Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor Necrosis Factor-like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis Inhibits Skeletal Myogenesis through Sustained Activation of Nuclear Factor-κB and Degradation of MyoD Protein*

In this study we have investigated the effect and the mechanisms by which tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) modulates myogenic differentiation. Treatment of C2C12 myoblasts with TWEAK inhibited their differentiation evident by a decrease in the expression of creatine kinase, myosin heavy chain-fast twitch, myogenin, and the formation of multinucleated myotubes. TWEAK also inhibited the differentiation of mouse primary myoblasts. Conversely, the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts and the expression of a cell-cycle regulator cyclin D1 were increased in response to TWEAK treatment. Inhibition of cellular proliferation using hydroxyurea only partially reversed the inhibitory effect of TWEAK on myogenic differentiation. Treatment of C2C12 myoblasts with TWEAK resulted in the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), the (IkappaB) IκB kinase (IKK) complex, and the phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα protein. Inhibition of NF-κB activity by overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of IκBα (IκBαΔN) significantly increased the myogenic differentiation in TWEAK-treated C2C12 cultures. Furthermore, overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of IKKβ (IKKβK44A) but not IKKα (IKKαK44M) reversed the inhibitory effect of TWEAK on myogenesis. TWEAK inhibited the expression of myogenic regulatory factors MyoD and myogenin and also induced the degradation of MyoD protein. Finally, inhibition of NF-κB activation through overexpression of IKKβK44A prevented the degradation of MyoD protein. Overall, our data suggest that TWEAK inhibits myogenesis through the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway and degradation of MyoD protein.
A metagenomic comparison of endemic viruses from broiler chickens with runting-stunting syndrome and from normal birds

ABSTRACT Runting-stunting syndrome (RSS) in broiler chickens is an enteric disease that causes significant economic losses to poultry producers worldwide due to elevated feed conversion ratios, decreased body weight during growth, and excessive culling. Of specific interest are the viral agents associated with RSS which have been difficult to fully characterize to date. Past research into the aetiology of RSS has implicated a wide variety of RNA and DNA viruses however, to date, no individual virus has been identified as the main agent of RSS and the current opinion is that it may be caused by a community of viruses, collectively known as the virome. This paper attempts to characterize the viral pathogens associated with 2–3-week-old RSS-affected and unaffected broiler chickens using next-generation sequencing and comparative metagenomics. Analysis of the viromes identified a total of 20 DNA and RNA viral families, along with 2 unidentified categories, comprised of 31 distinct viral genera and 7 unclassified genera. The most abundant viral families identified in this study were the Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Picornaviridae, Parvoviridae, Coronaviridae, Siphoviridae, and Myoviridae. This study has identified historically significant viruses associated with the disease such as chicken astrovirus, avian nephritis virus, chicken parvovirus, and chicken calicivirus along with relatively novel viruses such as chicken megrivirus and sicinivirus 1 and will help expand the knowledge related to enteric disease in broiler chickens, provide insights into the viral constituents of a healthy avian gut, and identify a variety of enteric viruses and viral communities appropriate for further study.
Economic and conservation significance of the trophy hunting industry in sub-Saharan Africa

There is a lack of consensus among some conservation NGOs and African governments concerning the acceptability and effectiveness of trophy hunting as a conservation tool. This lack of consensus is due partly to a lack of reliable information on the economic significance and ecological impact of the industry. Weprovide a reviewof the scale of the trophy hunting industry,andassessbothpositiveandnegativeissuesrelatingtohuntingandconservationinAfrica. Trophy hunting occurs in 23countries in Africa, with the largest industries occurring insouthern Africa and Tanzania, where the industry is expanding. The trophy hunting industry has remainedstaticor isshrinking inCentralandWestAfrica.Aminimumof1,394,000 km isused for trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa, which exceeds the area encompassed by national parks. Trophy hunting is thus of major importance to conservation in Africa by creating economic incentives for conservation over vast areas, including areas which may be unsuitable for alternative wildlife-based land uses such as photographic ecotourism. However, there areanumberofproblemsassociatedwiththe industrywhichlimit conservationbenefits. Several of these problems are common to multiple countries, suggesting that if solutions were developed, conservation benefits would accrue over large areas. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Coordinated expression of Hoxa2, Hoxd1 and Pax6 in the developing diencephalon

Coordinated expression of Hoxa2, Hoxd1 and Pax6 proteins were found to coincide with the three developmental stages of the diencephalon, as described for the mouse brain [4]. In the first stage (embryonic day (E) 10–12) Hoxa2, Hoxd1 and Pax6 (an early marker gene of the diencephalon) were expressed as early as E10.5 in prosomeres (p), p2 and p3. All three proteins continue to exhibit overlapping domains of expression at E12.5–13 (beginning of the second stage) when the primitive dense cell layer begins to differentiate into the internal germinal, external germinal and mantle layers. Towards the end of the second stage (E15), Pax6 expression was down- regulated whereas Hoxa2 and Hoxd1 continued to exhibit overlapping domains of expression for both protein and mRNA. Hoxd1 expression decreased significantly in the third stage of diencephalic development (E16–postnatal) such that only Hoxa2 expression persisted in the diencephalon of newborn mice. The temporal and spatial expression of these three proteins imply that coordinated waves of Hoxa2, Hoxd1 and Pax6 expression may be required to provide positional information for the specification of the diencephalon.
A look forward: arrows in our quiver.

(Fam Med 2006;38(5):314-5. ) In my final presidential column, I’ll describe resources that family medicine teachers can use to meet the challenges ahead. We must not underestimate the urgency of our situation, nor our need to make strategic choices and act energetically. At the same time let’s remember—and draw upon—our full quiver of arrows. By “arrows” I mean habits of mind, action plans, and organizational resources. Some of these arrows are new, and some have stood the test of time. They all reflect the amazing perseverance and creativity of the people in our discipline and their commitment to family medicine.
Novel Gating and Sensitizing Mechanism of Capsaicin Receptor (TRPV1)

Transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) is a nonselective cation channel expressed in nociceptors and activated by capsaicin. TRPV1 detects diverse stimuli, including acid, heat, and endogenous vanilloids, and functions as a molecular integrator of pain perception. Herein we demonstrate a novel regulatory role of extracellular Na+ ([Na+]o) on TRPV1 function. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing porcine TRPV1, low [Na+]o evoked increases of [Ca2+]i that were suppressed by TRPV1 antagonists and facilitated responses to capsaicin, protons, heat, and an endovanilloid. [Na+]o removal simultaneously elicited a [Ca2+]i increase and outward-rectified current with a reversal potential similar to those of capsaicin. Neutralization of the two acidic residues which confer the proton sensitivity to TRPV1 resulted in a reduction of low [Na+]o-induced responses. In primary culture of porcine sensory neurons, the removal of [Na+]o produced a [Ca2+]i increase and current responses only in the cells responding to capsaicin. Low [Na+]o evoked a [Ca2+]i increase in sensory neurons of wild type mice, but not TRPV1-null mice, and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing human TRPV1. The present results suggest that [Na+]o negatively regulates the gating and polymodal sensitization of the TRPV1 channel. [Na+]o surrounding several proton-sensitive sites on the extracellular side of the pore-forming loop of the TRPV1 channel may play an important role as a brake to suppress the excessive activity of this channel under physiological conditions.
PUFA Alter Raft Lipid Composition and Decrease Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Levels in Lipid Rafts of Human Breast Cancer Cells 1 , 2

To determine the mechanism by which the (n-3) fatty acids (FA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decrease proliferation and induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, we examined the effects of EPA and DHA on the lipid composition of lipid rafts as well as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) raft localization and phosphorylation. (n-3) FA (a combination of EPA and DHA) inhibited (P , 0.05) the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells by 48–62% in the presence and absence, respectively, of linoleic acid (LA). More EPA and DHA were incorporated into lipid rafts isolated from MDA-MB-231 cells after treatment with (n-3) FA compared with cells treated with LA (P , 0.05). EPA and DHA treatment decreased (P , 0.05) lipid raft sphingomyelin, cholesterol, and diacylglycerol content and, in the absence of LA, EPA and DHA increased (P , 0.05) raft ceramide levels. Furthermore, there was a marked decrease in EGFR levels in lipid rafts, accompanied by increases in the phosphorylation of both EGFR and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), in EPA1DHA-treated cells (P , 0.05). As sustained activation of the EGFR and p38 MAPK has been associated with apoptosis in human breast cancer cells, our results indicate that (n-3) FA modify the lipid composition of membrane rafts and alter EGFR signaling in a way that decreases the growth of breast tumors. J. Nutr. 137: 548–553, 2007.
A Clinical and Psycho-Sociological Case Study on Gender Identity Disorder in Japan

Gender identity disorder (GID) has been attracting increasing attention in recent years in Japan as well as in the rest of the world. This report presents a GID case followed by a discussion on GID patients in Japanese culture, social pressures upon diagnosis and treatment of GID, and social changes that have brought about the possibility for GID diagnosis and treatment.
Raman study of the phonon symmetries in BiFeO 3 single crystals

In bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3), antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric order coexist at room temperature, making it of particular interest for studying magnetoelectric coupling. The mutual control of magnetic and electric properties is very useful for a wide variety of applications. This has led to an enormous amount of research into the properties of BiFeO$_3$. Nonetheless, one of the most fundamental aspects of this material, namely the symmetries of the lattice vibrations, remains controversial.We present a comprehensive Raman study of BiFeO$_3$ single crystals with the approach of monitoring the Raman spectra while rotating the polarization direction of the excitation laser. Our method results in unambiguous assignment of the phonon symmetries and explains the origin of the controversy in the literature. Furthermore, it provides access to the Raman tensor elements enabling direct comparison with theoretical calculations. Hence, this allows the study of symmetry breaking and coupling mechanisms in a wide range of complex materials and may lead to a noninvasive, all-optical method to determine the orientation and magnitude of the ferroelectric polarization.
CS 231 N Final Project Report : Cervical Cancer Screening

The type of a patient’s cervix determines the type of precancer treatments the patient can undergo, and the medical community would benefit from an efficient method to classify a patient by their cervix type. Kaggle and Mobile ODT have published a collection of several thousand specular photographs of cervixes, each labeled as one of three types. We present our work in developing a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify the cervix images in this dataset. We constructed and trained two models from scratch, CervixNet-1 and CervixNet-2. We also adapted two existing pretrained models to our dataset, ResNet v1 and Inception v2. We discuss the performance of all four of these models. Our most successful model, CervixNet2, achieved a classification accuracy of 63%. We hope that this project inspires future work on the cervix classification problem; we suspect that better image segmentation could help improve model performance.
Student perceptions of faculty caring : a descriptive survey study of nursing students in a four year generic baccalaureate program

Researchers exploring the role of caring in nursing education have focused attention on the importance of instructor caring as a fundamental component of the studentinstructor relationship. The literature supports the need to study student perception of faculty caring and to identify instructor caring and uncaring behaviours in order to enable students to develop professional care practices. A descriptive study was conducted at a Canadian college with a collaborative four year generic baccalaureate nursing program in order to determine student perceptions of faculty caring and the extent to which instructors are perceived as demonstrating caring qualities in their relationships with these students. By means of a survey comprising three questions and a semantic differential rating scale developed by Golden (1993), 27 students were asked to rate faculty caring, determine its importance, and describe the most and least caring behaviours demonstrated by this faculty. The faculty was rated as highly caring and demonstrating all 16 of the caring attributes defined by Golden's tool. Students also identified "available" and "unavailable" as important to their perceptions of instructor caring and uncaring. These were not included in Golden's tool which suggests that it may be incomplete and not inclusive of all instructor behaviours identified as important by students.
Role of Probiotics in Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease

Probiotics have been found to be beneficial to host health. In medicine, probiotics are used mainly in support therapy for gastro-intestinal diseases. In recent years, probiotics have been used as a treatment to promote oral health. There has also been a change in understanding of the oral disease process because of better understanding of the ecology and microbiology of the oral cavity. Very encouraging studies exploring probiotics in the fields of caries, periodontal diseases and few other areas have come up in the recent past and the results tend to suggest beneficial effects of probiotics on oral health and on the whole body in general. Extensive research to create a probiotic product intended to maintain dental and periodontal health is needed. This article reviews the role of probiotics in dental caries and periodontal disease.
The role of Facebook users’ self-systems in generating social relationships and social capital effects

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of online social networking use on bridging and bonding social relationships as well as on social capital effects. The study examined how the self-systems of users of the social networking website Facebook (where a self-system comprises four elements—self-efficacy, self-assertion, social presence, and self-esteem) and intensity of use affected the abovementioned social relations and social capital effects. Using data from a survey of Facebook users (n =306), the result revealed that Facebook users’ self-systems played an important role in the formation of bridging and bonding social relationships as well as in generating social capital effects. However, self-esteem did not affect bonding social relationships significantly. The study also found that Facebook users’ self-systems mediated the relationship between bridging and bonding social relationships and social capital effects.
Electrical behaviour of carbon nanotube Through-Silicon Vias

The paper investigates the high-frequency distribution of the current density in Through-Silicon Vias made by bundles of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These bundles are described by means of a recently proposed circuit model which, in spite of its simplicity, accounts for the kinetic and quantum phenomena involved in the electrical propagation along CNTs and includes the effects of size, temperature and chirality. The particular electrical properties of such a new material make the CNT-based TSVs quite insensitive to skin-effect and proximity effect. This is shown with reference to a case-study of a TSV pair for the technology node of 22 nm, for which the effects of frequency and temperature variation are analyzed.
When children fail to learn new categories : the role of irrelevant features

When subjects are confronted with new stimuli that they have to learn to categorize, they have to segment them into relevant features for categorization. Two experiments with four to eleven year old children investigated whether certain irrelevant perceptual aspects of the stimuli prevent learning the relevant features for categorization. In the first experiment, it was shown that children used salient holistic aspects of stimuli for categorization despite the fact that they were only partially relevant for categorization, whereas perfect cues for categorization requiring analysis were not discovered by children. In the second experiment, it was shown that children cannot abstract the relevant cues for categorization when irrelevant perceptual characteristics were crossed with the relevant ones. When these irrelevant cues were absent, children could learn the relevant cues for categorization. Children’s biases towards locally salient properties can impair, or even prevent learning new categories, when these are defined by comparatively less salient features. Results are discussed in terms of the relation between children's cognitive competences and the abstraction of relevant descriptors for new stimuli.
Similarity law for the streamwise turbulence intensity in zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers

A similarity relationship is proposed to describe the streamwise broadband-turbulence intensity in a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer. The formulation is applicable to the entire region of the flow beyond the viscous buffer zone and is based on the attached eddy hypothesis, the Reynolds-number-similarity hypothesis and the assumed existence of Kolmogorov eddies with a universal inertial subrange. Experimental data of the authors and those from various published works covering a large Reynolds number range are investigated in light of this formulation.
Spatial Interactions and Resilience in Arid Ecosystems

We present a mathematical analysis of the consequences of spatial interactions between vegetation patches by means of water flow for the functioning of arid systems. Our model results suggest that spatial exchange of water improved the resilience to disturbances and increased the resistance to human‐induced loss of cover. Furthermore, spatial exchange of water allowed vegetation to persist at lower rainfall levels compared to systems that lack spatial interactions. Our analysis stresses the general importance of spatial interactions for the functioning of ecological systems.
Novel calibration method for flow cytometric fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements between visible fluorescent proteins

The combination of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and flow cytometry offers a statistically firm approach to study protein associations. Fusing green fluorescent protein (GFP) to a studied protein usually does not disturb the normal function of a protein, but quantitation of FRET efficiency calculated between GFP derivatives poses a problem in flow cytometry.
Integrating patients’ perceptions into clinical practice guidelines for the management of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan

Abstract Objective: Patients’ values and preferences are among the key factors that determine the strength of recommendations presented in clinical practice guidelines (CPG). The aim of this study was to summarize the integration process for patients’ perceptions into the development of CPG for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management in Japan. Methods: We used a mixed-methods approach. Questionnaires that could be self-administered were mailed to 2222 RA patients randomly selected from the Japan Rheumatism Friendship Association (JRFA) membership list that was age- and prefecture-stratified. A focus group with five JRFA executive members was formed to verify the results of the questionnaire. Results: A total of 1470 patients aged 20–79 years old returned the questionnaire. Analysis of the questionnaire data revealed that the topics selected by the CPG task force met the patients’ needs. The focus group participants showed reluctance to use the term ‘preference’ because patients would not want to take any medications but would have to take them out of necessity. Conclusions: We confirmed that the new CPG successfully addressed clinical issues that were important to both rheumatologists and patients. Clinicians should understand patients’ reluctance to take medications and explain the role of each medication well to increase adherence.
Esophageal carcinoma: matching patients with treatment methods.

E sophageal carcinoma is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the world,1 and despite multiple studies evaluating different treatment modalities the mortality rate remains high.2 Treatment for esophageal cancer may involve chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Recently, there has been an interest in trimodality therapy in an effort to improve survival in patients with moderate-stage disease.
Dimeric boronates derived from the reaction of schiff bases and boronic acids

A sintese one-pot de complexos dimericos de boro e descrita. Os compostos foram obtidos pela reacao de bases de Schiff (ligantes tridentados) com acido trans-b-fenilvinilboronico, acido 3-tiofeninoboronico e acido metilboronico. A construcao das estruturas dimericas e favorecida pela presenca de ligacoes de coordenacao N® B intramoleculares, resultando na formacao de aneis heterociclicos de dez membros. A analise cristalografica de raio X de um deles confirmou a natureza dimerica desses compostos.
Synthesis, Degradation, and Subcellular Localization of Synaptotagmin IV, a Neuronal Immediate Early Gene Product

Abstract: Synaptotagmin IV (Syt IV) is an immediate early gene induced by depolarization in rat PC12 cells and in rat hippocampus. We prepared an antiserum to Syt IV protein. The 46‐kDa Syt IV protein is nearly undetectable by western blotting in unstimulated PC12 cells. After depolarization, Syt IV increases rapidly, peaks at 4 h, and decays to near baseline levels by 12 h. Forskolin stimulation also leads to rapid Syt IV protein accumulation. The rate of Syt IV protein synthesis, determined by labeling with radioactive amino acids and immunoprecipitation, is low in unstimulated PC12 cells, but increases over the first 3 h after forskolin stimulation and remains elevated for several hours. Syt IV protein is relatively labile; metabolically labeled Syt IV has a half‐life of ∼2 h in PC12 cells. Sucrose density gradient fractionation and vesicle immunoisolation experiments suggest that Syt IV protein is present in both synaptic‐like microvesicles and secretory granules. Vesicles immunoisolated from forskolin‐treated PC12 cells with anti‐Syt I antibody contain radioactively labeled Syt IV, demonstrating that Syt I and Syt IV colocalize in common vesicles. These results suggest that Syt IV protein, after its stimulation‐induced synthesis, is rapidly transported to secretory vesicles where it may transiently modulate the exocytotic machinery.