Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of DNA nucleotide excision repair on methyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations in Drosophila melanogaster.

To study the impact of DNA nucleotide excision repair (NER) on the spectrum of mutations induced by alkylating agents, postmeiotic male germ cell stages of Drosophila melanogaster were exposed to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and the males then mated with nucleotide excision repair deficient (exr-; mus(2)201) females. MMS (s value = 0.86) has a strong preference for alkylating the nitrogen positions in DNA, whereas < 1% of all DNA lesions are on oxygen. For genetic and molecular analysis of the types of mutations induced by MMS the vermilion locus was used as target gene. Mutation induction by MMS was increased 10-fold under the exr- conditions compared to a normal functioning repair system. The genetic analysis showed that < 15% of the mutants represented inter-locus mutations, which were classified as multi-locus deletions. Of the intra-locus mutations (18 F1 and 8 F2 mutants) 78% were transversions with a clear dominance of AT-->TA (11 in the F1, 3 in the F2) and few GC-->TA (2 in the F1, 3 in the F2) type of transversions. In comparison to the MMS spectrum produced under repair proficient (exr+) condition (Nivard, M.J.M., Pastink, A. and Vogel, E.W., 1992), the exr- spectrum shows a significant decrease in the percentage of deletions and a relative increase in transversions. These data are consistent with previously published papers suggesting that under normal repair conditions the nitrogen DNA adducts are efficiently repaired in Drosophila and that the hypermutability of MMS in the exr- strain is caused by an increased formation of apurinic sites either formed from 3-methyladenine or 7-methylguanine. This suggests that also in Drosophila 'the A-rule' is valid, indicating that during DNA replication an adenine (A) is preferentially incorporated opposite to non-instructive apurinic sites.
Measuring the Spontaneous Curvature of Bilayer Membranes by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We propose a mathematically rigorous method to measure the spontaneous curvature of a bilayer membrane by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, which pro- vides description of the molecular mechanisms that cause the spontaneous curvature. As a main result, for the membrane setup investigated, the spontaneous curvature is proved to be a constant plus twice the mean curvature of the membrane in its tension- less ground state. The spontaneous curvature due to the built-in transbilayer asym- metry of the membrane in terms of lipid shape is studied by the proposed method. A linear dependence of the spontaneous curvature with respect to the head-bead di- ameter difference and the lipid mixing ratio is discovered. The consistency with the theoretical results provides evidence supporting the validity of our method.
The Twittering Machine

This paper is a study of the use of Twitter by automated agents, based on data sampled in July-September 2009. It discusses the dramatic rise in rapidly-tweeting automated Twitter accounts beginning in late June 2009; some surprising behaviour by automated Twitter profiles that make direct use of Twitter’s API; and techniques used for automated spamming on Twitter. Ideas are suggested for ways in which Twitter might defend against some common types of automated Twitter spam. The paper ends by outlining some general conclusions for designers of social information systems.
p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Regulates a Novel, Caspase-independent Pathway for the Mitochondrial Cytochromec Release in Ultraviolet B Radiation-induced Apoptosis*

The mechanisms of UVB-induced apoptosis and the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were investigated in HaCaT cells. UVB doses that induced apoptosis also produced a sustained activation of p38 MAPK and mitochondrial cytochromec release, leading to pro-caspase-3 activation. Late into the apoptotic process, UVB also induced a caspase-mediated cleavage of Bid. Caspase inhibitors benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone and benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone substantially blocked the UVB-induced apoptosis without preventing the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and the p38 MAPK activation. The inhibition of p38 MAPK counteracted both apoptosis and cytochromec release as well as the DEVD-amino-4-methylcoumarin cleavage activity without affecting the processing of pro-caspase-8. These results indicate that UVB induces multiple and independent apoptotic pathways, which culminate in pro-caspase-3 activation, and that the initial cytochrome c release is independent of caspase activity. Importantly, we show that a sustained p38 MAPK activation contributes to the UVB-induced apoptosis by mediating the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol.
Bi-Directional Associations Between Psychological Arousal, Cortisol, and Sleep

The aim was to elucidate the possible bi-directional relation between daytime psychological arousal, cortisol, and self-reported sleep in a group of healthy employees in active employment. Logbook ratings of sleep (Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire), stress, and energy, as well as positive and negative experiences in work and private life, were collected together with salivary cortisol over 3 days (n = 265). Higher bedtime ratings of stress and problems during the day were associated with morning ratings of poor sleep. Poorer morning ratings of sleep were associated with higher ratings of stress and problems during the day. The results underpin the possibility that arousal and poor sleep might create a self-reinforcing vicious circle that negatively affects a person's well-being.
Differential expression of CLIP: MHC class II and conventional endogenous peptide: MHC class II complexes by thymic epithelial cells and peripheral antigen‐presenting cells

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules expressed by thymic epithelial cells are involved in positive selection of CD4 T cells, whereas the high‐avidity interaction of T cell receptors with the endogenous peptide : MHC class II complexes expressed on bone marrow (BM)‐derived antigen‐presenting cells (APC) and, to a lesser extent, on thymic epithelial cells mediate negative selection. To understand better the generation of the CD4 T cell repertoire both in the thymus and in the periphery we analyzed relative levels of expression of specific endogenous peptide: MHC class II complexes in thymic epithelial cells (TEC) and peripheral APC. Expression of Eα52–68: I‐Ab and class II‐associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP): I‐Ab complexes in thymic epithelial cells and in the bone‐marrow derived splenic APC, i.e. B cells, was studied using YAe and 30‐2 monoclonal antibodies which are specific for the corresponding complexes. To distinguish between expression of both complexes in radioresistant thymic epithelial elements and radiation sensitive BM‐derived APC, radiation BM chimeras were constructed. Using immunohistochemical and immunochemical approaches we demonstrated that the level of expression of Eα52–68:I‐Ab complexes in thymic epithelial cells is approximately 5–10 % of that seen in splenic cells whereas total class II levels were comparable. In contrast, CLIP: I‐Ab complexes are expressed at substantially higher levels in TEC vs. splenic APC. This result demonstrates quantitative differences in expression of distinct peptide: MHC class II complexes in thymic epithelial cells and peripheral splenic APC.
A Comprehensive Review of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies in Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease

We reviewed the literature of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in dementia and Parkinson’s disease (PD) and quantitatively compared the reported values of the markers N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline, and myo-Inositol between control and disease groups. We analysed a total of 27 reports in dementia. Combining the quantitative data from these showed a relative decrease of 15% in NAA level in the temporal lobe tissue in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared with controls. The rest of the brain showed a seemingly uniform 10% decrease in NAA levels in AD compared with controls. myo-Inositol was raised by about 15%, again uniformly throughout the brain, but there was no evidence for changed levels of choline. We found 15 reports of MRS in PD, which show a small decrease (5%) in the NAA level in the lentiform nucleus compared with controls. In progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), there is a greater decrease in NAA levels in the frontal region and the lentiform nucleus. This may aid in the diagnosis of PSP. Further research is needed to determine spectroscopic changes in other dementias, to monitor how markers change with disease progression and to establish clinical utility.
Interaction between weak low frequency magnetic fields and cell membranes

The question of whether very weak low frequency magnetic fields can affect biological systems, has attracted attention by many research groups for quite some time. Still, today, the theoretical possibility of such an interaction is often questioned and the site of interaction in the cell is unknown. In the present study, the influence of extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields on the transport of Ca2+ was studied in a biological system consisting of highly purified plasma membrane vesicles. We tested two quantum mechanical theoretical models that assume that biologically active ions can be bound to a channel protein and influence the opening state of the channel. Vesicles were exposed for 30 min at 32 °C and the calcium efflux was studied using radioactive 45Ca as a tracer. Static magnetic fields ranging from 27 to 37 μT and time varying magnetic fields with frequencies between 7 and 72 Hz and amplitudes between 13 and 114 μT (peak) were used. We show that suitable combinations of static and time varying magnetic fields directly interact with the Ca2+ channel protein in the cell membrane, and we could quantitatively confirm the model proposed by Blanchard. Bioelectromagnetics 24:395–402, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Abundance and Distribution of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Degradation Genes and the Corresponding Bacterial Community Structure at Dimethyl Sulfide Hot Spots in the Tropical and Subtropical Pacific Ocean

ABSTRACT Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is mainly produced by marine phytoplankton but is released into the microbial food web and degraded by marine bacteria to dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and other products. To reveal the abundance and distribution of bacterial DMSP degradation genes and the corresponding bacterial communities in relation to DMS and DMSP concentrations in seawater, we collected surface seawater samples from DMS hot spot sites during a cruise across the Pacific Ocean. We analyzed the genes encoding DMSP lyase (dddP) and DMSP demethylase (dmdA), which are responsible for the transformation of DMSP to DMS and DMSP assimilation, respectively. The averaged abundance (±standard deviation) of these DMSP degradation genes relative to that of the 16S rRNA genes was 33% ± 12%. The abundances of these genes showed large spatial variations. dddP genes showed more variation in abundances than dmdA genes. Multidimensional analysis based on the abundances of DMSP degradation genes and environmental factors revealed that the distribution pattern of these genes was influenced by chlorophyll a concentrations and temperatures. dddP genes, dmdA subclade C/2 genes, and dmdA subclade D genes exhibited significant correlations with the marine Roseobacter clade, SAR11 subgroup Ib, and SAR11 subgroup Ia, respectively. SAR11 subgroups Ia and Ib, which possessed dmdA genes, were suggested to be the main potential DMSP consumers. The Roseobacter clade members possessing dddP genes in oligotrophic subtropical regions were possible DMS producers. These results suggest that DMSP degradation genes are abundant and widely distributed in the surface seawater and that the marine bacteria possessing these genes influence the degradation of DMSP and regulate the emissions of DMS in subtropical gyres of the Pacific Ocean.
Forschungsdossier Trennung und Scheidung im Längsschnitt (2012 - 2014)

Scheidung nach vielen Ehejahren stellt ein einschneidendes und stressreiches Lebensereignis dar, was sich nicht zuletzt in den geringeren Werten verschiedener Befindlichkeitsindikatoren im Vergleich zu langjahrig verheirateten Personen zeigt. Im zeitlichen Verlauf lasst sich jedoch ein deutlicher Erholungseffekt der betroffenen Personen erkennen, insbesondere bei Frauen. Verschiedene Ergebnisse weisen auf einen erfolgreichen Bewaltigungsprozess bezuglich der Trennung hin: Fast ein Drittel der Befragten gab an, kein Bedurfnis fur die Inanspruchnahme von Hilfe fur die Bewaltigung der Trennung mehr zu haben, und auch die Beurteilung der Trennung fallt positiver als zum ersten Befragungszeitpunkt aus. Als wichtige Ressourcen konnen dabei eine neue Partnerschaft, die Unterstutzung durch Drittpersonen, mehrheitlich durch Familie und Freunde, wie auch Generativitat genannt werden. Auch weisen die Resultate auf eine hohen Stellenwert der partnerschaftlichen Kommunikation hin: Kommunikationsprobleme wurden von beiden Geschlechtern als eine der haufigsten Trennungsgrunde angegeben. Ausserdem wurde „Kommunikation in der Partnerschaft“ von der Gruppe der Getrennten/Geschiedenen als haufigstes Rezept fur eine erfolgreiche Partnerschaft genannt.
Simply connected manifolds of positive scalar curvature

Hitchin proved that if M is a spin manifold with positive scalar curvature, then the A^O-characteristic number a(M) vanishes. Gromov and Lawson conjectured that for a simply connected spin manifold M of dimension > 5, the vanishing of a(M) is sufficient for the existence of a Rieman- nian metric on M with positive scalar curvature. We prove this conjecture using techniques from stable homotopy theory.
Solution structure of two mismatches A.A and T.T in the K-ras gene context by nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics.

Two mismatches, one homopurine (A.A) and the other homopyrimidine (T.T), have been incorporated at the central position N of: 5'd(GCCACNAGCTC). d(GAGCTNGTGGC) in order to study nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and molecular dynamics. These duplexes constitute the sequence 29-39 of the K-ras gene coding for Gly12, a hot spot for mutation. The NMR spectra show that the duplexes are not greatly distorted by the introduction of the mismatches and their global conformation is that of a canonical B-form double helix. For both systems, no structural change is observed in the pH range 4.7-9. For the duplex containing the homopurine A.A mismatch, we propose a type of pairing involving one hydrogen bond between the amino group of one central adenine and the nitrogen N1 of the opposite adenine. For the duplex containing the mispaired T.T bases, NMR spectra recorded in H2O at 282 K indicate that these central bases are engaged in wobble pairing, involving two imino-carbonyl hydrogen bonds. For both systems two conformations with the same donor and acceptor pattern can coexist, one being obtained from the other by a 180 degrees rotation about the pseudodyadic axis. Exchange between the two forms is observed by NMR at low temperature for the T.T mispair and also inferred from NMR measurements on the A.A system. The presence of this exchange and its pathway has been investigated by molecular dynamics calculations on both systems. Distance restrained and unrestrained molecular dynamics are in very good agreement with the NMR data. The average structure for either mispair shows only small conformational change from normal B DNA. For each, a systematic pathway is observed for exchange between the two conformations.
A review of thermal management and safety for lithium ion batteries

Decreasing of fossil fuel sources and ecological worries has spurred global attention in the expansion of developing energy storing systems for electric vehicles (EVs). As a consequence of escalating appeal on new dependable power supplier for hybrid electric vehicles, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have obtained much considerations in the previous decade. Their highest production rate among other types of batteries is because of their superior characteristics. Greater energy efficiency, lesser self-discharge rate, more lifespan and the nonexistence of the memory effect are the main reasons that make them interesting for researchers and producers.
Alphavirus Genome Delivery Occurs Directly at the Plasma Membrane in a Time- and Temperature-Dependent Process

ABSTRACT It is widely held that arboviruses such as the alphavirus Sindbis virus gain entry into cells by a process of receptor-mediated endocytosis followed by membrane fusion in the acid environment of the endosome. We have used an approach of direct observation of Sindbis virus entry into cells by electron microscopy and immunolabeling of virus proteins with antibodies conjugated to gold beads. We found that upon attaching to the cell surface, intact RNA-containing viruses became empty shells that could be identified only by antibody labeling. We found that the rate at which full particles were converted to empty particles increased with time and temperature. We found that this entry event takes place at temperatures that inhibit both endosome formation and membrane fusion. We conclude that entry of alphaviruses is by direct penetration of cell plasma membranes through a pore structure formed by virus and, possibly, host proteins.
Impaired heteronymous somatosensory motor cortical inhibition in dystonia

A typical pathophysiological abnormality in dystonia is cocontraction of antagonist muscles, with impaired reciprocal inhibitory mechanisms in the spinal cord. Recent experimental data have shown that inhibitory interactions between antagonist muscles have also a parallel control at the level of the sensorimotor cortex. The aim of this work was to study heteronymous effects of a median nerve stimulus on the corticospinal projections to forearm muscles in dystonia. We used the technique of antagonist cortical inhibition, which assesses the conditioning effect of median nerve afferent input on motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in ipsilateral forearm extensor muscles at rest. Nine healthy subjects and 10 patients with torsion dystonia participated in the study. MEPs and somatosensory evoked potentials were normal in patients. In healthy subjects, median nerve stimulation at 15‐ to 18‐msec intervals inhibited the test MEPs in forearm extensors. In dystonic patients, median nerve stimulation delivered at the same conditioning–test intervals elicited significantly less inhibition of the test MEP. On the whole, these data suggest an impaired sensory–motor integration in dystonia and, more specifically, the decreased antagonistic cortical inhibition could suggest that functional interactions between antagonist muscles are primarily impaired at the cortical level. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Glutamate transporters in the central nervous system of a pond snail

Previous studies on glutamate (GLU) and its receptors in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis have suggested that GLU functions as a neurotransmitter in various behaviors, particularly for generation of feeding rhythm. The uptake mechanism of GLU is not yet known in Lymnaea. In the present study, we characterized the GLU transporters and examined their functions in the feeding circuits of the central nervous system (CNS) in Lymnaea. First, measurement of the accumulation of 3H‐labeled GLU revealed the presence of GLU transport systems in the Lymnaea CNS. The highest accumulation rate was observed in the buccal ganglia, supporting the involvement of GLU transport systems in feeding behavior. Second, we cloned two types of GLU transporters from the Lymnaea CNS, the excitatory amino acid transporter (LymEAAT) and the vesicular GLU transporter (LymVGLUT). When we compared their amino acid sequences with those of mammalian EAATs and VGLUTs, we found that the functional domains of both types are well conserved. Third, in situ hybridization revealed that the mRNAs of LymEAAT and LymVGLUT are localized in large populations of nerve cells, including the major feeding motoneurons in the buccal ganglia. Finally, we inhibited LymEAAT and found that changes in the firing patterns of the feeding motoneurons that have GLUergic input were similar to those obtained following stimulation with GLU. Our results confirmed the presence of GLU uptake systems in the Lymnaea CNS and showed that LymEAAT is required for proper rhythm generation, particularly for generation of the feeding rhythm. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wavelet Aided SVM Analysis of ECG Signals for Cardiac Abnormality Detection

Automatic detection and classification of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is of great importance for diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities. A method is proposed here to classify different cardiac abnormalities like Cardiomyopathy, Myocardial infarction, Dysrhythmia, Myocardial hypertrophy and Valvular heart disease. Support Vector Machine (SVM) has been used to classify the patterns inherent in the features extracted through Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) of different ECG signals. CWT allows a time domain signal to be transformed into time-frequency domain such that frequency characteristics and the location of particular features in a time series may be highlighted simultaneously. Thus it allows accurate extraction of feature from non-stationary signals like ECG. SVM transforms the multi-dimensional feature space into a linearly separable feature space with the help of Kernel function. In the present work, SVM in regression mode has been successfully applied for the classification of cardiac abnormalities with good diagnostic accuracy.
A method for automatic construction of learning contents in semantic web by a text mining approach

E-learning has gradually been accepted as an alternative for traditional lecture-based learning. One key factor for the success of e-learning is the possibility of understanding the semantics of learning contents autonomously by machines. The semantic web could naturally fit in according to its ability on information interchange and sharing between machines. Such ability is made possible when the semantic web pages are properly annotated. To transform the existing semantics-lacking learning contents to semantics-enriched ones, we propose a machine learning approach to automatically generate semantic markups for traditional learning contents, which are usually presented in web pages. The proposed method applies the self-organising map algorithm to cluster training web pages and conducts a text mining process to discover the anchor texts to be tagged and their semantic descriptions. Preliminary experiments show that our method may successfully generate semantic markups for the web pages that could be used for e-learning in the semantic web environment.