Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein phosphatase in neuroblastoma cells: [3H]cantharidin binding site in relation to cytotoxicity.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) plays a central role in essential phosphorylation-dependent signal transduction pathways. It is also a principal target for many natural toxicants (cantharidin, microcystins, diarrhetic shellfish poisons) and a synthetic herbicide (endothall). This study develops a cellular model to explore the toxicology of PP2A inhibitors by use of a [3H]cantharidic acid ([3H]CA) ligand binding assay to quantify interactions at the toxicant site and cell viability to evaluate in vivo toxicity. Mouse neuroblastoma (N1E-115) cells are similar to mouse brain with respect to the affinity (12-15 nM), number (B(max), 9-22 pmol/mg protein) and ligand specificity of this binding site. In addition, the competitive potency of ten analogs of CA (including endothall) and two potent diarrhetic shellfish poisons (okadaic acid and calyculin A) is correlated (r2 = .9) with and therefore predictive of their cytotoxicity. The only exception is microcystin LR which is a potent inhibitor at the binding site but is not cytotoxic, possibly reflecting a lack of cellular uptake. ATP and several other phosphorus-containing bifunctional acids inhibit [3H]CA binding by phosphorylation-independent pathways; pyrophosphate apparently acts as a competitive inhibitor. Mn++ and five other divalent cations are also inhibitors with a unique action of Mn++ at 25 to 50 microM in increasing [3H]CA binding, which suggests a specific role in PP2A function. Neuroblastoma cells are therefore suitable to study the mechanisms by which the toxicant, ATP and Mn++ binding sites regulate PP2A activity and cell physiology.
A novel approach with “skeletonised MTR” measures tract‐specific microstructural changes in early primary‐progressive MS

We combined tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) and magnetization transfer (MT) imaging to assess white matter (WM) tract‐specific short‐term changes in early primary‐progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and their relationships with clinical progression. Twenty‐one PPMS patients within 5 years from onset underwent MT and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at baseline and after 12 months. Patients' disability was assessed. DTI data were processed to compute fractional anisotropy (FA) and to generate a common WM “skeleton,” which represents the tracts that are “common” to all subjects using TBSS. The MT ratio (MTR) was computed from MT data and co‐registered with the DTI. The skeletonization procedure derived for FA was applied to each subject's MTR image to obtain a “skeletonised” MTR map for every subject. Permutation tests were used to assess (i) changes in FA, principal diffusivities, and MTR over the follow‐up, and (ii) associations between changes in imaging parameters and changes in disability. Patients showed significant decreases in MTR over one year in the corpus callosum (CC), bilateral corticospinal tract (CST), thalamic radiations, and superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi. These changes were located both within lesions and the normal‐appearing WM. No significant longitudinal change in skeletonised FA was found, but radial diffusivity (RD) significantly increased in several regions, including the CST bilaterally and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus. MTR decreases, RD increases, and axial diffusivity decreases in the CC and CST correlated with a deterioration in the upper limb function. We detected tract‐specific multimodal imaging changes that reflect the accrual of microstructural damage and possibly contribute to clinical impairment in PPMS. We propose a novel methodology that can be extended to other diseases to map cross‐subject and tract‐specific changes in MTR. Hum Brain Mapp 35:723–733, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A combination of closely associated positive and negative cis-acting promoter elements regulates transcription of the skeletal alpha-actin gene

The chicken skeletal alpha-actin gene promoter region provides at least a 75-fold-greater transcriptional activity in muscle cells than in fibroblasts. The cis-acting sequences required for cell type-restricted expression within this 200-base-pair (bp) region were elucidated by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays of site-directed Bg/II linker-scanning mutations transiently transfected into primary cultures. Four positive cis-acting elements were identified and are required for efficient transcriptional activity in myogenic cells. These elements, conserved across vertebrate evolution, include the ATAAAA box (-24 bp), paired CCAAT-box-associated repeats (CBARs; at -83 bp and -127 bp), and the upstream T+A-rich regulatory sequence (at -176 bp). Basal transcriptional activity in fibroblasts was not as dependent on the upstream CBAR or regions of the upstream T+A-rich regulatory sequence. Transfection experiments provided evidence that positive regulatory factors required for alpha-actin expression in fibroblasts are limiting. In addition, negative cis-acting elements were detected and found closely associated with the G+C-rich sequences that surround the paired CBARs. Negative elements may have a role in restricting developmentally timed expression in myoblasts and appear to inhibit promoter activity in nonmyogenic cells. Cell type-specific expression of the skeletal alpha-actin gene promoter is regulated by combinatorial and possibly competitive interactions between multiple positive and negative cis-acting elements.
Online Machine Learning Techniques for Predicting Operator Performance

This thesis explores a number of online machine learning algorithms. From a theoret- ical perspective, it assesses their employability for a particular function approximation problem where the analytical models fall short. Furthermore, it discusses the applica- tion of theoretically suitable learning algorithms to the function approximation problem at hand through an efficient implementation that exploits various computational and mathematical shortcuts. Finally, this thesis work evaluates the implemented learning algorithms according to various evaluation criteria through rigorous testing.
Data-Assisted Massive MIMO Uplink Transmission with Large Backhaul Cooperation Delay: Scheme Design and System-Level Analysis

It has been shown in the existing literature that data symbols could help to relieve the pilot contamination issue of massive multiple-input multiple-output systems. In this paper, we show that pilot information of interference users could be exploited jointly with the data-assisted transmission mechanism. Specifically, we consider the uplink transmission of a massive multiple-input multiple-output network where there are backhauls with significant delay between base stations. Although real-time inter-base station cooperation is infeasible; pilot information, whose update frequency is very low, of closest interference users can be notified to the serving base station. Conventionally, estimating the interference channel will lead to larger pilot overhead. In our proposed scheme, however, the detected uplink data could provide sufficient degree- of-freedom to estimate the channels of the closest interference users without increasing pilot overhead. Hence, the inter-cell interference can be suppressed efficiently. In order to obtain useful insights on system-level performance, a stochastic geometry based framework is established to analyze the distribution of the signal-to-interference ratio of the proposed scheme. The closed-from expression of the asymptotic bound is thereby derived. It is shown that the analytical expression fits the numerical simulations very well, and the proposed scheme has significant gain over the data-assisted uplink scheme without backhaul.
Human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 mRNAs from genital condylomata acuminata

We have identified and mapped a number of RNA species of human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 from condylomata acuminata by the electron microscopic R-loop technique. Each of the early (E)- and late (L)-region open reading frames (ORFs) deduced from the DNA sequences was represented in one or more transcripts. In addition, RNA species that could encode the modulator of DNA replication and the repressor of transcription, functions recently identified in the genetically similar bovine papillomavirus type 1, were also detected. Some ORFs were 5' proximal in one or more transcripts, whereas others were not 5' proximal in any species, suggesting that internal initiation of translation might be required to gain access to these latter ORFs. Virtually all transcripts had their 5' ends located in the E region and were polyadenylated at one of two sites, i.e., at the end of the E region or at the end of the L region. The great majority of the RNAs were derived from the E region of the genome, with one species approximately 50 to 100 times more abundant than the others. For most of the RNAs, the 5' end mapped near nucleotide 700; minor populations had 5' ends near nucleotide 100 or 1200. By correlating our mapping data with the genomic DNA sequences as well as available RNA structures and cDNA sequences of several papillomaviruses, we predict a number of mRNA splice donor and acceptor sites and suggest that the papillomaviruses have sophisticated usage of ORFs through alternative promoters, mRNA splice sites, and polyadenylation sites.
State panel estimates of the effects of the minimum legal drinking age on alcohol consumption for 1950 to 2002.

BACKGROUND Despite strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), recent movements have attempted to evoke policy changes that will allow 18- to 20-year-olds to buy and drink alcohol legally. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of both raising and lowering the MLDA on per capita ethanol (EtOH) consumption in longer and more accurate time series panel than any previous study. METHODS Generalized least squares model specifications controlling for income, unemployment rates, and population characteristics were implemented using MLDA and aggregate EtOH consumption data from U.S. states from 1950 to 2002. RESULTS Results from the full 1950 to 2002 period, which include both the lowering and raising of the MLDA, show that an increase in the MLDA by 3 years was associated with decreases in per capita total EtOH consumption (1.51% reduction), as well as in beer (2.31% reduction) and spirits consumption (1.86% reduction). CONCLUSIONS Lowering the MLDA would likely induce increased rates of drinking and subsequent alcohol-related consequences. If increased consumption is of concern, policymakers should resist movements to lower the MLDA.
Vehicular Collaborative Technique for Location Estimate Correction

Awareness of a vehicle's precise location in VANET is vital so that any vehicle can provide accurate data to its peers. Currently, typical localization techniques integrate the GPS receiver data and the measurements of the vehicle's motion. However, when the vehicle passes through an environment that creates multipath signals, these techniques fail to produce the high localization accuracy that they attain in open environments. The goal of this research is to minimize the multipath effect with respect to the localization accuracy of the vehicles in VANET. The proposed technique, IVCAL, takes advantage of the communications among the VANET vehicles in order to obtain more information from the vehicle's neighbours. The proposed technique integrates all these pieces of information with the vehicle's own data and applies optimization techniques to minimize the error in the location estimate. The simulation results in this paper show a decrease of up to 53% in the location estimate error compared to the error in the traditional techniques.
An overview of the development on reconfiguration of metamorphic mechanisms

Metamorphic mechanisms and metamorphic robots are able to deliberately change their own shape by rearranging the connectivity of their parts. The reconfiguration process of the mechanisms contains various topological configurations with multiple configuration states to accommodate topology transformation. Over the last decade, the study of metamorphic mechanism and metamorphic robotics has advanced from conceptual study to elaborating theories and physical implementations. The goal of this article is to outline some of this progress and propose some key perspectives.
Os fatores de engajamento do estudante na modalidade de ensino a distância

educational activities, better is the institution (KUH, HU, 2001). Excellence in higher education takes place in universities that maximize good practices that encourage academic and social engagement (PASCARELLA, 2001). A topic not studied yet regards to the quality of learning experiences in distance courses and the level of engagement in the activities of these courses (CHEN; GONYEA; KUH, 2008). This article presents and discusses the engagement factors of distance education students. The study was conducted through a qualitative research, supported in conducting focus groups. It was initially carried out a review of the existing literature in order to raise the engagement factors of students in distance learning. The analysis identifies 60 factors of student engagement in distance learning, divided into 11 dimensions.
Angiotensin II induces oscillations of intracellular calcium and blocks anomalous inward rectifying potassium current in mouse renal juxtaglomerular cells.

Simultaneous patch-clamp and fura-2 measurements were used to investigate the electrical properties and receptor-mediated changes of intracellular calcium in renal juxtaglomerular cells. Here we report the presence of voltage-activated inward and outward rectifying potassium currents and the inhibition of the anomalous inward rectifying potassium current by angiotensin II (ANG-II). This action of ANG-II was mimicked by guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate but not by cAMP, cGMP, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, or phorbol ester, suggesting that ANG-II inhibits the potassium channel directly by means of a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein or by means of an unusual type of second messenger. Blocking of the inward rectifier was paralleled by membrane depolarization, but we obtained no evidence for calcium entry due to voltage-gated calcium channels in juxtaglomerular cells. Instead, under voltage clamp, ANG-II and guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate induced release of calcium from intracellular stores followed by a sustained phase of transmembrane calcium influx and oscillations of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations were found to depend on the extracellular Ca concentration--i.e., the sustained elevation was abolished in absence of extracellular Ca, and the frequency of repetitive calcium release was directly related to the extracellular concentration of calcium. Moreover, an elevation of extracellular Ca concentration by itself induced release of intracellular calcium in the absence of other stimuli. Changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations were accompanied by prominent calcium-activated chloride currents, and this mechanism is inferred to be responsible for the inhibitory role of calcium in renin secretion. Intracellular application of cAMP but no cGMP inhibited ANG-II and guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate induced calcium mobilization in juxtaglomerular cells, being consistent with the facilitatory effects of elevated cAMP levels of renin release. The frequency of ANG-II induced oscillations was also markedly attenuated at depolarized membrane potentials suggesting effective negative feedback control of ANG-II-induced depolarization on repetitive Ca2+ transients induced by the hormone.
Acceptance of Financial Accounting Information System at Schools : Technology Acceptance Model

Financial accounting information systems are needed in the presentation of financial statements for the public. Besides that, school management requires accounting information in relation to decision making for organizational purposes, so managerial of accounting information system is needed. One important aspect of accounting that aims to produce financial reporting in an organization is the behavior of financial report managers which become studies of behavioral accounting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude toward using on behavioral intention to use accounting information systems by school financial managers. This study also aims to determine the extent of the acceptance of accounting information systems by school financial managers in the preparation of financial statements. The method used in this study is a quantitative method with path analysis techniques. The number of population and sample in this study were 50 respondents from an educational foundation in the city of Semarang which consisted of treasurers and the finance department of the Marsudirini Foundation school. The results obtained from this study are the significant influence of perceived ease of use to perceived usefulness; perceived usefulness to attitude toward using; perceived ease of use to attitude toward using; perceived ease of use to behavioral intention to use; and attitude to using toward behavioral intention to use. The rejected hypothesis is the influence of perceived usefulness tobehavioral intention to use.
Multilayer neural tracking control with periodically switching method of uncertain switched nonlinear systems

In this paper, a robust tracking control scheme with periodically switching method is presented for a class of switched nonlinear systems which is in the presence of unknown dead-zone input and external disturbances. A neural tracking controller based on multilayer neural networks (MNNs) which are utilized to approximate unknown functions and uncertain nonlinear terms is designed to enhance robustness and maintain boundedness. Adaptive neural updated laws are based on switched Lyapunov function approach, and a periodically switching signal is constructed. It is proved that with the proposed control scheme, the resulting closed-loop switched system is robustly stable such that the satisfactory tracking control performance is well achieved. A simulation example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed approach.
What Exactly Is a Recession - and Are We in One?

The common definition of a recession, and the one most frequently cited in the media, is a period of two consecutive quarterly declines in real GDP. While historically this definition has held pretty close to true, it is more of shorthand than the precise definition. The actual definition of a recession as given by the NBER, the committee responsible for determining and dating official recessions, is “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale–retail sales. ” The definition is fairly vague, which explains why many prefer the shorthand definition, but the idea is fairly simple. A recession is any period when economic activity experiences a prolonged and widespread decline.
Pengaruh Dividend Yield Dan Price Earnings Ratio Terhadap Return Saham Dengan Investment Opportunity Set Sebagai Variabel Moderating

This research is aimed to examine and find out empirical evidence of (1) the influence of dividend yield on stock return with investment opportunity set as the moderating variable, (2) the influence of price earnings ratio on stock return with investment opportunity set as the moderating variable. The using of investment opportunity set is aimed to search influence between dividend yield and price earnings ratio with stock return. As model used in this study, dividend and retained earnings has reflected the use of dividend yield and price earnings ratio by market participants. Samples used in this research are manufacturing companies listed in Bursa Efek Jakarta in 5 years observation period (1999-2004). Total samples are 30 companies. The data are collected using purposive sampling method. The result of moderated regression analysis (MRA) shows that (1) dividend yield does not influence stock return with investment opportunity set as the moderating variable, (2) price earnings ratio does not influence stock return with investment opportunity set as the moderating variable. Thus, the hypothesis of the research is not empirically supported.
Screening for the In Vitro Anti-tumor-promoting Activities of Edible Plants from Malaysia

A total of 114 methanol extracts from 42 plant families of edible Malaysian plants were screened for their inhibitory activities toward tumor promoter 12-O-hexadecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (HPA)-induced Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activation in Raji cells. By testing at a concentration of 200 μg/ml, 74% of the 114 extracts inhibited EBV activation by 30% or more. This rate is comparable to those observed in the previous tests on edible Thai (60%) and Indonesian (71%) plants, and, importantly, much higher than that (26%) observed for Japanese edible plants. Approximately half of the Malaysian plants did not taxonomically overlap those from the other three countries, suggesting that Malaysian plants, as well as Thai and Indonesian plants, are an exclusive source of effective chemopreventive agents. Further dilution experiments indicated an extract from the leaves of Piper betle L. (Piperaceae) to be one of the most promising species. The high potential of edible Southeast Asian plants for cancer chemoprevention is collectively discussed.
Expression of AMH, SF1, and SOX9 in gonads of genetic female chickens during sex reversal induced by an aromatase inhibitor

Aromatase inhibitors administered prior to histological signs of gonadal sex differentiation can induce sex reversal of genetic female chickens. Under the effects of Fadrozole (CGS 16949A), a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor, the right gonad generally becomes a testis, and the left gonad a testis or an ovotestis. We have compared the expression pattern of the genes encoding AMH (the anti‐Müllerian hormone), SF1 (steroidogenic factor 1), and SOX9 (a transcription factor related to SRY) in these sex‐reversed gonads with that in control testes and ovaries, using in situ hybridization with riboprobes on gonadal sections. In control males, the three genes are expressed in Sertoli cells of testicular cords; however, only SOX9 is male specific, since as observed previously AMH and SF1 but not SOX9 are expressed in the control female gonads. In addition to testicular‐like cords, sex‐reversed gonads present many lacunae with a composite, thick and flat epithelium. We show that during embryonic and postnatal development, AMH, SF1 and SOX9 are expressed in the epithelium of testicular‐like cords and in the thickened part but not in the flattened part of the epithelium of composite lacunae. AMH and SF1 but not SOX9 are expressed in follicular cells of ovotestes. Coexpression of the three genes, of which SOX9 is a specific Sertoli‐cell marker, provides strong evidence for the transdifferentiation of ovarian into testicular epithelium in gonads of female chickens treated with Fadrozole. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.