Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kidneys From α1,3-Galactosyltransferase Knockout/Human Heme Oxygenase-1/Human A20 Transgenic Pigs Are Protected From Rejection During Ex Vivo Perfusion With Human Blood

Background Multiple modifications of the porcine genome are required to prevent rejection after pig-to-primate xenotransplantation. Here, we produced pigs with a knockout of the &agr;1,3-galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1-KO) combined with transgenic expression of the human anti-apoptotic/anti-inflammatory molecules heme oxygenase-1 and A20, and investigated their xenoprotective properties. Methods The GGTA1-KO/human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1)/human A20 (hA20) transgenic pigs were produced in a stepwise approach using zinc finger nuclease vectors targeting the GGTA1 gene and a Sleeping Beauty vector coding for hA20. Two piglets were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and sequencing. The biological function of the genetic modifications was tested in a 51Chromium release assay and by ex vivo kidney perfusions with human blood. Results Disruption of the GGTA1 gene by deletion of few basepairs was demonstrated in GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs. The hHO-1 and hA20 mRNA expression was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Ex vivo perfusion of 2 transgenic kidneys was feasible for the maximum experimental time of 240 minutes without symptoms of rejection. Conclusions Results indicate that GGTA1-KO/hHO-1/hA20 transgenic pigs are a promising model to alleviate rejection and ischemia-reperfusion damage in porcine xenografts and could serve as a background for further genetic modifications toward the production of a donor pig that is clinically relevant for xenotransplantation.
Detection of Antibiotic Resistance and Classical Enterotoxin Genes in Coagulase -negative Staphylococci Isolated from Poultry in Poland

Abstract Introduction: The study sought to characterise antimicrobial resistance among coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) species recovered from broiler chickens and turkeys in Poland including the presence of 12 antimicrobial resistance genes and five classical genes of staphylococcal enterotoxins. Material and Methods: A panel of 11 antimicrobial disks evaluated the phenotypic sensitivity of the tested strains to antibiotics. Five multiplex PCR assays were performed using primer pairs for specific detection of antibiotic resistance genes and staphylococcal enterotoxin A to E genes. Results: Selected antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing revealed 100% of such in in vitro conditions to cefoxitin among strains of Staphylococcus sciuri and S. chromogenes. The blaZ (for ß-lactam) and mecA (for methicillin resistance) genes were in 58.3% and 27.5% of strains, respectively. Among genes resistant to tetracyclines, tetK was most frequent. Fewer (CNS) strains showed genes resistant to macrolides, lincosamides, and florfenicol/chloramphenicol. Multiplex PCR for classical enterotoxins (A-E) detected the see gene in two S. hominis strains, while the seb gene producing enterotoxin B was found in one strain of S. epidermidis. Conclusion: CNS strains of Staphylococcus isolated from poultry were either phenotypically or genotypically multidrug resistant. Testing for the presence of the five classical enterotoxin genes showed that CNS strains, as in the case of S. aureus strains, can be a source of food intoxications.
What is New About New Materialism for Sport Sociology? Reflections on Body, Movement, and Culture

The new material turn in social sciences and humanities has drawn attention to how the material interacts with the social in the world where both human and non-human actors produce power relations. To include the material objects and their environments within the social analysis, new materialists argue for a new onto-epistemology that departs from the humanist social constructionism. To explore what this might mean for sport sociologists, I discuss three themes characterizing the new materialism: the focus on processes of materiality, post-humanist tools needed to engage with the material processes, and post-qualitative research methodologies and ways of representation that include the material world. I advocate studying the body in motion as a unique focus for socio-cultural scholars of physical activity who can connect the material with the social into research that matters in the contemporary world.
Income spring-loading when no one is looking ? Earnings management by acquisition targets between takeover announcement and completion

We identify a novel aspect of potential collaboration between targets and acquirers in managing earnings during mergers and acquisitions. Using a sample of 2,128 mergers & acquisitions from 1985-2010, we find that target firms report lower earnings for quarters during the “quiet” period between announcement and completion of these deals. Targets‟ reduced earnings are due mainly to higher expenses (both operating expense and negative one-time items) that are associated with higher cash outflows rather than negative accruals. More importantly, we find that the lower earnings reported by targets during the quiet period is linked to higher earnings reported by the acquirer during the first quarter after the acquisition, and this relation is more evident for acquirers with stock prices that are sensitive to earnings surprises. Our study complements and extends the earnings management literature as well as research studying the interaction between targets and acquirers.
The club principle and the distributivity number

Abstract We give an affirmative answer to Brendle's and Hrušák's question of whether the club principle together with is consistent. We work with a class of axiom A forcings with countable conditions such that is determined by finitely many elements in the conditions p and q and that all strengthenings of a condition are subsets, and replace many names by actual sets. There are two types of technique: one for tree-like forcings and one for forcings with creatures that are translated into trees. Both lead to new models of the club principle.
Supervised Learning in Matrix Completion Framework for Recommender System Design

Recommender systems primarily utilize the, highly sparse, explicit rating information to make relevant predictions. This data scarcity places a limit on the accuracy of prediction. In this work we attempt to alleviate the problem of data sparsity by using secondary information. Most existing works incorporate auxiliary information in a (bi-linear) matrix factorization setup; whilst our model is based on a (convex) matrix completion framework. In this work, we use auxiliary information about users and items to impose additional constraints on the recovered rating values; adopting ideas from supervised learning. Alongside, we also propose a method to utilize the information map extracted from supervised learning approach to handle the cold start problem. Most works that address the cold start problem are focused on users with very few ratings - this is not the pure cold-start problem. However, in this work we target new users and items which have no ratings available for them; and only has the associated metadata. We propose an algorithm using split Bregman technique for solving our formulations. Comparison of our design with existing state of the art methods for RS design on the movie recommender systems clearly indicate the superiority of our formulation over existing methods.
Quantitative proteomics of the Cav2 channel nano-environments in the mammalian brain

Local Ca2+ signaling occurring within nanometers of voltage-gated Ca2+ (Cav) channels is crucial for CNS function, yet the molecular composition of Cav channel nano-environments is largely unresolved. Here, we used a proteomic strategy combining knockout-controlled multiepitope affinity purifications with high-resolution quantitative MS for comprehensive analysis of the molecular nano-environments of the Cav2 channel family in the whole rodent brain. The analysis shows that Cav2 channels, composed of pore-forming α1 and auxiliary β subunits, are embedded into protein networks that may be assembled from a pool of ∼200 proteins with distinct abundance, stability of assembly, and preference for the three Cav2 subtypes. The majority of these proteins have not previously been linked to Cav channels; about two-thirds are dedicated to the control of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, including G protein-coupled receptor-mediated signaling, to activity-dependent cytoskeleton remodeling or Ca2+-dependent effector systems that comprise a high portion of the priming and release machinery of synaptic vesicles. The identified protein networks reflect the cellular processes that can be initiated by Cav2 channel activity and define the molecular framework for organization and operation of local Ca2+ signaling by Cav2 channels in the brain.
Dissecting the Determinants of Light Sensitivity in Amphioxus Microvillar Photoreceptors: Possible Evolutionary Implications for Melanopsin Signaling

Melanopsin, a photopigment related to the rhodopsin of microvillar photoreceptors of invertebrates, evolved in vertebrates to subserve nonvisual light-sensing functions, such as the pupillary reflex and entrainment of circadian rhythms. However, vertebrate circadian receptors display no hint of a microvillar specialization and show an extremely low light sensitivity and sluggish kinetics. Recently in amphioxus, the most basal chordate, melanopsin-expressing photoreceptors were characterized; these cells share salient properties with both rhabdomeric photoreceptors of invertebrates and circadian receptors of vertebrates. We used electrophysiology to dissect the gain of the light-transduction process in amphioxus and examine key features that help outline the evolutionary transition toward a sensor optimized to report mean ambient illumination rather than mediating spatial vision. By comparing the size of current fluctuations attributable to single photon melanopsin isomerizations with the size of single-channels activated by light, we concluded that the gain of the transduction cascade is lower than in rhabdomeric receptors. In contrast, the expression level of melanopsin (gauged by measuring charge displacements during photo-induced melanopsin isomerization) is comparable with that of canonical visual receptors. A modest amplification in melanopsin-using receptors is therefore apparent in early chordates; the decrease in photopigment expression—and loss of the anatomical correlates—observed in vertebrates subsequently enabled them to attain the low photosensitivity tailored to the role of circadian receptors.
Multiple intelligences and video games: Assessment and intervention with TOI software

Howard Gardner revolutionized the concept of intelligence with his Multiple Intelligences Theory. His vision was widely supported by the educational community, which considers different forms of learning and accessing knowledge. Despite its impact, there is still a lack of development of tools that can easily, practically and reliably evaluate multiple intelligences. This work describes the design, development, and piloting of TOI (Tree of Intelligences) software, a digital tool to evaluate multiple intelligences and perform interventions through video games. The aim of the study is to present the design of the TOI software and test its operation, analysing the distribution of the results game by game and checking whether there are differences according to gender or school year. A total of 372 primary school students participated, aged 5 to 9 years old (M=7.04, SD=.871), from three schools in Asturias and Madrid. The results show that 9 out of 10 games had a normal distribution and that there were no gender differences in most games, but there were differences in relation to the school year. We concluded that due to its operation and design TOI software has the potential be a suitable instrument for the evaluation and intervention of multiple intelligences. Howard Gardner revolucionó el concepto de inteligencia con su Teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples. Su visión fue acogida por la comunidad educativa como la oportunidad para una educación más personalizada y que atienda las diferentes formas de aprender y acceder al conocimiento. A pesar de su impacto, todavía hoy hay una carencia en cuanto al desarrollo de herramientas capaces de evaluar de forma sencilla, práctica y fiable las inteligencias múltiples. Por ello, este trabajo plantea el diseño, desarrollo y pilotaje del software TOI, del inglés ‘Tree of Intelligences’, una herramienta digital para evaluar e intervenir las inteligencias múltiples a través de los videojuegos. El objetivo del estudio es presentar el diseño de TOI y testar su funcionamiento, analizando la distribución de los resultados juego a juego y comprobando si existen diferencias en función del género y el curso. Participaron un total de 372 estudiantes de primero a tercer curso de educación primaria de tres centros de Asturias y Madrid, con edades comprendidas entre 5 y 9 años (M=7.04, DT=.871). Los resultados muestran que 9 de 10 juegos presentan una distribución normal y que no existen diferencias en función del género en la mayoría de los juegos, pero sí en relación al curso. Se concluye que por su funcionamiento y diseño el software TOI puede ser un adecuado instrumento de evaluación e intervención de las inteligencias múltiples.
The Fluorine Abundance in a Galactic Bulge AGB Star Measured from CRIRES Spectra

We present measurements of the fluorine abundance in a Galactic bulge asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The measurements were performed using high-resolution K-band spectra obtained with the CRIRES spectrograph, which has been recently installed at ESO’s VLT, together with state-of-the-art model atmospheres and synthetic spectra. This represents the first fluorine abundance measurement in a Galactic bulge star, and one of few measurements of this kind in a third dredge-up oxygen-rich AGB star. The F abundance is found to be close to the solar value scaled down to the metallicity of the star, and in agreement with disk giants that are comparable to the bulge giant studied here. The measurement is of astrophysical interest also because the star’s mass can be estimated rather accurately (1.4≲ M/M☉≲ 2.0). AGB nucleosynthesis models predict only a very mild enrichment of F in such low mass AGB stars. Thus, we suggest that the fluorine abundance found in the studied star is representative for the star’s natal cloud, and that fluorine must have been produced at a similar level in the bulge and in the disk.
The Robot Who Knew Too Much: Toward Understanding the Privacy/Personalization Trade-Off in Child-Robot Conversation

In human-human conversation we elicit, share and use information as a way of defining and building relationships -- how information is revealed, and by whom, matters. A similar goal of using conversation as a relationship-building mechanism in human-robot interaction might or might not require the same degree of nuance. We explore what happens in the increasingly likely situation that a robot has sensed information about a child of which the child is unaware, then discloses that information in conversation in an effort to personalize the child's experience. In a pilot study, 28 children conversed with a social robot that either told a story with characters already introduced into the conversation by the child (control) or characters hidden by the child in a treasure chest that the child was holding (experimental). Cumulative evidence showed that all participants in the experimental condition noticed the robot's violation of expectations, but younger children (4 to 6 years) exhibited more contained emotional reactions than older children (7 to 10 years), and girls expressed more negative affect than boys. Despite the immediate response, post-conversation measures suggest that the single event did not have an impact on children's ratings of robot likeability or their willingness to interact with the robot again.
Theoretical Study on the Allosteric Regulation of an Oligomeric Protease from Pyrococcus horikoshii by Cl− Ion

The thermophilic intracellular protease (PH1704) from Pyrococcus horikoshii that functions as an oligomer (hexamer or higher forms) has proteolytic activity and remarkable stability. PH1704 is classified as a member of the C56 family of peptidases. This study is the first to observe that the use of Cl− as an allosteric inhibitor causes appreciable changes in the catalytic activity of the protease. Theoretical methods were used for further study. Quantum mechanical calculations indicated the binding mode of Cl− with Arg113. A molecular dynamics simulation explained how Cl− stabilized distinct contact species and how it controls the enzyme activity. The new structural insights obtained from this study are expected to stimulate further biochemical studies on the structures and mechanisms of allosteric proteases. It is clear that the discovery of new allosteric sites of the C56 family of peptidases may generate opportunities for pharmaceutical development and increases our understanding of the basic biological processes of this peptidase family.
An offline algorithm for dimension-bound analysis

The vector-clock size necessary to characterize causality in a distributed computation is bounded by the dimension of the partial order induced by that computation. In an arbitrary distributed computation, the dimension can be as large as the width, which in turn can be as large as the number of processes in the computation. Most vector clock algorithms, and all online ones, simply use a vector of size equal to the number of processes. In practice the dimension may be much smaller. It is the purpose of the paper to provide empirical evidence that the dimension of various distributed computations is often substantially smaller than the number of processes. We have found that typical distributed computations, with as many as 300 processes, have dimension less than 10. To achieve this quantification, we developed various theorems and algorithms which we also describe.
Variation in foreign accent identification

ABSTRACT This study investigates variation in listeners’ accuracy in accent identification of native and non-native speakers of English. Thirty native speakers of New Zealand (NZ) English completed a free identification task with stimuli extracted from naturalistic conversations of several speakers from three native and two non-native English language backgrounds (German, Korean, New Zealand English, Southern British English, and Standard American English). The listeners were found to be generally accurate at identifying native English varieties, most often confusing them with other native accents (average accuracy over 75%). They were much less accurate at identifying the provenance of German first language speakers (mean = 13%) and even less so of Korean ones (mean = 4.7%), despite both of these language groups being two of the largest ones in NZ. This difference is explained through a step-wise process of accent identification whereby the speaker is first categorised as a native or non-native speaker; their broad regional provenance is identified next, with more specific identifications coming last, with potential reliance on both linguistic and social knowledge.
Heat loss and energy retention during growth in congenitally obese and lean rats

1. Heat losses associated with the utilization of metabolizable energy for synthesis of protein and of fat during growth were studied in Zucker rats selected for normal leanness or congenital obesity. 2. Measurements of energy and nitrogen balance were made on groups of four lean and four fat rats offered food ad lib. and kept at 22°. Balance trials were also conducted on groups of fat or lean rats offered restricted amounts of food at two levels and kept at 22° or 28°. The medium rations offered to fat and lean rats were the same. The energy and N contents of fat and lean rats were determined by carcass analysis at 35 d and at about 90 d of age. 3. At ad lib. intake, fat rats ate 38% more than lean rats. Heat losses and N balance were similar. When fat and lean rats were pair-fed, heat loss and N retention were lower in fat rats. Absolute values and changes during growth of heat loss (kJ/rat per 24 h) were closely correlated with values obtained for N balance. 4. Carcass analysis showed that energy retention in protein was, on average, 75% in lean rats but only 14% in fat rats. Estimates of energy retention from slaughter experiments and balance trials agreed well, but marked discrepancies existed between the different estimates of N retention. 5. The net efficiencies of utilization of metabolizable energy for growth in lean and fat rats were 0.485 and 0.614 respectively. The energetic efficiencies of net protein synthesis and net fat synthesis were estimated to be 43 and 65% respectively. 6. The interactions between appetite, growth and activity in the development of obesity in the Zucker rat are discussed.
Coactivating Signals for the Hepatic Lymphocyte Gamma Interferon Response to Francisella tularensis

ABSTRACT The facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis is capable of causing systemic infections in various hosts, including mice and humans. The liver is a major secondary site of F. tularensis infection, but hepatic immune responses to the pathogen remain poorly defined. Immune protection against the pathogen is thought to depend on the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ), but the cellular basis for this response has not been characterized. Here we report that natural killer cells from the livers of naïve uninfected mice produced IFN-γ when challenged with live bacteria in vitro and that the responses were greatly increased by coactivation of the cells with either recombinant interleukin-12 (IL-12) or IL-18. Moreover, the two cytokines had strong synergistic effects on IFN-γ induction. Neutralizing antibodies to either IL-12 or IL-18 inhibited IFN-γ production in vitro, and mice deficient in the p35 subunit of IL-12 failed to show IFN-γ responses to bacterial challenge either in vitro or in vivo. Clinical isolates of highly virulent type A Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis organisms were comparable to the live attenuated vaccine strain of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica in their ability to induce IL-12 and IFN-γ expression. These findings demonstrate that cells capable of mounting IFN-γ responses to F. tularensis are resident within the livers of uninfected mice and depend on coactivation by IL-12 and IL-18 for optimum responses.
Models of human navigation in information networks based on decentralized search

Models of human navigation play an important role for understanding and facilitating user behavior in hypertext systems. In this paper, we conduct a series of principled experiments with decentralized search - an established model of human navigation in social networks - and study its applicability to information networks. We apply several variations of decentralized search to model human navigation in information networks and we evaluate the outcome in a series of experiments. In these experiments, we study the validity of decentralized search by comparing it with human navigational paths from an actual information network - Wikipedia. We find that (i) navigation in social networks appears to differ from human navigation in information networks in interesting ways and (ii) in order to apply decentralized search to information networks, stochastic adaptations are required. Our work illuminates a way towards using decentralized search as a valid model for human navigation in information networks in future work. Our results are relevant for scientists who are interested in modeling human behavior in information networks and for engineers who are interested in using models and simulations of human behavior to improve on structural or user interface aspects of hypertextual systems.