Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Nfatc1 regulation identifies an enhancer required for gene expression that is specific to pro-valve endocardial cells in the developing heart

Nfatc1 is an endocardial transcription factor required for development of cardiac valves. Herein, we describe identification and characterization of a tissue-specific enhancer in the first intron of murine Nfatc1 that activates a heterogenic promoter and directs gene expression in a subpopulation of endocardial cells of the developing heart: the pro-valve endocardial cells. This enhancer activity begins on embryonic day (E) 8.5 in endocardial cells at the ventricular end of the atrioventricular canal, intensifies and extends from E9.5 to E11.5 in endocardium along the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract. By E12.5, the enhancer activity is accentuated in endocardial cells of forming valves. Sequential deletion analysis identified that a 250 bp DNA fragment at the 3′ end of the intron 1 is required for endocardial-specific activity. This region contains two short conserved sequences hosting a cluster of binding sites for transcription factors, including Nfat and Hox proteins. Electrophoresis mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated binding of Nfatc1 to the Nfat sites, and inactivation of Nfatc1 downregulated the enhancer activity in pro-valve endocardial cells. By contrast, mutation of the Hox site abolished its specificity, allowing gene expression in non pro-valve endocardium and extracardiac vasculature. Thus, autoregulation of Nfatc1 is required for maintaining high Nfatc1 expression in pro-valve endocardial cells, while suppression through the Hox site prevents its expression outside pro-valve endocardial cells during valve development. Our data demonstrate the first autonomous cell-specific enhancer for pro-valve endocardial cells and delineate a unique transcriptional mechanism that regulates endocardial Nfatc1 expression within developing cardiac valves.
Mitotic Phosphorylation of Dynamin-related GTPase Drp1 Participates in Mitochondrial Fission*

Organelles are inherited to daughter cells beyond dynamic changes of the membrane structure during mitosis. Mitochondria are dynamic entities, frequently dividing and fusing with each other, during which dynamin-related GTPase Drp1 is required for the fission reaction. In this study, we analyzed mitochondrial dynamics in mitotic mammalian cells. Although mitochondria in interphase HeLa cells are long tubular network structures, they are fragmented in early mitotic phase, and the filamentous network structures are subsequently reformed in the daughter cells. In marked contrast, tubular mitochondrial structures are maintained during mitosis in Drp1 knockdown cells, indicating that the mitochondrial fragmentation in mitosis requires mitochondrial fission by Drp1. Drp1 was specifically phosphorylated in mitosis by Cdk1/cyclin B on Ser-585. Exogenous expression of unphosphorylated mutant Drp1S585A led to reduced mitotic mitochondrial fragmentation. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Drp1 on Ser-585 promotes mitochondrial fission in mitotic cells.
Critical wavelength of eddy currents and its influence on harmonic losses in solid poles

Critical wavelength concept is proposed in the paper in order to describe the different behaviors of eddy currents and different harmonic losses in solid poles or non-insulated laminated poles of electrical machines. The concept is developed from an eddy current model which is commonly used for the calculation of slotting effects in solid rotors. Two synchronous machines are used for illustrating the critical wavelength for space harmonics and time harmonics. Further discussions are made on the influences of pole material properties and air gap length.
Bronchoalveolar lavage cells from sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls can efficiently present antigens

Objectives. The interaction between antigen‐presenting cells (APC) and T lymphocytes, that recognize the antigen‐HLA complex using its T cell‐receptor for antigen, is of crucial importance for a subsequent specific immune response. In patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, the local antigen‐ presenting capacity in the lungs has been suggested to be abnormally enhanced, and implicated in the immunopathogenesis of the disease. This study was aimed at increasing the understanding of the capacity to present antigens by APC in the lung compartment.
Vertical Power p-n Diodes Based on Bulk GaN

There is a great interest in wide-bandgap semiconductor devices and most recently in monolithic GaN structures for power electronics applications. In this paper, vertical p-n diodes fabricated on pseudobulk low defect density (104-106 cm-2) GaN substrates are discussed. Homoepitaxial low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition growth of GaN on its native substrate and being able to control and balance the n-type Si doping with background C impurity has allowed the realization of vertical device architectures with drift layer thicknesses of 6 to 40 μm and net carrier electron concentrations of 4 × 1015 to 2.5 × 1016 cm-3. This parameter range is suitable for applications requiring breakdown voltages (BVs) of 600 V-4 kV with a proper edge termination strategy. Measured devices demonstrate near power device figure of merit, that is, differential specific on-resistance (Rsp) of 2 mΩcm2 for a BV of 2.6 kV and 2.95 mΩcm2 for a 3.7-kV device, respectively. The improvement in the substrate quality over the last few years has resulted in the fabrication of diodes with areas as large as 16 mm2, with BVs exceeding 700 V and pulsed (100 μs) currents of 400 A. The structures fabricated are utilized to study in detail the temperature dependency of I-V characteristics, impact ionization and avalanche characteristics, and extract (estimate) modeling parameters such as electron mobility in the GaN c-direction (vertical) and hole minority carrier lifetimes. Some insight into device reliability is also provided.
Theorizing the Concept of Burnout in Nursing

According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, burnout means “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration” (Mish, 1999, p. 153). Since the 1970s, the term has been widely used in both the scientific and popular literature. Burnout has been studied extensively in occupational sectors including teaching, social services, medicine, mental health, law enforcement, and nursing (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). A cursory search of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database produced over 1100 items with burnout in the title. And yet, the nursing literature has generally relied upon the psychological literature for conceptualizations of burnout. Thus, there has been little, if any, theorizing about the concept of burnout through the lens of nursing theory. The authors in this column have begun to address this gap by positing a conceptualization of burnout from the perspective of the Neuman systems model (NSM). The column that follows is noteworthy on several fronts. Firstly, it presents a clarification of the notion of the core response in the NSM, in response to a call for such clarification by a recent think tank of NSM scholars. In this regard, the authors have employed the concept of burnout as an exemplar of the core response. Secondly, it represents what may be the first conceptualization of burnout situated within a nursing theoretical perspective. And thirdly, it represents the fruit of a collaborative mentoring relationship between a senior Neuman scholar (Gigliotti) and several Turkish scholars. The authors are to be commended for this original and timely contribution to the NSM literature as well as the nursing literature on burnout.
The dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the 3′UTR of the CD154 gene has a functional role on protein expression and is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective: To investigate the association of the (CA)n dinucleotide repeat in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the CD154 gene with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and its functional role in protein expression. Methods: The allelic and genotypic distributions of the polymorphism were compared in 80 patients with SLE and 80 controls. A complete clinical and analytical database was recorded in each patient in order to correlate the clinical manifestations in SLE with different alleles. To investigate the functional role of the polymorphism, the CD154 protein expression on activated lymphocytes from healthy homozygous controls was evaluated by flow cytometry. Results: The 24 CA allele was the most represented in controls (p = 0.029), whereas the alleles containing >24 CA repeats were found in patients (p = 0.0043). Furthermore, when only homozygous women were considered, most controls carried two 24 CA alleles (p = 0.041), whereas most patients carried two alleles containing >24 CA repeats (p = 0.032). Also, patients carrying at least one 24 CA allele had less neurological involvement (p = 0.034), and carriers of at least one allele with fewer than 24 CA repeats presented more livedo reticularis (p = 0.006) and anti-Sm (p = 0.01) and anti-RNP (p = 0.038) autoantibodies. CD154 maximum expression in activated lymphocytes from all controls was reached after 54 hours, but it was more prolonged in controls carrying two alleles with >24 CA repeats (p = 0.0068). Conclusion: The CD154 3′UTR microsatellite is associated with SLE, and the most represented alleles in patients were accompanied by a more prolonged protein expression in activated lymphocytes from controls.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus among Poultry, Ghana, 2015

Author affiliations: Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany (I.A. Asante, S. Bertram, G. Gabriel); Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana (I.A. Asante, W.K. Ampofo); Center for Structural and Cellular Biology in Medicine at the University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany (S. Bertram, G. Gabriel); Veterinary Services Directorate, Accra (J. Awuni, A.N.O. Commey, B. Aniwa)
A Novel Sortase, SrtC2, from Streptococcus pyogenes Anchors a Surface Protein Containing a QVPTGV Motif to the Cell Wall

ABSTRACT The important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus GAS), requires several surface proteins to interact with its human host. Many of these are covalently linked by a sortase enzyme to the cell wall via a C-terminal LPXTG motif. This motif is followed by a hydrophobic region and charged C terminus, which are thought to retard the protein in the cell membrane to facilitate recognition by the membrane-localized sortase. Previously, we identified two sortase enzymes in GAS. SrtA is found in all GAS strains and anchors most proteins containing LPXTG, while SrtB is present only in some strains and anchors a subset of LPXTG-containing proteins. We now report the presence of a third sortase in most strains of GAS, SrtC. We show that SrtC mediates attachment of a protein with a QVPTGV motif preceding a hydrophobic region and charged tail. We also demonstrate that the QVPTGV sequence is a substrate for anchoring of this protein by SrtC. Furthermore, replacing this motif with LPSTGE, found in the SrtA-anchored M protein of GAS, leads to SrtA-dependent secretion of the protein but does not lead to its anchoring by SrtA. We conclude that srtC encodes a novel sortase that anchors a protein containing a QVPTGV motif to the surface of GAS.
Coordination of supply chains by downward direct rebate under symmetric and asymmetric information

Promotions have been frequently used by the members of a supply chain as a means to increase sales, revenues, and market share by increasing consumer's awareness about the product, to reduce inventories of items/seasonal products. But a growing body of literature on operations management has suggested that a high degree of supply chain integration is needed to improve the performance of the supply chain. In this paper, a new coordination policy is proposed by using instant rebate and consumer rebate to coordinate the supply chain. It is proved that the proposed policy coordinates a two-echelon supply chain where demand depends on selling price of the retailer under news vendor framework. When both the retailer and the manufacturer have private information, we use fuzzy signed distance technique to derive the value of rebate. Numerical examples are provided to get additional insights on the profit gained by the proposed coordination policy.
Peri‐Conceptual Cytokines – Setting the Trajectory for Embryo Implantation, Pregnancy and Beyond

Citation Robertson SA, Chin PY, Glynn DJ, Thompson JG. Peri‐Conceptual Cytokines – Setting the Trajectory for Embryo Implantation, Pregnancy and Beyond. Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 66 (Suppl. 1): 2–10
The association between delirium and the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele: new study results and a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES To determine a possible association between Apolipoprotein E (APOE)sigma4-allele and delirium in a large cohort and combining these current data with former studies in a meta-analysis. DESIGN Combination of a new prospective cohort study and meta-analysis. SETTING Medical department and orthopedic/traumatology department of University hospital from 2003 to 2007. PARTICIPANTS A total of 656 patients aged 65 years and older acutely admitted with a medical diagnosis or after hip fracture. MEASUREMENTS Confusion Assessment Method for delirium, Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline-short form for predelirium global cognitive impairment, and Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living for functionality. APOE was genotyped by mass spectrometer. A meta-analysis was performed combining the current data with published studies analyzing the association between the APOE sigma4-allele and the delirium. RESULTS : The 49% of the 76 surgical patients and 35% of the 580 medical patients experienced delirium. Delirious patients were significantly older (82 versus 77 years) and had more frequently functional (66% versus 26%) and cognitive impairment (86% versus 29%) than nondelirious patients. The odds ratio (OR) for delirium adjusted for age, cognitive, and functional impairment of sigma4 carriers compared with non-sigma4 carriers was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-2.6). Four studies were added to the meta-analysis, which included 1,099 patients in total. The OR for delirium in the meta-analysis was 1.6 (95% CI: 0.9-2.7) of sigma4 carriers compared with non-sigma4 carriers. CONCLUSIONS This study and meta-analysis suggest an association between delirium and the APOE sigma4 allele.
Modulation of angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor by tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1 in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the regulation of expression of the angiogenic cytokine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in order to determine whether new blood vessel formation could be a potential therapeutic target in RA. METHODS Dissociated RA synovial membrane cells were cultured in the presence of cytokine inhibitors, or under hypoxic conditions. Serum VEGF levels were serially measured in RA patients enrolled in clinical trials of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) monoclonal antibody treatment. RESULTS Combined neutralization of TNFalpha and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in RA synovial membrane cultures reduced VEGF release by 45% (P < 0.05 versus control), although blockade of either TNFalpha or IL-1 activities alone resulted in only small inhibitory effects. In addition, release of VEGF from RA synovial membrane cells was selectively up-regulated by hypoxia. Serum VEGF levels were significantly elevated in RA patients relative to control subjects, and correlated with disease activity. Treatment of RA patients with anti-TNFalpha significantly decreased serum VEGF, and this effect was enhanced by cotreatment with methotrexate. CONCLUSION Inhibition of TNFalpha and IL-1 activity in vivo could reduce the drive to new blood vessel formation, and hence pannus mass, adding to other therapeutic effects of anti-TNFalpha therapy in RA.
Phosphorylation of the Ndc 80 complex protein , HEC 1 , by Nek 2 kinase modulates chromosome alignment and signaling of the spindle assembly checkpoint

This article was published online ahead of print in MBoC in Press (http://www .molbiolcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1091/mbc.E11-01-0012) on August 10, 2011. W.H. L. serves as a member of the Board of Directors, GeneTex. This arrangement has been reviewed and approved by University of California–Irvine Conflict of Interest Committee. Address correspondence to: Guikai Wu (gwu@uci.edu) or Wen-Hwa Lee (whlee@ uci.edu). Abbreviations used: DAPI, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; EGTA, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid; FBS, fetal bovine serum; GFP, green fluorescent protein; NEB, nuclear envelope breakdown; PMSF, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride; pS165, phospho-serine 165; RNAi, RNA interference; S165, serine 165; SAC, spindle assembly checkpoint; siRNA, small interfering RNA. © 2011 Wei et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0). “ASCB®,“ “The American Society for Cell Biology®,” and “Molecular Biology of the Cell®” are registered trademarks of The American Society of Cell Biology. ABSTRACT The spindle assemble checkpoint (SAC) is critical for accurate chromosome segregation. Hec1 contributes to chromosome segregation in part by mediating SAC signaling and chromosome alignment. However, the molecular mechanism by which Hec1 modulates checkpoint signaling and alignment remains poorly understood. We found that Hec1 serine 165 (S165) is preferentially phosphorylated at kinetochores. Phosphorylated Hec1 serine 165 (pS165) specifically localized to kinetochores of misaligned chromosomes, showing a spatiotemporal distribution characteristic of SAC molecules. Expressing an RNA interference (RNAi)-resistant S165A mutant in Hec1-depleted cells permitted normal progression to metaphase, but accelerated the metaphase-to-anaphase transition. The S165A cells were defective in Mad1 and Mad2 localization to kinetochores, regardless of attachment status. These cells often entered anaphase with lagging chromosomes and elicited increased segregation errors and cell death. In contrast, expressing S165E mutant in Hec1-depleted cells triggered defective chromosome alignment and severe mitotic arrest associated with increased Mad1/ Mad2 signals at prometaphase kinetochores. A small portion of S165E cells eventually bypassed the SAC but showed severe segregation errors. Nek2 is the primary kinase responsible for kinetochore pS165, while PP1 phosphatase may dephosphorylate pS165 during SAC silencing. Taken together, these results suggest that modifications of Hec1 S165 serve as an important mechanism in modulating SAC signaling and chromosome alignment.
Glottal Waveform Model for Oesophageal Speech

Oesophageal speech, a mode of speech for laryngectomees, is of low quality and intelligibility comparative to normal (laryngeal) speech. Understanding the signal differences between oesophageal and normal speech will help future oesophageal speech enhancement methods. We aim to produce a method to synthesise oesophageal speech using a simple source–filter model. In this paper, we fit a parametric glottal waveform model to speech samples in our oesophageal database. (This glottal waveform represents the source component in the source–filter approach.) We added coloured noise to the glottal waveform model to produce realistic sounding oesophageal speech. Our fitting error measure, a spectral distance measure, reduces for all tested speech samples when adding the coloured noise. Yet missing from our synthesised signal is the rough-sounding quality often present in oesophageal speech. This work represents the first steps in developing a method to synthesise oesophageal speech.
Interaction of Flomazenil with Anxiolytic Effects of Citrus aurantium L. Essential Oil on Male Mice

Due to our previous findings about the role of GABAegic neurotransmission in anxiolytic effects of Citrus aurantium L. essential oil, we are now presenting flomazenil interaction with this herb, as an antagonist of benzodiazepines at GABA receptor. The study was performed on 84 male albino mice assigned to 14 groups of six. The animals were injected intraperitoneally with the Citrus aurantium L. essential oil for 5 days. On the fifth day, either normal saline or flomazenil (0.1 mg/kg) was injected to the experimental groups. Thirty minutes after the injection, all the groups were assessed for anxiety-related behavior by elevated plus-maze test. In groups receiving Citrus aurantium L. essential oil at doses of 2.5 and 5 percent, the time spent in the open arms increased significantly (P aurantium L. essential oil regarding the increment in the number of entries to the open arms and the time spent in the open arms (P aurantium L. essential oil induces its anxiolytic effects like benzodiazepines, in the same site at GABA receptor.
Formalizing and Securing Relationships on Public Networks

Smart contracts combine protocols with user interfaces to formalize and secure relationships over computer networks. Objectives and principles for the design of these systems are derived from legal principles, economic theory, and theories of reliable and secure protocols. Similarities and differences between smart contracts and traditional business procedures based on written contracts, controls, and static forms are discussed. By using cryptographic and other security mechanisms, we can secure many algorithmically specifiable relationships from breach by principals, and from eavesdropping or malicious interference by third parties, up to considerations of time, user interface, and completeness of the algorithmic specification. This article discusses protocols with application in important contracting areas, including credit, content rights management, payment systems, and contracts with bearer.
Cognitive Beamforming for Throughput Maximization With Statistical Cross Channel State Information

Throughput maximization is considered in this letter for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) cognitive radio system where instantaneous cross channel state information is unavailable at the secondary transmitter. We study cognitive beamforming subject to interference expectation constraint and interference outage probability constraint at the primary receiver, respectively. For the former constraint, the beamforming problem can be formulated as a conventional MIMO transmission problem, which can be easily solved via the water-filling method. For the latter constraint, we find that the optimal beamforming matrix lies in the space spanned by the secondary channel, and that the interference power is only related to eigenvalues of the secondary covariance matrix. By exploiting the relationship between vibrations of the secondary covariance matrix and its eigenvalues, we design an algorithm for this beamforming problem. Finally, numerical results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solutions.
Ornithine decarboxylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Chromosomal assignment and genetic mapping of the SPE1 gene

The gene for ornithine decarboxylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SPE1, has been assigned to chromosome XI by the technique of transverse alternating pulsed field electrophoresis and DNA–DNA hybridization. Genetic mapping by tetrad analysis shows that the SPE1 gene is located on the left arm of chromosome XI, 6 cM from the LAP1 gene and 43 cM from the TRP3 gene. The spe10 mutation previously isolated in this laboratory is mapped to the N‐terminal region of the SPE1 gene, and therefore should be designated as a spe1 allele.