Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Significance of Heat-Stable and Heat-Labile Enterotoxins in Porcine Colibacillosis in an Additive Model for Pathogenicity Studies

ABSTRACT Although heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) have been documented as important factors associated with diarrheal diseases, investigations assessing the contributions of individual enterotoxins to the pathogenesis of E. coli infection have been limited. To address the individual roles of enterotoxins in the diarrheal disease caused by K88-positive ETEC in young pigs, enterotoxin-positive and -negative isogenic E. coli strains were constructed by using pBR322 to clone and express LT and STb. Four strains, K88+astA, K88+astA/pBR322, K88+astA STb+, and K88+astA LT+, were constructed and subsequently included in gnotobiotic piglet challenge studies, and their pathogenesis was assessed. The results indicated that all K88+ isogenic strains were able to colonize the small intestines of piglets exhibiting the K88 receptor. However, only LT- and STb-positive strains caused appreciable diarrhea. Piglets inoculated with the K88+astA LT+ strain became dehydrated within 18 h, while those inoculated with the K88+astA STb+ strain did not, although diarrhea developed in several piglets. The changes in the blood packed-cell volume and plasma total protein of gnotobiotic piglets inoculated with the LT-positive strains were significantly greater than those of pigs inoculated with the K88 astA/pBR322 strain (P = 0.012, P = 0.002). Immunochemistry image analysis also suggested that LT enhanced bacterial colonization in a gnotobiotic piglet model. This investigation suggested that LT is a major contributor to the virulence of K88+ ETEC and that isogenic constructs are a useful tool for studying the pathogenesis of ETEC infection.
Tangling clustering instability for small particles in temperature stratified turbulence

We study tangling clustering instability of inertial particles in a temperature stratified turbulence with small finite correlation time. It is shown that the tangling mechanism in the temperature stratified turbulence strongly increases the degree of compressibility of particle velocity field. This results in the strong decrease of the threshold for the excitation of the tangling clustering instability even for small particles. The tangling clustering instability in the temperature stratified turbulence is essentially different from the inertial clustering instability that occurs in non-stratified isotropic and homogeneous turbulence. While the inertial clustering instability is caused by the centrifugal effect of the turbulent eddies, the mechanism of the tangling clustering instability is related to the temperature fluctuations generated by the tangling of the mean temperature gradient by the velocity fluctuations. Temperature fluctuations produce pressure fluctuations and cause particle accumulations .
Cubic C3N: A New Superhard Phase of Carbon-Rich Nitride

Using the particle swarm optimization technique, we proposed a cubic superhard phase of C3N (c-C3N) with an estimated Vicker’s hardness of 65 GPa, which is more energetically favorable than the recently proposed o-C3N. The c-C3N is the most stable phase in a pressure range of 6.5–15.4 GPa. Above 15.4 GPa, the most energetic favorable high pressure phase R3m-C3N is uncovered. Phonon dispersion and elastic constant calculations confirm the dynamical and mechanical stability of c-C3N and R3m-C3N at ambient pressure. The electronic structure calculations indicate that both c-C3N and R3m-C3N are indirect semiconductor.
Is anyone responsible? How television frames political issues.

A disturbingly cautionary tale, "Is Anyone Responsible? " anchors with powerful evidence suspicions about the way in which television has impoverished political discourse in the United States and at the same time molds American political consciousness. It is essential reading for media critics, psychologists, political analysts, and all the citizens who want to be sure that their political opinions are their own. "Not only does it provide convincing evidence for particular effects of media fragmentation, but it also explores some of the specific mechanisms by which television works its damage. Here is powerful additional evidence for those of us who like to flay television for its contributions to the trivialization of public discourse and the erosion of democratic accountability. " William A. Gamson, "Contemporary Sociology" "Iyengar's book has substantial merit. [His] experimental methods offer a precision of measurement that media effects research seldom attains. I believe, moreover, that Iyengar's notion of framing effects is one of the truly important theoretical concepts to appear in recent years. " Thomas E. Patterson, "American Political Science Review""
How Do Social Networks Matter in Reducing the Effects of Poverty?

This article discusses the role of social networks and sociability in poor people's access to goods and services obtained from outside the markets. The article uses qualitative information from research into social networks of poor individuals living in segregated places in São Paulo. The results show the importance of networks and suggest that the help mediating such access depends upon the types of ties and trust involved as well as the cost of providing the help. The observed processes tend to reiterate inequalities, establishing circularities of poverty reproduction.
The effect of work dimensions and need for autonomy on nurses' work satisfaction and health

A study of nurses' job satisfaction, experienced job significance, psychological and psychosomatic health complaints and sickness absenteeism is reported. Hackman & Oldham's Job Characteristics Model was an important starting-point for the study. The relationships of characteristics of nursing jobs, leadership style and type of nursing care system to such reactions of nurses to their work are analysed and the possible moderating role of preference for autonomy is investigated. Subjects are 561 trained staff nurses from 36 nursing units in 16 Dutch hospitals. Variables are assessed by means of questionnaires. Stepwise regression analysis reveals that variances in the four dependent variables to a certain extent can be explained by the nine predictors. Some job characteristics (e.g. feedback and clarity and autonomy), as well as social-emotional leadership positively affect nurses' reactions. Other dependent variables (e.g. work pressure and instrumental leadership) appear to have negative effects. Using subgroup regression analysis, evidence for a moderating role of need for autonomy is found to be rather scarce.
Performance of Hybrid Wideband Doppler Sonars

We expose in this paper an explanation of the Cramer-Rao lower bound calculation for Doppler velocity estimation using a recently proposed hybrid method [1, 2]. We provide extensive simulation results using a model for the backscat-tered ultrasonic signal from a set of moving particles. It will be shown that the proposed theoretical model fits the simulation variances for larger signal-to-noise ratio ranges and using two different pulse compression techniques. A formula is also provided for expressing the expected minimum standard deviation on velocity estimation with respect to the various Doppler sonar parameters.
Value of Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin in the Diagnosis of Latent Iron Deficiency (Sideropenia)

THE erythrocyte content of free protoporphyrin does not normally exceed 40 p g . per IOO ml. erythrocytes (Cartwright, Huguley, Ashenbrucker, Fay and Wintrobe, 1948). In iron-deficiency anaemia, this level is greatly increased (Pagliardi, Prato, Giangrandi and Fiorina, 1959 ; Prato and Mazza, 1962; Heilmeyer and Clotten, 1962). Levels of erythrocyte protoporphyrin have not previously been studied in latent iron deficiency. Sideropenia is a term which refers to the stage of iron deficiency before frank anaemia has developed. Such sideropenic patients may be defined as those having haemoglobin levels between 12 and 13 g. per 100 ml. , a saturation of the total iron-binding capacity less than 16 per cent, and an absence of stainable iron in the bone marrow. It is recognized that the tissue changes associated with iron deficienqsuch as atrophc glossitis, cheilosis and dysphagia, may occur before anaemia has developed (Waldenstrom, 193 8), and more recently Beutler, Larsh and Gurney (1960) have attributed such non-specific symptoms in women as chronic fatigue and ‘neurasthenia’ to tissue iron deficiency without anaemia. It would clearly be of value, in investigation of the sideropenic state, to have a reliable but simple means of confirming the presence of latent iron deficiency which would avoid the necessity for bone-marrow biopsy. The final step in the biosynthesis of haem involves the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin and it was considered that the erythrocyte protoporphyrin level might be a sensitive index of early iron deficiency in the red cell. A study of free erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels has therefore been carried out in normal subjects, and in patients with latent iron deficiency and frank iron-deficiency anaemia, to determine the usefulness of t h s measure as a diagnostic test for sideropenia.
Speaker Adaptive Training of Deep Neural Network Acoustic Models Using I-Vectors

In acoustic modeling, speaker adaptive training (SAT) has been a long-standing technique for the traditional Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). Acoustic models trained with SAT become independent of training speakers and generalize better to unseen testing speakers. This paper ports the idea of SAT to deep neural networks (DNNs), and proposes a framework to perform feature-space SAT for DNNs. Using i-vectors as speaker representations, our framework learns an adaptation neural network to derive speaker-normalized features. Speaker adaptive models are obtained by fine-tuning DNNs in such a feature space. This framework can be applied to various feature types and network structures, posing a very general SAT solution. In this paper, we fully investigate how to build SAT-DNN models effectively and efficiently. First, we study the optimal configurations of SAT-DNNs for large-scale acoustic modeling tasks. Then, after presenting detailed comparisons between SAT-DNNs and the existing DNN adaptation methods, we propose to combine SAT-DNNs and model-space DNN adaptation during decoding. Finally, to accelerate learning of SAT-DNNs, a simple yet effective strategy, frame skipping, is employed to reduce the size of training data. Our experiments show that compared with a strong DNN baseline, the SAT-DNN model achieves 13.5% and 17.5% relative improvement on word error rates (WERs), without and with model-space adaptation applied respectively. Data reduction based on frame skipping results in 2 × speed-up for SAT-DNN training, while causing negligible WER loss on the testing data.
Are Bank Loans Special? Evidence on the Post-Announcement Performance of Bank Borrowers

Abstract Unlike seasoned equity or public debt offerings, bank loan financing elicits a significantly positive announcement return, which has led financial economists to characterize bank loans as “special. ” Here, we find that firms announcing bank loans suffer negative abnormal stock returns over the subsequent three years. In the long run, bank loans appear no different from seasoned equity offerings or public debt issues. Our evidence suggests that larger loans (relative to borrower equity) are followed by worse stock performance. We also find that lender protection is negatively related to borrower performance, suggesting the lender is somewhat shielded from the poor performance.
Treating Apraxia of Speech (AOS) using the Motor Learning Guided (MLG) Approach -A case report-

The treatments of AOS have been debated since the late 1960s. Despite a considerable amount of study of intervention approaches to AOS, the effectiveness and efficacy of the treatment of AOS is still unclear. This study investigates the effect of motor learning guided (MLG) approach on individuals with AOS. Two individuals with AOS whose severity ranged from mild to moderate participated in this study. Two sets (each 20 utterance) of stimuli were created (based on high functionality) by the participants and their primary care-givers. Subjects were instructed to produce the target word three times with 4-second pause between each attempt. After 3 attempts, the experimenter provided knowledge of results (KR). Each target word was randomly selected from the written stimulus cards. The results showed that the mean scores of all the subjects increased during the sessions and this effect was transferred to the untrained target words. (Brain & NeuroRehabilitation 2011; 4: 64-68)
Flexible Weighted Log‐Rank Tests Optimal for Detecting Early and/or Late Survival Differences

Summary. At the present time, many AIDS clinical trials compare drug therapies by a time‐to‐event primary endpoint that measures the durability of suppression of HIV replication. For such studies, survival differences tend to occur early and/or late in the follow‐up period due to drug differences in initial potency and/or durability of efficacy, and detecting these differences is of primary interest. We propose a weighted log‐rank statistic that emphasizes early and/or late survival differences. We also consider some versatile tests that also emphasize these differences but are sensitive to a wider range of alternatives. The performances of the new tests are evaluated in numerical studies. For the alternatives of interest, the new tests show greater power and flexibility than commonly used weighted log‐rank tests and related versatile tests. When the main interest is in detecting early and/or late survival differences, these tests may be preferable to the other versatile and weighted log‐rank tests that have been studied.
Ultimate attainment in second language acquisition

On the prevailing view of ultimate attainment in second language acquisition, native competence cannot be achieved by postpubertal learners. The present study offers convergent experimental evidence which suggests there are exceptions to this generalization. At the same time, early arrival in the host country—even if past puberty—correlates with attainment of native norms on a variety of measures. Also investigated are the loci of competence differences in the syntax of the target language (French). Contrary to findings by Coppieters 1987, experimental performance is not predicted by the status of a given linguistic variable as within or outside the theoretical domain of Universal Grammar.
The sociolinguistic distribution of discourse marker like in preadolescent speech

Abstract Discourse like is claimed to be rapidly spreading in urban centres throughout the English-speaking world (see Dailey-O'Cain 2000; Tagliamonte 2005; D'Arcy 2005; Cheshire, Kerswill and Williams 2005). Like is claimed to be particularly pervasive in the speech of adolescents (Andersen 2001). However, comparatively little is known about the distribution of discourse like in the speech of younger age groups. This paper reassesses the claims made by Miller and Weinert (1995), who suggest that discourse like is not acquired until relatively late, after the age of 10. Using a corpus based on the speech of a group of British preadolescents, I argue that not only are new uses of like encountered frequently in preadolescent speech, but that distributional differences between males and females, as well as between different age groups, point to significant aspects of the developmental acquisition of this discourse feature. Furthermore, using data from various languages, cross-linguistic parallels are highlighted between discourse markers that have a similar functional inventory to like in order to show that a number of languages have encoded comparable pragmatic functions using similar lexical sources.
Mouse Rad9b is essential for embryonic development and promotes resistance to DNA damage

RAD9 participates in promoting resistance to DNA damage, cell cycle checkpoint control, DNA repair, apoptosis, embryogenesis, and regulation of transcription. A paralogue of RAD9 (named RAD9B) has been identified. To define the function of mouse Rad9b (Mrad9b), embryonic stem (ES) cells with a targeted gene deletion were constructed and used to generate Mrad9b mutant mice. Mrad9b−/− embryos are resorbed after E7.5 while some of the heterozygotes die between E12.5 and a few days after birth. Mrad9b is expressed in embryonic brain and Mrad9b+/− embryos exhibit abnormal neural tube closure. Mrad9b−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts are not viable. Mrad9b−/− ES cells are more sensitive to gamma rays and mitomycin C than Mrad9b+/+ controls, but show normal gamma‐ray‐induced G2/M checkpoint control. There is no evidence of spontaneous genomic instability in Mrad9b−/− cells. Our findings thus indicate that Mrad9b is essential for embryonic development and mediates resistance to certain DNA damaging agents. Developmental Dynamics 239:2837–2850, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Xenopus Bcl-XL selectively protects Rohon-Beard neurons from metamorphic degeneration

Amphibian metamorphosis involves extensive, but selective, neuronal death and turnover, thus sharing many features with mammalian postnatal development. The antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL plays an important role in postnatal mammalian neuronal survival. It is therefore of interest that accumulation of the mRNA encoding the Xenopus Bcl-XL homologue, termed xR11, increases abruptly in the nervous system, but not in other tissues, during metamorphosis in Xenopus tadpoles. This observation raises the intriguing possibility that xR11 selectively regulates neuronal survival during postembryonic development. To investigate this hypothesis, we overexpressed xR11 in vivo as a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-xR11 fusion protein by using somatic and germinal transgenesis. Somatic gene transfer showed that the fusion protein was effective in counteracting, in a dose-dependent manner, the proapoptotic effects of coexpressed Bax. When GFP-xR11 was expressed from the neuronal β-tubulin promoter by germinal transgenesis we observed neuronal specific expression that was maintained throughout metamorphosis and beyond, into juvenile and adult stages. Confocal microscopy showed GFP-xR11 to be exclusively localized in the mitochondria. Our findings show that GFP-xR11 significantly prolonged Rohon-Beard neuron survival up to the climax of metamorphosis, even in the regressing tadpole tail, whereas in controls these neurons disappeared in early metamorphosis. However, GFP-xR11 expression did not modify the fate of spinal cord motoneurons. The selective protection of Rohon-Beard neurons reveals cell-specific apoptotic pathways and offers approaches to further analyze programmed neuronal turnover during postembryonic development.
Preschool Antecedents of Internalizing Problems in Children Beginning School: The Role of Social Maladaptation

The quality of children's social adaptation in preschool was related to levels of internalizing problem behavior following transition to kindergarten. Measures of peer acceptance, social skills, and social problem-solving ability were assessed in 79 4–5 year old children, and related to teacher's ratings of anxious/withdrawn behavior assessed concurrently and one year later. Boys and girls did not differ in mean levels of symptoms, but girls tended to show higher levels of stability in internalizing problem behavior than boys. As predicted, preschool-age children with relatively high rates of internalizing problem behavior tended to manifest lower levels of social competence than others. Moreover, low levels of social competence in preschool were robust predictors of persistently high levels of internalizing problems across the two time periods.
Moped and motorcycle accidents--similarities and discrepancies.

Injury patterns and epidemiologic data from 211 moped accident victims and 214 motorcycle accident casualties admitted to hospital over a 5-year period (1977-1981) have been analyzed and compared. The number of those injured in motorcycle accidents tripled; the number of moped accident victims slightly decreased in the period studied. Differences in injury pattern, sex ratio, cause of accident, and age distribution were noted. Among mopedists, head injuries were more common but these injuries decreased significantly after the adoption of helmet use laws for mopedists also in 1978. There were more females involved in moped accidents and the mean age was considerably higher among mopedists. Of those injured in moped accidents, 21% were 60 years old or older and accounted for 56% of fatalities in this group. The most frequent cause of moped accidents was collision with a car, and over turning or running off the road in motorcycle accidents. The difference in injury severity was unexpectedly small, although there was a tendency toward more severe injuries in motorcyclists. Moped accidents are so similar to motorcycle accidents that it seems unjustified to regard mopeds as harmless 'bicycles with a helper motor. ' The need for formal registration, driving license, and helmet use laws for mopeds is apparent.
Separated by their Work

In studying work and family life as overlapping domains, of interest is the impact of father absence created by work requirements. Commonly, father absence because of marital discord or death has been found to have detrimental effects on the social and cognitive development of children. In contrast, much less is known about the impact of transitory work-related father absence. Yet this is a new social phenomenon from a global perspective. In developing countries, increasing urban migration meant that families often lose one or both parents who are absent because of work. In Japan, one critical work-related family change is an increasingly common type of family termed tanshinfunin, in which fathers are relocated by their work organizations and are required to live apart from their families for prolonged periods. The present study targeted Canadian military families, which also formed the basis for a cross-cultural comparison of Japanese civilian tanshinfunin families. During father absence, measures of social support perceived by the mother and self-reported coping methods of the elementary school-age children were assessed. Mothers and teachers also rated the children's adjustment and academic performance. Results indicated that father absence which produced a loss of perceived social support by their wives was negatively correlated to behavioral adjustment and academic performance of their children. Children reported the most stress during actual father absence and emotion-focused coping was most commonly used. Interestingly, children who also used more social support seeking to cope with father absence were observed to show less acting-out behaviors in the classroom. Implications of work-related father absence as mediated by family coping resources and cultural factors were discussed.