Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of quorum sensing signals produced by seaweed-associated bacteria on carpospore liberation from Gracilaria dura

Epiphytic and endophytic bacteria associated with green macroalgae Ulva (U. fasciata and U. lactuca) and red macroalgae Gracilaria (G. corticata and G. dura) have been identified from three different seasons to evaluate the effect of quorum sensing (QS) molecules on carpospores liberation from Gracilaria dura. The bacterial isolates belonging to the orders Bacillales, Pseudomonadales, Alteromonadales, and Vibrionales were present in all seasons, whereas Actinomycetales and Enterobacteriales were confined to pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. Among all the Gram-negative bacteria, seven isolates were found to produce different types of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Interestingly, Shewanella algae produced five types of AHL: C4-HSL, HC4-HSL, C6-HSL, 3-oxo-C6-HSL, and 3-oxo-C12-HSL. Subsequently, the AHLs producing bacterial isolates were screened for carpospore liberation from G. dura and these isolates were found to positively induce carpospore liberation over the control. Also, observed that carpospore liberation increased significantly in C4- and C6-HSL treated cystocarps. Sodium dodecyl sulfate and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the total protein of the C4- and C6-HSL treated cystocarps showed two specific peptide bands of different molecular weights (50 kDa and 60 kDa) as compared to the control, confirming their indirect effect on carpospore liberation.
Advanced prostate cancer risk in relation to toenail selenium levels.

BACKGROUND Selenium may prevent advanced prostate cancer (PCa), but most studies on this topic were conducted in populations with moderate to high selenium status. We investigated the association of toenail selenium, reflecting long-term selenium exposure, and advanced PCa risk in a population from the Netherlands where low selenium status is widespread. METHODS The analysis was conducted in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study, which included 58 279 men aged 55 to 69 years at baseline in 1986. All cohort members completed a baseline questionnaire, and approximately 79% of participants provided toenail clippings, which were used for toenail selenium measurements using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Incident advanced PCa case subjects from the entire cohort were identified during 17.3 years of follow-up. The study employed a case-cohort design for which a random subcohort was sampled at baseline. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. All tests were two-sided. RESULTS Complete toenail selenium data were available for 898 advanced (International Union Against Cancer stage III/IV) PCa case subjects and 1176 subcohort members. The average toenail selenium concentration of subcohort members was 0.550 µg/g. Toenail selenium was associated with a reduced risk of advanced PCa; adjusted hazard ratio for the highest vs lowest quintile was 0.37 (95% CI = 0.27 to 0.51; P trend < .001). For stage IV PCa, men in the highest vs lowest quintile of toenail selenium had an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.30 (95% CI = 0.21 to 0.45; P trend < .001). CONCLUSIONS Toenail selenium was associated with a substantial decrease in risk of advanced PCa.
Dynamics of Line-driven Disk Winds in Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Effects of Disk Radiation

We explore consequences of a radiation-driven disk wind model for mass outflows from active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We performed axisymmetric time-dependent hydrodynamic calculations using the same computational technique as Proga, Stone, and Kallman. We test the robustness of radiation launching and acceleration of the wind for relatively unfavorable conditions. In particular, we take into account the central engine radiation as a source of ionizing photons but neglect its contribution to the radiation force. In addition, we account for the attenuation of the X-ray radiation by computing the X-ray optical depth in the radial direction assuming that only electron scattering contributes to the opacity. Our new simulations confirm the main result from our previous work: the disk atmosphere can "shield" itself from external X-rays so that the local disk radiation can launch gas off the disk photosphere. We also find that the local disk force suffices to accelerate the disk wind to high velocities in the radial direction. This is true provided the wind does not significantly change the geometry of the disk radiation by continuum scattering and absorption processes; we discuss plausibility of this requirement. Synthetic profiles of a typical resonance ultraviolet line predicted by our models are consistent with observations of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs.
Naturalistic Decision Making for Power System Operators

Investigations of large-scale outages in the North American interconnected electric system often attribute the causes to three t's: trees, training, and tools. To document and understand the mental processes used by expert operators when making critical decisions, a naturalistic decision making (ndm) model was developed. Transcripts of conversations were analyzed to reveal and assess ndm-based performance criteria. An item analysis indicated that the operators' situation awareness levels, mental models, and mental simulations can be mapped at different points in the training scenario. This may identify improved training methods or analytical/visualization tools. This study applies for the first time the concepts of recognition primed decision making, situation awareness levels, and cognitive task analysis to training of electric power system operators. The ndm approach provides a viable framework for systematic training management to accelerate learning in simulator-based training scenarios for power system operators and teams.
DISCOVERY OF THE WIDEST VERY LOW MASS FIELD BINARY

We present the discovery of the widest (∼6700 AU) very low mass (VLM) field binary to date, found in a proper motion cross-match of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Two Micron All Sky Survey. Our follow-up J-band imaging provides a 10 year baseline for measuring proper motions. Consequently, we are able to confirm the common proper motion of the pair to within 10 mas, implying a 99.5% probability of their physical association. Near-infrared spectra of the components indicate spectral types of M6 ± 1 and M7 ± 1. The system resides at a spectroscopic distance of 105 ± 13 pc and has an angular separation of 63. ″38 ± 0. ″05. We have used evolutionary models to infer component masses of 0.105+0.029−0.017 M☉ and 0.091+0.010−0.007 M☉. The large separation and low binding energy of this system can provide constraints for formation models of VLM stars.
Fabrication and characterization of composites from recycled polyethylene and date palm seed powder

This article is devoted to the study of the effect of date palm seed (DPS) powder on the properties of recycled linear low-density polyethylene (RLLDPE) matrix. A series of composites was developed with a different filler loading varying from 0 to 30 wt% using twin screw extruder followed by compression molding. The result analysis showed that the addition of DPS decreases the percentage of crystallinity of RLLDPE (from 49.4 to 29.8). However, there were no changes in the heat of melting (Tm) and crystallization (Tcry) temperature which was determined by differential scanning calorimeter. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a decrease in thermal stability for RLLDPE with an increase in filler loading which was supported by the change in activation energy (700–456 kJ mol−1) calculated using Broido’s plot. Due to the poor fiber–matrix adhesion, the mechanical properties of the DPS/RLLDPE decreased as function of the filler content and the result was corroborated by the images taken by scanning electron microscopy.
In vitro interferon γ improves the oxidative burst activity of neutrophils in patients with chronic granulomatous disease with a subtype of gp91phox deficiency

Aim of this study Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a genetically heterogeneous primary immunodeficiency caused by a defect in phagocyte production of oxygen metabolites, and resulting in infections produced by catalase-positive microorganisms and fungi. Interferon γ (IFN-γ) has a multitude of effects on the immune system. Although preliminary studies with CGD patients on treatment with IFN-γ showed that it enhanced phagocytosis and superoxide production, ongoing studies did not reveal a significant increase of this function. Here we investigated the oxidative capacity of phagocytes in different subtypes of CGD patients on treatment with IFN-γ in vitro. Material and methods Fifty-seven patients with CGD from 14 immunology centres were enrolled to our multi-centre study. Twenty-one patients were studied as controls. Oxidative burst assay with dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) was used and the stimulation index (SI) was calculated with respect to CGD subtypes in both neutrophils and monocytes before, and then one and 24 hours after adding IFN-γ. Results Upon comparison of the SIs of the patients’ neutrophils before in vitro IFN-γ at hour 0, and after adding IFN-γ at hour 1 and 24 were compared, and the differences were determined between hours 0-24 and hours 1-24. This difference was especially apparent between hours 1-24. In CGD subtypes, particularly in gp91phox subtype, it was seen that, following in vitro IFN-γ, SIs of neutrophils began to increase after hour 1, and that increase became more apparent at hour 24. Conclusions Our study showed that IFN-γ treatment may increase the oxidative bursting activity by increasing the superoxide production in neutrophils, particularly in gp91phox subtype.
Statistical Face Recognition and Intruder Detection Via a k-means Iterative Algorithm : a Resampling Approach

In this paper a face recognition algorithm based on a iterated k-means classification technique is introduced. The suggested algorithm, when compared with popular PCA (Principal Component Analysis) algorithms for face recognition more than holds its own. The presented algorithm, unlike PCA, is not a dimensional reduction algorithm, nonetheless it yields barycentric-faces which can be used to determine different types of face expressions, light conditions and pose. The accuracy of PCA and k-means methods has been evaluated under varying expression, illumination and pose using standard face images. Using a resampling approach we will show how the proposed technique can be used to detect intruders, i.e. pictures of objects or persons not in the database.
Generalized divisor problem

In 1952 H.E. Richert by means of the theory of Exponents Pairs (developed by J.G. van der Korput and E. Phillips ) improved the above O-term ( see [8] or [4] pag. 221 ). In 1969 E. Kratzel studied the three-dimensional problem. Besides, M.Vogts (1981) and A. Ivic (1981) got some interesting results which generalize the work of P.G. Schmidt of 1968. In 1987 A.Ivic obtained Ω-results for ∫ T 1 ∆ 2 k(a1, . . . , ak, x)dx where ∆k(a1, . . . , ak, x) is the error-term of the summatory function of d(a1, . . . , ak, n). Moreover, he proved that his results hold for the function
Different Mechanisms Exist for the Plasticity of Glutamate Reuptake during Early Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) and Late LTP

Regulation of glutamate reuptake occurs along with several forms of synaptic plasticity. These associations led to the hypothesis that regulation of glutamate uptake is a general component of plasticity at glutamatergic synapses. We tested this hypothesis by determining whether glutamate uptake is regulated during both the early phases (E-LTP) and late phases (L-LTP) of long-term potentiation (LTP). We found that glutamate uptake was rapidly increased within minutes after induction of LTP and that the increase in glutamate uptake persisted for at least 3 h in CA1 of the hippocampus. NMDA receptor activation and Na+-dependent high-affinity glutamate transporters were responsible for the regulation of glutamate uptake during all phases of LTP. However, different mechanisms appear to be responsible for the increase in glutamate uptake during E-LTP and L-LTP. The increase in glutamate uptake observed during E-LTP did not require new protein synthesis, was mediated by PKC but not cAMP, and as previously shown was attributable to EAAC1 (excitatory amino acid carrier-1), a neuronal glutamate transporter. On the other hand, the increase in glutamate uptake during L-LTP required new protein synthesis and was mediated by the cAMP–PKA (protein kinase A) pathway, and it involved a different glutamate transporter, GLT1a (glutamate transporter subtype 1a). The switch in mechanisms regulating glutamate uptake between E-LTP and L-LTP paralleled the differences in the mechanisms responsible for the induction of E-LTP and L-LTP. Moreover, the differences in signaling pathways and transporters involved in regulating glutamate uptake during E-LTP and L-LTP indicate that different functions and/or sites may exist for the changes in glutamate uptake during E-LTP and L-LTP.
Biology, prognosis and response to therapy of breast carcinomas according to HER2 score.

BACKGROUND The standardization of the HER2 score and recent changes in therapeutic modalities points to the need for a reevaluation of the role of HER2 in recently diagnosed breast carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS A multicenter, retrospective study of 1794 primary breast carcinomas diagnosed in Italy in 2000/2001 and scored in HER2 four categories according to immunohistochemistry was conducted. RESULTS Ductal histotype, vascular invasion, grade, MIB1 positivity, estrogen and progesterone receptor expression differed significantly in HER2 3+ tumors compared with the other categories. HER2 2+ tumors almost showed values intermediate between those of the negative and the 3+ subgroups. The characteristics of HER2 1+ tumors were found to be in between those of HER2 0 and 2+ tumors. With a median follow-up of 54 months, HER2 3+ status was associated with higher relapse rates in node-positive and node-negative subgroups, while HER2 2+ only in node positive. Analysis of relapses according to type of therapy provided evidence of responsiveness of HER2-positive tumors to chemotherapy, especially taxanes. CONCLUSIONS The present prognostic significance of HER2 is correlated to receptor expression level and points to the need to consider HER2 2+ and HER2 3+ tumors as distinct diseases with different outcomes and specific features.
An Empirical Assessment of Spot Rate Model Stability

The purpose of this paper is to add to the empirical evidence on the efficacy of alternative simulation models of the short term interest rate. This is done by constructing consistent specification tests that allow us to carry out a “horse-race” comparing various one, two, and three factor models (possibly with jumps), across multiple historical sample periods. We begin by outlining a three factor version of the simulation based specification test of Bhardwaj, Corradi and Swanson (BCS: 2008), which is based on a comparison of simulated and true conditional distributions and confidence intervals. Our evaluation involves comparing six affine models of the short rate during four historical periods, referred to as: “Post Bretton-Woods”; “Pre-1990s”; “The Stable 1990s”; and “Post 1990s”. Based on the examination of Eurodollar rate data, we find that the CIR model, which is often rejected in the literature, performs best among the candidate models in “The Stable 1990s”, while there is little to choose between one and two factor models when considering the “Post 1990s” period. Examination of “Pre 1990s” data, on the other hand, suggests there is little to choose between 2 and 3 factor models, and the one factor CIR model performs poorly. Moreover, under the “Post Bretton-Woods” period, the “best” performer is the three factor CHEN (1996) model examined by Andersen, Benzoni and Lund (2004). We conclude that the choice of model for simulating the future distribution of short rates is highly sample dependent.
Troubling stories of the end of occupy: Feminist narratives of betrayal at occupy Glasgow

ABSTRACT This article offers a feminist take on the question of why Occupy camps closed down, in the form of a narrative analysis of interviews from participants in Occupy Glasgow. In response to the emergence of an activist discourse emphasising the role of external forces in camp closure and the existence of a longer-term legacy in terms of individual and community politicisation, I build here on feminist interventions that point instead to serious internal problems within the camps and thus to a more limited legacy. Interrogating the plotting, characterisation and denouement of interviewee narratives, I show that feminist participants in Occupy Glasgow characterise the trajectory of the camp as a tragedy, attribute responsibility for the camp’s demise to co-campers and sometimes to themselves, and present the outcome of Occupy Glasgow as limited, and in some cases even traumatic. This raises serious questions about the culmination and outcomes of Occupy in Glasgow and more generally, and indicates the extent of the hard work remaining if future mobilisation against neoliberal austerity is to be more inclusive and sustainable. The article closes by considering the theoretical implications for the wider question of why movements come to an end.
Comparative analysis of clustering methods for gene expression time course data

This work performs a data driven comparative study of clustering methods used in the analysis of gene expression time courses (or time series). Five clustering methods found in the literature of gene expression analysis are compared: agglomerative hierarchical clustering, CLICK, dynamical clustering, k-means and self-organizing maps. In order to evaluate the methods, a k-fold cross-validation procedure adapted to unsupervised methods is applied. The accuracy of the results is assessed by the comparison of the partitions obtained in these experiments with gene annotation, such as protein function and series classification.
Methodological Issues in the Study of New Parties’ Entry and Electoral Success

Studies of the emergence and electoral success of new parties frequently suffer from conceptual and methodological flaws: effects of electoral institutions that primarily operate at the level of the constituencies are specified at the national level; central explanatory variables such as electoral demands and competitors’ responses are measured with crude proxies; the interplay of formation and success is overlooked; and empirical models neglect the point that the underlying data may exhibit dependencies both in space and time. In this article, we highlight these problems and offer some potential solutions using the Swiss Green Party (GPS) as an empirical case.
Salient regions detection method inspired from human visual system anatomy

Human's Region of Interest is considered as one of the most challenges problems in visual perception field. Due to the huge amount of information carried out, the research in the field of human region of interest tries to avoid the data overload by choosing salient areas from the total visual scene to be processed at first. In this context, salient regions detection becomes an important task to achieve. Inspired from the Human's Visual System anatomy, we introduce an algorithm to detect salient area in an image, achieved by merging four maps: color, intensity, orientation and central map. Our approach was evaluated using MSRA dataset and the result showed better performance compared to recent methods in this field.
The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: luminosity dependence of galaxy clustering

We investigate the dependence of the strength of galaxy clustering on intrinsic luminos- ity using the Anglo-Australian two degree field galaxy redshift survey (2dFGRS). The 2dFGRS is over an order of magnitude larger than previous redshift surveys used to address this issue. We measure the projected two-point correlation function of galax- ies in a series of volume-limited samples. The projected correlation function is free from any distortion of the clustering pattern induced by peculiar motions and is well described by a power-law in pair separation over the range 0.1 < (r/h 1 Mpc) < 10. The clustering of L � (MbJ 5log10 h = 19.7) galaxies in real space is well fit by a correlation length r0 = 4.9 ± 0.3h 1 Mpc and power-law slope = 1.71 ± 0.06. The clustering amplitude increases slowly with absolute magnitude for galaxies fainter than M � , but rises more strongly at higher luminosities. At low luminosities, our results agree with measurements from the SSRS2 by Benoist et al. However, we find a weaker dependence of clustering strength on luminosity at the highest luminosities. The cor- relation function amplitude increases by a factor of 4.0 between MbJ 5log10 h = 18 and 22.5, and the most luminous galaxies are 3.0 times more strongly clustered than Lgalaxies. The power-law slope of the correlation function shows remarkably little variation for samples spanning a factor of 20 in luminosity. Our measurements are in very good agreement with the predictions of the hierarchical galaxy formation models of Benson et al.
Association of HLA class I markers with multiple sclerosis in the Italian and UK population: evidence of two independent protective effects

Background The association of HLA A*02 with multiple sclerosis (MS) was recently confirmed by the authors, and it was observed that the combined presence of HLA Cw*05 significantly enhanced (threefold) the protective effect of HLA A*02. Objectives and methods Since A*02-Cw*05 is carried by two HLA extended haplotypes characterised by the B*4402 and B*1801 alleles, respectively, the association analysis was extended to HLA B*44 and B*18 in an Italian sample (1445 MS cases and 973 controls) and these associations were verified in a UK cohort (721 MS cases, 408 controls and 480 family trios). Results A strong protective effect, independent of DR15, of the A*02-Cw*05 combination carrying B*44 (OR 0.27, p=3.3×10-5) was seen in the Italian samples and confirmed in UK family trios (OR 0.33, p=5.5×10-4) and in a combined cohort of UK families and case–controls (OR 0.53, p=0.044). This protective effect was significantly stronger than that mediated by A*02 alone. Logistic regression showed that A*02-Cw*05 maintained a significant protection when adjusted for B alleles (Italy: OR 0.38, p=6.5×10-7; UK: OR 0.60, p=0.0029), indicating that it was not secondary to linkage disequilibrium with B*44. Different from A*02, the other HLA class I tested markers individually showed no significant (Cw*05, B*18) or a modest (B*44) protection when adjusted for the remaining markers. Conclusions This study identified at least two independent protective effects which are tagged by A*02–Cw*05 and A*02, respectively. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether this protective effect is due to the presence of an unanalysed factor characterising the HLA extended haplotype(s) carrying A*02 and Cw*05 or to a direct interaction between these alleles.
Calcium ionophore A23187 as a regulator of gene expression in mammalian cells

The calcium ionophore A23187 can reversibly induce the expression of two glucose-regulated genes, p3C5 and p4A3. This induction requires a continuous presence of the ionophore for over 2 h. Although extracellular Ca2+ is important for the optimal effect of A23187, it is not necessary for the induction, since a similar response with a lower magnitude can be triggered in cells cultured in low Ca2+ medium buffered with EGTA. Both the basal and induced levels of p3C5 and p4A3 transcripts can be modulated by the calmodulin antagonist W-7, indicating the involvement of Ca2+/calmodulin-associated pathways. In addition, the sensitivity of the A23187 induction to cycloheximide suggests that the induction process is dependent on de novo protein synthesis.