Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of a human member of the Ly‐49 multigene family

Three classes of multigene family‐encoded receptors enable NK cells to discriminate between polymorphic MHC class I molecules: Ly‐49 homodimers, CD94/NKG2 heterodimers and the killer cell inhibitory receptors (KIR). Of these, CD94/NKG2 has been characterized in both rodents and humans. In contrast, Ly‐49 family members have hitherto been found only in rodents, and KIR molecules only in the human. In this report, we describe a human cDNA, termed Ly‐49L, that constitutes the first human member of the Ly‐49 multigene family. Compared with rodent Ly‐49 molecules, the Ly‐49L sequence contains a premature stop codon and predicts a truncated protein that lacks the distal part of a C‐terminal lectin domain. Evidence is presented that the premature stop codon results from incomplete excision of the intron between the first two lectin domain exons. Splice variants predicting a full‐size Ly‐49L protein were not detected. As demonstrated by Northern blot analysis, Ly‐49L was transcribed by IL‐2‐activated NK cells, but not by freshly isolated B or T cells. PCR screening of a 22‐clone yeast artificial chromosome contig localized the LY49L locus to the human NK gene complex on chromosome 12p12‐p13. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA showed a simple pattern with a full‐length Ly‐49L probe at low stringency hybridization conditions, suggesting that Ly‐49L may be the only human member of the Ly‐49 multigene family.
Scheduled Voluntary Wheel Running Activity Modulates Free-Running Circadian Body Temperature Rhythms in Octodon degus

Entrainment of the circadian pacemaker to nonphotic stimuli, such as scheduled wheel-running activity, is well characterized in nocturnal rodents, but little is known about activity-dependent entrainment in diurnal or crepuscular species. In the present study, effects of scheduled voluntary wheel-running activity on circadian timekeeping were investigated in Octodon degus,a hystricomorph rodent that exhibits robust crepuscular patterns of wakefulness. When housed in constant darkness, O. degus exhibited circadian rhythms in wheel-running activity and body temperature (Tb) with an average period length ([.tau]) of 23.39 ± 0.11 h. When wheel running was restricted to a fixed 2-h schedule every 24 h, [. tau] increased on average 0.39 ± 0.09 h but did not result in steady-state entrainment. Instead, relative coordination between the fixed running schedule and circadian timing was observed. [. tau] was greatest when scheduled wheel running occurred at CT 20.5 (0.4 h greater than DD baseline [.tau]). Scheduled running activity also influenced Tb waveform symmetry, reflecting concomitant changes in the circadian activity-rest ratio ([.alpha]:[.rho]). Aftereffects of the scheduled wheel-running paradigm were also observed. In 2 animals, [. tau] lengthened from 23.20 and 23.80 h to 24.14 and 24.15 h, respectively, and remained relatively stable for approximately 1 month during the wheel schedule. Although behavioral activity appears to be a weak zeitgeber in this species, these data suggest that nonphotic stimuli can phase delay the circadian pacemaker in O. degusat similar times of the day as in nocturnal hamsters and mice, and in humans.
Insulin-stimulated Phosphorylation of a Rab GTPase-activating Protein Regulates GLUT4 Translocation*

Insulin stimulates the rapid translocation of intracellular glucose transporters of the GLUT4 isotype to the plasma membrane in fat and muscle cells. The connections between known insulin signaling pathways and the protein machinery of this membrane-trafficking process have not been fully defined. Recently, we identified a 160-kDa protein in adipocytes, designated AS160, that is phosphorylated by the insulin-activated kinase Akt. This protein contains a GTPase-activating domain (GAP) for Rabs, which are small G proteins required for membrane trafficking. In the present study we have identified six sites of in vivo phosphorylation on AS160. These sites lie in the motif characteristic of Akt phosphorylation, and insulin treatment increased phosphorylation at five of the sites. Expression of AS160 with two or more of these sites mutated to alanine markedly inhibited insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Moreover, this inhibition did not occur when the GAP function in the phosphorylation site mutant was inactivated by a point mutation. These findings strongly indicate that insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of AS160 is required for GLUT4 translocation and that this phosphorylation signals translocation through inactivation of the Rab GAP function.
B‐cells and IL‐4 promote methylcholanthrene‐induced carcinogenesis but there is no evidence for a role of T/NKT‐cells and their effector molecules (Fas‐ligand, TNF‐α, perforin)

Mice deficient either in subtypes of immune cells, cytokines or lytic pathways have been subjected to chemical carcinogenesis by methylcholanthrene to evaluate whether these components of the immune system affect tumor development. Inbred mice of the same genotype but from different sources differed in tumor development in magnitude comparable to that previously attributed to differences in immunocompetence. This suggested that genetic drift between separate inbred colonies of mice and/or environmental factors (e.g., transport of the animals) influenced carcinogenesis. Therefore, littermates were used as control in subsequent experiments. Although deficiency of T‐cells, NKT‐cells, perforin, Fas‐ligand, TNF‐α‐receptor failed to reveal significant differences in tumor development, the presence of B‐cells and IL‐4 enhanced tumor development under similar experimental conditions.
High Torque-Density In-Wheel Electrical Machine for an Electric Bus

In this paper the design aspects of an in-wheel electrical machine to be used for traction in electric buses are discussed. The main challenges with the application are the high torque density and cost-minimisation requirements. This paper looks at all the different design aspects of the traction motor required including the electromagnetic design optimisation and thermal management.
Thresholding noise-free ordered mean filter based on Dempster-Shafer theory for image restoration

This work proposes a new decision-based filter, the thresholding noise-free ordered mean (TNOM) filter based on the Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory, to preserve more details of images than can other decision-based filters, while effectively suppressing impulse noise. The new filter mechanism is composed of an efficient D-S impulse detector and a noise filter that works by estimating the central noise-free ordered mean (CNOM) value. The D-S evidence theory provides a way to deal with the uncertainty in the evidence and information fusion. Pieces of evidence are extracted, and the mass functions defined using the local information in the filter window. Then, the decision rule is applied to determine whether noise exists, according to the final combined belief value. If a pixel is detected to be a corrupted pixel, then the proposed filter will be triggered to replace it. Otherwise, the pixel is kept unchanged. With respect to the noise suppression of noise on both fixed-valued and random-valued impulses without smearing the fine details in the image, extensive simulation results reveal that the proposed scheme significantly outperforms other decision-based filters.
Thermal Management of Power Inverter Modules at High Fluxes via Two-Phase Spray Cooling

A spray cooling system was developed and tested for thermal management of power inverter modules utilized in automotive applications. The system featured an array of 1×2 pressure atomized nozzles that used 88°C boiling point antifreeze coolant with 0.15-l/min.cm2 liquid flow rate and 145-kPa pressure drop. A 2-cm2 simulated device, having two kinds of enhanced spray surface with microscale structures, reached up to 400-W/cm2 heat flux with as low as 14 °C surface superheat. These experimental results demonstrated the capability of greatly reducing the overall thermal resistance of the inverter modules that are commonly cooled with single-phase convective systems. The long-term reliability of the spray cooling was assessed with 2000 h of testing time. Performance of the presented system proved the spray cooling of power electronics as an attractive option that enables high power densities while maintaining acceptable and uniform device temperatures. In addition, due to the use of high temperature coolant at low flow rates, the spray cooling offers a compact and efficient system design.
DESARROLLO DEL ESPÍRITU EMPRESARIAL EN LAS UNIVERSIDADES DE CALI

Este proyecto de investigacion tiene como objetivo evaluar, en la ciudad de Cali, la incidencia que han tenido los programas academicos universitarios en la decision de sus egresados de convertirse en empresarios y/o de generar nuevos proyectos al interior de las organizaciones para las cuales trabajan. Los resultados de esta investigacion permitiran formular recomendaciones concretas para que los programas academicos cumplan efectivamente con su mision de formar profesionales con Espiritu Empresarial. Este proyecto permitira tambien desarrollar una metodologia de evaluacion de este tipo de programas y los resultados obtenidos serviran como punto de referencia para dichas evaluaciones.Especificamente el proyecto abarca los siguientes programas academicos: Administracion de Empresas e Ingenieria de Sistemas de la Universidad Icesi, Administracion de Empresas e Ingenieria Industrial de la Universidad del Valle, Administracion de Empresas e Ingenieria Industrial de la Universidad Javeriana Seccional Cali. Este articulo muestra los resultados obtenidos en la primera etapa de este proyecto, que consistio en un sondeo telefonico con una muestra de 500 egresados de la Universidad Icesi. El sondeo dio como resultado que el 9% de los Ingenieros de Sistemas, el 14% de los Administradores de Empresas del programa diurno y el 23% de los Administradores de Empresas del programa nocturno se dedican totalmente a la actividad empresarial. Ademas, un 3% de los Ingenieros de Sistemas, un 6% de los Administradores de Empresas del programa diurno y un 7% de los Administradores de Empresas del programa nocturno son simultaneamente empleados y empresarios.
Psychiatric status and work performance of veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

OBJECTIVE This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between psychiatric diagnosis and impaired work functioning among American service members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom-Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF-OIF). METHODS Participants were 797 OEF-OIF veterans, of whom 473 were employed. They were referred for further psychiatric assessment by primary care providers at six Veterans Affairs medical centers and underwent a behavioral health interview that assessed psychiatric and health status and work impairment as measured by the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ). The four WLQ subscales (mental-interpersonal demands, time management, output, and physical demands) and an aggregated measure of productivity loss were considered in the analysis. Associations between patient characteristics, psychiatric status, and work impairments were investigated with regression models. RESULTS Major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety or panic disorder were significantly associated with impairments in mental-interpersonal demands, time management, and output. Alcohol dependence and illicit drug use were associated with impairments in output and physical demands. On average these productivity losses were four times those found in a previous study of nonveteran employees with no psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS Veterans' ability to maintain gainful employment is a major component of successful reintegration into civilian life, and psychiatric disorders have a negative impact on work performance. This study demonstrated that multiple dimensions of job performance are impaired by psychiatric illness among OEF-OIF veterans. Delivery of empirically supported interventions to treat psychiatric disorders and development of care models that focus on work-specific interventions are needed to help veterans return to civilian life.
International Physical Activity Questionnaire Overestimation is Ameliorated by Individual Analysis of the Scores

Sedentarism is considered a risk factor for coronary heart disease and death from any cardiovascular disease. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) assesses physical activity in metabolic equivalents, using 4 dimensions: occupation, transportation, household activities, and leisure-time physical activity. The purpose of this investigation was to assess physical activity levels in the patients enrolled in the Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study, currently undertaken by the “Dr. Félix Gómez” Endocrine-Metabolic Research Center. Two thousand one hundred eight individuals were recruited and subjected to a standard Medical chart, Graffar scale, and IPAQ long form, applied by trained personnel. Description of the population was done using mean, SD, and coefficient of variation. IPAQ scores were analyzed as medians and distributed by percentiles. From the 2108 individuals, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women. The most prevalent physical activity was high physical activity with 39.9%, followed by moderate physical activity with 36.9% and low physical activity with 23.2%. Medians for each IPAQ dominion were occupation with 0.00 (0.00–66.00), transportation with 165.00 (0.00–463.00), household activities with 772.50 (0.00–2520.00), and leisure time with 0.00 (0.00–594.00). Using leisure-time scores, a new reclassification was conducted, obtaining 1245 subjects with 0 metabolic equivalents in this dominion. From this new subsample, 43.6% had High physical activity, 56.95% had Moderate physical activity, and 91% had Low physical activity, demonstrating an important overestimation in the former sample results. IPAQ overestimates moderate and vigorous activity in the adult population of the Maracaibo Municipality. Overestimation is mainly located in the household- and gardening-related activity.
Molecular cloning of Bombyx cerebral opsin (Boceropsin) and cellular localization of its expression in the silkworm brain.

We have cloned a cDNA for a novel opsin from the larval brain of the silkworm Bombyx mori in which the photoperiodic photoreceptor had been supposed to reside in the cephalic central nervous system (CNS). Its deduced amino acid sequence was composed of 381 amino acids and included amino acid residues highly conserved in insect visual pigments. This opsin belonged to the long wavelength photoreceptor group of insect opsins and showed the greatest degree of homology (84%) with the green visual photoreceptor in the sphingid moth. We have designated this Bombyx cerebral opsin as Boceropsin. Southern blotting experiments indicated that the Boceropsin gene is present in a single copy, and RT-PCR analysis revealed that Boceropsin mRNA is expressed in the larval brain but not in the subesophageal ganglion (Sg) or thoracic ganglion (Tg). Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that Boceropsin protein is present bilaterally in some defined cells localized in the brain of Bombyx larvae. This is the first report of expression of an opsin-based protein in CNS of an insect. The possibility that the Boceropsin functions as the photoperiodic receptive pigment in the silkworm is also discussed.
Space-Frequency Projection of Planar AMCs on Integrated Antennas for 60 GHz Radios

We present planar low-profile designs of an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) appropriate for integration of planar antennas into small form-factor devices for wireless communications applications. These novel AMC designs have a single metallization layer with no vias, and the whole system is suitable for inexpensive on-package integration for 60-GHz radio transceivers. They allow simultaneously for projecting the AMC behavior directly on the antenna metallization layer, while eliminating surface waves and obeying package design rules. We also project on the frequency band where the integrated antenna presents good impedance matching and maximum radiation gain. The integrated antenna-AMC design presented has large bandwidth, small form factor suitable for on-package integration, and 6 dBi gain for single elements making it ideal for small directive on-package arrays for 60 GHz radio applications.
Organocatalytic Asymmetric Assembly Reactions: Synthesis of Spirooxindoles via Organocascade Strategies

Spirooxindoles have become a privileged skeleton given their broad and promising activities in various therapeutic areas. The strategies and catalyst systems described here highlight recent advances in the enantioselective synthesis of spirooxindoles via organocascade strategies. Various organocatalysts with distinct activation modes have found application in constructing these sophisticated compounds. This review focuses on the enantioselective synthesis of spirooxindoles via organocascade strategies and is organized on the basis of three primary starting materials and then further subdivided according to the types of organocatalyst. These methods are of importance for the synthesis of complex natural products and the design of new pharmaceutical compounds. We believe that compounds based on spirooxindole skeletons have the potential to provide novel therapeutic agents and useful biological tools.
Targeted Knockdown of G Protein Subunits Selectively Prevents Receptor-mediated Modulation of Effectors and Reveals Complex Changes in Non-targeted Signaling Proteins*

Heterotrimeric G protein signaling specificity has been attributed to select combinations of Gα, β, and γ subunits, their interactions with other signaling proteins, and their localization in the cell. With few exceptions, the G protein subunit combinations that exist in vivo and the significance of these specific combinations are largely unknown. We have begun to approach these problems in HeLa cells by: 1) determining the concentrations of Gα and Gβ subunits; 2) examining receptor-dependent activities of two effector systems (adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase Cβ); and 3) systematically silencing each of the Gα and Gβ subunits by using small interfering RNA while quantifying resultant changes in effector function and the concentrations of other relevant proteins in the network. HeLa cells express equimolar amounts of total Gα and Gβ subunits. The most prevalent Gα proteins were one member of each Gα subfamily (Gαs, Gαi3, Gα11, and Gα13). We substantially abrogated expression of most of the Gα and Gβ proteins expressed in these cells, singly and some in combinations. As expected, agonist-dependent activation of adenylyl cyclase or phospholipase Cβ was specifically eliminated following the silencing of Gαs or Gαq/11, respectively. We also confirmed that Gβ subunits are necessary for stable accumulation of Gα proteins in vivo. Gβ subunits demonstrated little isoform specificity for receptor-dependent modulation of effector activity. We observed compensatory changes in G protein accumulation following silencing of individual genes, as well as an apparent reciprocal relationship between the expression of certain Gαq and Gαi subfamily members. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the mechanisms that regulate the adaptability and remarkable resilience of G protein signaling networks.
Time series migration in Britain: the context for 1991 census analysis.

"An administrative register, the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR), is used by the Census Office (OPCS) to produce counts of NHS patients re-registering in different Family Health Service Authorities (FHSAs) in England and Wales. These movement data can be used to establish how unique or typical the migration occurring in the year prior to the Census was in relation to that for the whole decade. This paper examines national, regional and local examples of the information that can be extracted from a database system called TIMMIG that provides access to an NHSCR migration time series and a parallel series of mid-year population estimates. In advance of the publication of Special Migration Statistics, a preliminary comparison is made between the levels of in-migration to FHSA areas recorded in the NHSCR and in the 1991 Census. "
Embedded Touchpad for Desktop Users

Few industries have changed so much in such a short time as the computer industry, and the pace of change shows no sign of slowing. The computer now has a role in almost every aspect of modern life, and it has radically affected the way people organize their lives. Desktop users have to push a mouse around their desktop while laptop users can just point a finger on touchpad. Touchpad is a type of computer input device which uses a touch sensitive surface to allow users to control the movement of a cursor, thus replacing a mouse, pointing stick or trackball. Instead of requiring a user to grasp a mouse and pivot at the wrist to click and track on the desktop, touchpads require less motion and allow users to situate their hands and arms in a variety of positions which results in less stress on wrists. Another major advantage of touchpads is that they take up less space than a traditional mouse so it is ideal where space is at premium. Therefore, many users and computer makers see touchpads as a viable, long-term alternative to other pointing devices. Therefore to benefit desktop users, the low cost embedded touchpad is proposed. It uses 4 wires resistive touchscreen to sense the position of a finger. The other hardware includes touchscreen controller circuit, AT89S52 microcontroller, MCP3208 ADC and
Victimising of school bullying: a grounded theory

The aim of this study was to investigate how individuals;who had been victims of school bullying;perceived their bullying experiences and how these had affected them;and to generate a grounded theory of being a victim of bullying at school. Twenty-one individuals;who all had prior experiences of being bullied in school for more than one year;were interviewed. Qualitative analysis of data was performed by methods from grounded theory. The research identified a basic process of victimising in school bullying;which consisted of four phases: (a) initial attacks;(b) double victimising;(c) bullying exit and (d) after-effects of bullying. Double victimising refers to a process in which there was an interplay between external victimising and internal victimising. Acts of harassment were repeatedly directed at the victims from their social environment at school – a social process that constructed and repeatedly confirmed their victim role in the class or the group. This external victimising affected the victims and initiated an internal victimising;which meant that they internalised the socially constructed victim-image and acted upon this image;which in turn often supported the bullies’ agenda and confirmed the socially constructed victim-image. The findings also indicate the possible positive effect of changing the social environment.