pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Androgen-regulated microRNA-135a decreases prostate cancer cell migration and invasion through downregulating ROCK1 and ROCK2

International audienceAndrogen signaling, via the androgen receptor (AR), is crucial in mediating prostate cancer (PCa) initiation and progression. Identifying new downstream effectors of the androgens/AR pathway will allow a better understanding of these mechanisms and could reveal novel biomarkers and/or therapeutic agents to improve the rate of patient survival. We compared the microRNA expression profiles in androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells stimulated or not with 1 nM R1881 by performing a high-throughput reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR and found that miR-135a was upregulated. After androgen stimulation, we showed that AR directly activates the transcription of miR-135a2 gene by binding to an androgen response element in the promoter region. Our findings identify miR-135a as a novel effector in androgens/AR signaling. Using xenograft experiments in chick embryos and adult male mice, we showed that miR-135a overexpression decreases in vivo invasion abilities of prostate PC-3 cells. Through in vitro wound-healing migration and invasion assays, we demonstrated that this effect is mediated through downregulating ROCK1 and ROCK2 expression, two genes that we characterized as miR-135a direct target genes. In human surgical samples from prostatectomy, we observed that miR-135a expression was lower in tumoral compared with paired adjacent normal tissues, mainly in tumors classified with a high Gleason score (⩾8). Moreover, miR-135a expression is lower in invasive tumors, showing extraprostatic extension, as compared with intraprostatic localized tumors. In tumor relative to normal glands, we also showed a more frequently higher ROCK1 protein expression determined using a semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry analysis. Therefore, in tumor cells, the lower miR-135a expression could lead to a higher ROCK1 protein expression, which could explain their invasion abilities. The highlighted relationship between miR-135a expression level and the degree of disease aggressiveness suggests that miR-135a may be considered as a prognostic marker in human PCa.Oncogene advance online publication, 28 July 2014; doi:10.1038/onc.2014.222
Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and indicators of early immune stimulation: the Estelle study (SFCE)

International audienceBackground: Factors related to early stimulation of the immune system (breastfeeding, proxies for exposure to infectious agents, normal delivery, and exposure to animals in early life) have been suggested to decrease the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Methods: The national registry-based case-control study, ESTELLE, was carried out in France in 2010-2011. Population controls were frequency matched with cases on age and gender. The participation rates were 93% for cases and 86% for controls. Data were obtained from structured telephone questionnaires administered to mothers. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using unconditional regression models adjusted for age, gender, and potential confounders. Results: In all, 617 ALL and 1225 controls aged >= 1 year were included. Inverse associations between ALL and early common infections (OR = 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6, 1.0), non-first born (>= 3 vs 1; OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5, 1.0), attendance of a day-care centre before age 1 year (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5, 1.0), breastfeeding (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 1.0), and regular contact with pets (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 1.0) in infancy were observed. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that conditions promoting the maturation of the immune system in infancy have a protective role with respect to ALL
DynaSoRe: Efficient In-Memory Store for Social Applications

Part 5: Social NetworksInternational audienceSocial network applications are inherently interactive, creating a requirement for processing user requests fast. To enable fast responses to user requests, social network applications typically rely on large banks of cache servers to hold and serve most of their content from the cache. In this work, we present DynaSoRe: a memory cache system for social network applications that optimizes data locality while placing user views across the system. DynaSoRe storage servers monitor access traffic and bring data frequently accessed together closer in the system to reduce the processing load across cache servers and network devices. Our simulation results considering realistic data center topologies show that DynaSoRe is able to adapt to traffic changes, increase data locality, and balance the load across the system. The traffic handled by the top tier of the network connecting servers drops by 94% compared to a static assignment of views to cache servers while requiring only 30% additional memory capacity compared to the whole volume of cached data
Developmental dynamics of SES-related differences in children's production of obligatory and variable phonological alternations

International audienceNumerous studies conducted in both the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic fields have established that the parents' socioeconomic status (SES) influences several aspects of children's language production. Moreover, a number of psycholinguistic studies strongly suggest that these differences are due in part to differences in the nature and the quantity of input that children are exposed to. Despite these advances, in our knowledge, the developmental dynamic of the differences - still has to be described and explained. The aim of the current study is to examine this dynamic in the production of liaison, a phonological alternation in French which is, in some cases, obligatory and used in a uniform manner by adults and, in others, a sociolinguistic variable whose frequency of use depends on the speaker's SES. One hundred and eighty-five children aged from 2;3 to 6;0 belonging to two distinct SES groups (higher and lower SES) and subdivided into four age-groups participated in a picture naming task eliciting the production of obligatory and variable liaisons. First, an analysis of the three types of child production (correct liaison, omission, replacement) confirms that the linguistic forms which are present in the input increase with age in children's productions, whereas those which are absent tend to disappear. Second, the evolution of the SES-related differences depends on the uniformity or heterogeneity of usage in the social groups: convergence for obligatory liaison and divergence for variable liaison. The discussion of these findings combines both psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives since both have stressed the importance of exposure to linguistic forms in the input
Numerical simulation of conduction and low-frequency noise in polysilicon thin film transistors

4 pagesInternational audienceNumerical simulations of static conduction and low-frequency noise are carried out in N-channel polysilicon thin film transistors. The Meyer-Neldel effect associated with the drain current is related to trapping/detrapping processes of carriers from dangling bonds located at the interface. Low-frequency noise is simulated by generation-recombination processes. The sources responsible of noise in the thin film transistors are mainly located close to the interface. The microscopic parameter deduced from numerical simulation is lower than the macroscopic one deduced from noise measurements. The ratio of these two parameters is considered as a factor of merit to qualify thin film transistor technology
Modeling of light transmission under heterogeneous forest canopy: an appraisal of the effect of the precision level of crown description

Handling Editor: Erwin DreyerInternational audienceContext: Light availability in forest understory is essential for many processes; it is, therefore, a valuable information regarding forest management. However, its estimation is often difficult and direct measurements are tedious. Models can be used to compute understory light, but they often require a lot of field data to accurately predict light distribution, particularly in the case of heterogeneous canopies. Aims : The influence of the precision level of crown description was studied with a model (MμSLIM) that can be used with both detailed and coarse parameterization with the aim of reducing field data requirements to a minimum. Methods :We analyzed the deterioration of the prediction quality of light distribution to the reduction of inputs by comparing simulations to transmitted light measurements in forests of increasing complexity in three different locations. Results : With a full set of parameters to describe the tree crown (i.e., crown extension in at least eight directions, crown height and length), the model accurately simulated the light distribution. Simplifying crown description by a geometric shape with a mean radius of crown extension led to deteriorated but acceptable light distributions. Allometric relationships used to calculate crown extension from trunk diameter at breast height seriously reduced light distribution accuracy
Calculations of Sobol indices for the Gaussian process metamodel

International audienceGlobal sensitivity analysis of complex numerical models can be performed by calculating variance-based importance measures of the input variables, such as the Sobol indices. However, these techniques, requiring a large number of model evaluations, are often unacceptable for time expensive computer codes. A well known and widely used decision consists in replacing the computer code by a metamodel, predicting the model responses with a negligible computation time and rending straightforward the estimation of Sobol indices. In this paper, we discuss about the Gaussian process model which gives analytical expressions of Sobol indices. Two approaches are studied to compute the Sobol indices: the first based on the predictor of the Gaussian process model and the second based on the global stochastic process model. Comparisons between the two estimates, made on analytical examples, show the superiority of the second approach in terms of convergence and robustness. Moreover, the second approach allows to integrate the modeling error of the Gaussian process model by directly giving some confidence intervals on the Sobol indices. These techniques are finally applied to a real case of hydrogeological modeling
A mutation of spastin is responsible for swellings and impairment of transport in a region of axon characterized by changes in microtubule composition.

International audienceMutations of the spastin gene (Sp) are responsible for the most frequent autosomal dominant form of spastic paraplegia, a disease characterized by the degeneration of corticospinal tracts. We show that a deletion in the mouse Sp gene, generating a premature stop codon, is responsible for progressive axonal degeneration, restricted to the central nervous system, leading to a late and mild motor defect. The degenerative process is characterized by focal axonal swellings, associated with abnormal accumulation of organelles and cytoskeletal components. In culture, mutant cortical neurons showed normal viability and neurite density. However, they develop neurite swellings associated with focal impairment of retrograde transport. These defects occur near the growth cone, in a region characterized by the transition between stable microtubules rich in detyrosinated alpha-tubulin and dynamic microtubules composed almost exclusively of tyrosinated alpha-tubulin. Here, we show that the Sp mutation has a major impact on neurite maintenance and transport both in vivo and in vitro. These results highlight the link between spastin and microtubule dynamics in axons, but not in other neuronal compartments. In addition, it is the first description of a human neurodegenerative disease which involves this specialized region of the axon
Hardening description for FCC materials under complex loading paths

International audienceThe present work aims at exploring self and latent hardening for FCC polycrystals under complex loading paths at room temperature. Combinations of simple loading paths sequences, such as tension and simple shear, with different orientations with regard to rolling direction, are considered. Experimental results are compared to finite element computations of polycrystalline aggregates taking into account the material microstructure, and to simulations based on mean field models
Quantum cascade laser frequency stabilisation at the sub-Hz level

International audienceQuantum Cascade Lasers (QCL) are increasingly being used to probe the mid-infrared “molecular fingerprint” region. This prompted efforts towards improving their spectral performance, in order to reach ever-higher resolution and precision. Here, we report the stabilisation of a QCL onto an optical frequency comb. We demonstrate a relative stability and accuracy of 2x10-15 and 10-14, respectively. The comb is stabilised to a remote near-infrared ultra-stable laser referenced to frequency primary standards, whose signal is transferred via an optical fibre link. The stability and frequency traceability of our QCL exceed those demonstrated so far by two orders of magnitude. As a demonstration of its capability, we then use it to perform high-resolution molecular spectroscopy. We measure absorption frequencies with an 8x10-13 relative uncertainty. This confirms the potential of this setup for ultra-high precision measurements with molecules, such as our ongoing effort towards testing the parity symmetry by probing chiral species
Defining Privacy for Weighted Votes, Single and Multi-voter Coercion

International audienceMost existing formal privacy definitions for voting protocols are based on observational equivalence between two situations where two voters swap their votes. These definitions are unsuitable for cases where votes are weighted. In such a case swapping two votes can result in a different outcome and both situations become trivially distinguishable. We present a definition for privacy in voting protocols in the Applied π-Calculus that addresses this problem. Using our model, we are also able to define multi-voter coercion, i.e. situations where several voters are attacked at the same time. Then we prove that under certain realistic assumptions a protocol secure against coercion of a single voter is also secure against coercion of multiple voters. This applies for Receipt-Freeness as well as Coercion-Resistance
Dihydroxylation of four- and five-ring aromatic hydrocarbons by the naphthalene dioxygenase from Sphingomonas CHY-1

International audienceThe naphthalene dioxygenase from Sphingomonas CHY-1 exhibits extremely broad substrate specificity toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In a previous study, the catalytic rates of oxidation of 9 PAHs were determined using the purified dioxygenase, but the oxidation products formed from 4- to 5-ring hydrocarbons were incompletely characterized. Here, we reexamined PAH oxygenation reactions using Escherichia coli recombinant cells overproducing strain CHY-1 dioxygenase. Hydroxylated products generated by the dioxygenase were purified, and characterized by means of GC-MS, UV absorbance as well as 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Fluoranthene was converted to 3 dihydrodiols, the most abundant of which was identified as cis-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrofluoranthene. This diol turned out to be highly unstable, converting to 8-hydroxyfluoranthene by spontaneous dehydration. The dioxygenase also catalyzed dihydroxylations on the C2-C3, and presumably the C1-C2 positions, although at much lower rates.  Benz[a]anthracene was converted into three dihydrodiols, hydroxylated in positions C1-C2, C8-C9 and C10-C11, and one bis-cis-dihydrodiol. The latter compound was identified as cis,cis-1,2,10,11-tetrahydroxy-1,2,10,11-tetrahydrobenz[a]anthracene, which resulted from the subsequent dioxygenation of the 1,2- or 10,11-dihydrodiols. Chrysene dioxygenation yielded a single diol identified as cis-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrochrysene, which underwent further oxidation to give cis,cis-3,4,9,10 chrysene tetraol. Pyrene was a poor substrate for the CHY-1 dioxygenase and gave a single dihydrodiol hydroxylated on C4 and C5, whereas benzo[a}pyrene was converted to two dihydrodiols, one of which was identified as cis-9,10-dihydrodiol. The selectivity of the dioxygenase is discussed in the light of the known 3D structure of its catalytic component, and compared to that of the few enzymes able to attack 4- and 5-ring PAHs
Morphological control of TiO2 anatase nanoparticles: What is the good surface property to obtain efficient photocatalysts?

International audienceThe richness of titanium dioxide sol–gel syntheses described in literature provided a set of four different morphologies of pure anatase nanoparticles to study the impact of the exposed surfaces on the photocatalytic efficiency of the corresponding material. The selection of the experimental parameters such as the temperature, the heating method or organic additives allowed the synthesis of pure anatase materials with significantly different shapes. A thorough microscopic study of these particles gave the exposed crystallographic faces. The photocatalytic activity of the different materials was estimated following the degradation of the rhodamine B dye under UV-light and significantly different behaviors were observed. In the applied photodegradation conditions, two samples were shown to be more efficient than the reference photocatalyst P25. The rationalization of these results was done through the study of the oxide surface properties, using FT-IR spectroscopy with pyridine as a surface probe and the EPR analysis of photogenerated radicals under UV light. The most efficient photocatalyst for rhodamine B degradation was found to be the morphology presenting the stronger acidic surface sites
Amplitudes and time scales of picosecond-to-microsecond motion in proteins studied by solid-state NMR: a critical evaluation of experimental approaches and application to crystalline ubiquitin

International audienceSolid-state NMR provides insight into protein motion over time scales ranging from picoseconds to sec-onds. While in solution state the methodology to measure protein dynamics is well established, there is currently no such consensus protocol for measuring dynamics in solids. In this article, we perform a detailed investigation of measurement protocols for fast motions, i.e. motions ranging from picoseconds to a few microseconds, which is the range covered by dipolar coupling and relaxation experiments. We perform a detailed theoretical investiga-tion how dipolar couplings and relaxation data can provide information about amplitudes and time scales of local motion. We show that the measurement of dipolar cou-plings is crucial for obtaining accurate motional parame-ters, while systematic errors are found when only relaxation data are used. Based on this realization, we investigate how the REDOR experiment can provide such data in a very accurate manner. We identify that with accurate rf calibration, and explicit consideration of rf field inhomogeneities, one can obtain highly accurate absolute order parameters. We then perform joint model-free anal-yses of 6 relaxation data sets and dipolar couplings, based on previously existing, as well as new data sets on microcrystalline ubiquitin. We show that nanosecond motion can be detected primarily in loop regions, and compare solid-state data to solution-state relaxation and RDC analyses. The protocols investigated here will serve as a useful basis towards the establishment of a routine protocol for the characterization of ps–ls motions in pro-teins by solid-state NMR
Regional differences of [18F]-FDG uptake within the brain during fatiguing muscle contractions.

© 2015 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background and Purpose: Many studies have shown that a position task is more difficult than a force task although both are performed at a similar net muscle force. Thus, the time to task failure is consistently shown to be briefer during the position task. The contributions of the central nervous system to these two types of fatiguing contractions are not completely understood. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine differences in regional brain activity between force and position tasks using positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Methods: Two participants performed both a force and position task, separated by 7 days, with the elbow flexor muscles at 15% maximal voluntary contraction force. During both tasks, each participant was injected with ≈256 (SD 11) MBq of FDG. Immediately after both tasks PET imaging was performed and images were analyzed to determine FDG uptake within regions of the brain. Results: FDG uptake was greater in the occipital and temporal cortices of the brain during the position task compared to the force task. Conclusions: These findings suggest that differences in visual-spatial feedback and processing may play a role in the reduced time to failure of position tasks. Future application of these findings may lead to improved designs of rehabilitative strategies involving different types of visual feedback.Seksjon for fysisk prestasjonsevne / Department of Physical Performanc
Testing an in-line digital holography 'inverse method' for the Lagrangian tracking of evaporating droplets in homogeneous nearly isotropic turbulence

International audienceAn in-line digital holography technique is tested, the objective being to measure Lagrangian three-dimensional (3D) trajectories and the size evolution of droplets evaporating in high-Reλ strong turbulence. The experiment is performed in homogeneous, nearly isotropic turbulence (50 × 50 × 50 mm3) created by the meeting of six synthetic jets. The holograms of droplets are recorded with a single high-speed camera at frame rates of 1-3 kHz. While hologram time series are generally processed using a classical approach based on the Fresnel transform, we follow an 'inverse problem' approach leading to improved size and 3D position accuracy and both in-field and out-of-field detection. The reconstruction method is validated with 60 μm diameter water droplets released from a piezoelectric injector 'on-demand' and which do not appreciably evaporate in the sample volume. Lagrangian statistics on 1000 reconstructed tracks are presented. Although improved, uncertainty on the depth positions remains higher, as expected in in-line digital holography. An additional filter is used to reduce the effect of this uncertainty when calculating the droplet velocities and accelerations along this direction. The diameters measured along the trajectories remain constant within ±1.6%, thus indicating that accuracy on size is high enough for evaporation studies. The method is then tested with R114 freon droplets at an early stage of evaporation. The striking feature is the presence on each hologram of a thermal wake image, aligned with the relative velocity fluctuations 'seen' by the droplets (visualization of the Lagrangian fluid motion about the droplet). Its orientation compares rather well with that calculated by using a dynamical equation for describing the droplet motion. A decrease of size due to evaporation is measured for the droplet that remains longest in the turbulence domain