently natural esters have been considered as naturally friendly liquid insulation candidates for high voltage transformers. In this experiment, transformer insulation paper was subjected to get accelerated aging test with copper strip in natural ester in a hermeneutical heat-resistant glass bottle at temperatures of 120 °C and 150 °C for 336 h, 672 h and 1008 h. The experimental results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the intensity of the absorbance peak of the O–H functional group decreased with aging, while the intensity of the C–H and C=O functional group absorbance peaks have increased with aging and the intensity of the C–O functional group absorbance peak has a tendency to increase with aging. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) experimental results showed that the weight percent of the element C increased with aging and the weight percent of the element O has decreased with aging. The experimental results show a good correlation between the degree of polymerization (DP) and the weight percent of O element. This indicates that EDS may be used as a new method for estimating the DP of transformer insulation paper.
Feature bundling in decision tree algorithm

In empirical data modelling, a model of system is built up from a set of cases that the system has observed. Eventually, the performance of the inducted model is dominated by the quality and quantity of observations. Feature transformation methods are widely used to improve quality of knowledge extracted from observations to build up more accurate and robust model. In the paper, a new feature transformation method named dynamical feature bundling for decision tree algorithm is proposed. Dynamical feature bundling groups a set of features in the tree induction phase and it enables decision tree algorithms to 1) make use of features in one bundle together to make collective judgments in splitting phase; 2) learn more reliable and stable knowledge from feature bundles created based on domain knowledge of experts; 3) embed feature transformation step into tree induction phase, and therefore the extra pre-process step which are necessary for static feature transformation methods is inessential. Our experiments show 2%–9% improvements of AUC value on a very imbalanced dataset. Slight improvements are also obtained on a more balanced data set.
A Journal-Level Analysis of Health Communication

Citation data from 2006 through 2008 were used to examine the journal citation network of Health Communication in comparison to 26 related journals indexed by Journal Citation Reports, a database published by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge. A recently advanced journal relatedness factor based on out-degree (i.e., cited journals) and in-degree (i.e., citing journals) citations was used to determine the network of peer journals. Results indicate Health Communication serves to link communication and health-related journals. Data were also reported on journal impact and 5-year journal impact factors. When compared to ISI-indexed communication journals, Health Communication is consistently ranked in the top 25% across impact factors and citations to the journal are consistent over the 7 years of analysis from 2002 through 2008. Methods of increasing the impact of Health Communication among journals in social sciences are discussed.
Notch1 Signaling Activation Contributes to Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Background Neural stem cells are reported to exist in the hippocampus of adult mammals and are important sources of neurons for repair. The Notch1 signaling pathway is considered as one of the important regulators of neural stem cells, but its role in adult brains is unclear. We aimed to describe the role of Notch1 signaling in the adult rat hippocampus after traumatic brain injury. Material/Methods The model rats were randomly divided into 4 groups as follows: sham, sham-TBI, sham-Ad-TBI, and NICD-Ad-TBI. We used adenovirus-mediated gene transfection to upregulate endogenous NICD in vivo. Firstly, a TBI rat model was constructed with lateral fluid percussion. Then, the hippocampus was collected to detect the expression of Notch1 markers and stem cell markers (DCX) by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. The prognosis after TBI treatment was evaluated by the Morris Water Maze test. Results First, we found the expression of NICD in vivo was significantly increased by adenovirus-mediated gene transfection as assessed by Notch1 immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Second, enhancing NICD stimulated the regeneration of neural stem cells in the DG of the adult rat brain following traumatic brain injury, as evaluated by DCX and NeuN double-staining. Furthermore, Notch1 signaling activation can promote behavioral improvement after traumatic brain injury, including spatial learning and memory capacity. Conclusions Our findings suggest that targeted regulation of Notch1 signaling may have a useful effect on stem cell transformation. Notch1 signaling may have a potential brain-protection effect, which may result from neurogenesis.
Collision-free motion planning of a virtual arm based on the FABRIK algorithm

SUMMARY Collision-free motion planning of a virtual arm is an intractable task in high-interference environments. In this paper, an approach for collision-free motion planning of a virtual arm based on the forward and backward reaching inverse kinematics (FABRIK) algorithm is proposed. First, a random rotation strategy and local optimum-seeking technology are introduced to improve the FABRIK algorithm in order to avoid obstacles. The improvement FABRIK algorithm is used to design the final grasping posture of a virtual arm according the target position. Then, a bidirectional rapidly exploring random tree (Bi-RRT) algorithm is adopted to explore the process postures from a given initial posture to the final grasping posture. Different from the existing method, the proposed Bi-RRT algorithm in this paper plans the motions of a virtual arm in a seven-dimensional angle space, and the final grasping posture is automatically designed using the obstacle-avoidance FABRIK algorithm instead of the manual design. Finally, the post-processing technique is introduced to remove redundant nodes from the planned motions. This procedure has resolved the problem that the Bi-RRT algorithm is a random algorithm. The experimental results show the proposed method for collision-free motion planning of a virtual arm is feasible.
Reproductive Outcomes for Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Because of remarkable progress in therapy, long-term survival is expected for 80% of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer. Infertility remains one of the most common and life-altering complications experienced by adults treated for cancer during childhood. Surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that negatively affects any component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis may compromise reproductive outcomes in childhood cancer survivors. The risk of infertility is generally related to the tissues or organs involved in cancer and the specific type, dose, and combination of cytotoxic therapy. In addition to anticancer therapy, age at treatment, sex, and likely genetic factors influence the risk of permanent infertility. When possible, contemporary protocols limit cumulative doses of cytotoxic therapy in an effort to optimize reproductive potential. If sterilizing therapy is required for cancer control, then fertility preservation measures should be explored before initiation of therapy. For childhood cancer survivors who maintain fertility, health risks to offspring resulting from their cancer treatment are major concerns. Radiation affecting ovarian and uterine function has been linked to pregnancy complications, including spontaneous abortion, preterm labor, fetal malposition, and low birth weight. The risk of congenital malformations, genetic disorders, and cancer appears to be low, with the exception of cancer risk in offspring born to survivors with germline cancer-predisposing mutations. This review summarizes research about cancer treatment factors affecting fertility and pregnancy outcomes of childhood cancer survivors. The data presented should facilitate the delivery of preventive counseling and age- and sex-appropriate interventions to optimize reproductive outcomes in childhood cancer survivors.