Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) Proteins Promote Homolog-Independent Recombination Repair in Meiosis Crucial for Germ Cell Genomic Stability

In meiosis, programmed DNA breaks repaired by homologous recombination (HR) can be processed into inter-homolog crossovers that promote the accurate segregation of chromosomes. In general, more programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed than the number of inter-homolog crossovers, and the excess DSBs must be repaired to maintain genomic stability. Sister-chromatid (inter-sister) recombination is postulated to be important for the completion of meiotic DSB repair. However, this hypothesis is difficult to test because of limited experimental means to disrupt inter-sister and not inter-homolog HR in meiosis. We find that the conserved Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) 5 and 6 proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans are required for the successful completion of meiotic homologous recombination repair, yet they appeared to be dispensable for accurate chromosome segregation in meiosis. Mutations in the smc-5 and smc-6 genes induced chromosome fragments and dismorphology. Chromosome fragments associated with HR defects have only been reported in mutants, which have disrupted inter-homolog crossover. Surprisingly, the smc-5 and smc-6 mutations did not disrupt the formation of chiasmata, the cytologically visible linkages between homologous chromosomes formed from meiotic inter-homolog crossovers. The mutant fragmentation defect appeared to be preferentially enhanced by the disruptions of inter-homolog recombination but not by the disruptions of inter-sister recombination. Based on these findings, we propose that the C. elegans SMC-5/6 proteins are required in meiosis for the processing of homolog-independent, presumably sister-chromatid-mediated, recombination repair. Together, these results demonstrate that the successful completion of homolog-independent recombination is crucial for germ cell genomic stability.
Methodologic Issues and Approaches to Spatial Epidemiology

Spatial epidemiology is increasingly being used to assess health risks associated with environmental hazards. Risk patterns tend to have both a temporal and a spatial component; thus, spatial epidemiology must combine methods from epidemiology, statistics, and geographic information science. Recent statistical advances in spatial epidemiology include the use of smoothing in risk maps to create an interpretable risk surface, the extension of spatial models to incorporate the time dimension, and the combination of individual- and area-level information. Advances in geographic information systems and the growing availability of modeling packages have led to an improvement in exposure assessment. Techniques drawn from geographic information science are being developed to enable the visualization of uncertainty and ensure more meaningful inferences are made from data. When public health concerns related to the environment arise, it is essential to address such anxieties appropriately and in a timely manner. Tools designed to facilitate the investigation process are being developed, although the availability of complete and clean health data, and appropriate exposure data often remain limiting factors.
Intentional systems and the artificial intelligence (ai) hermeneutic network: agency and intentionality in expressive computational systems

Human interaction with technical artifacts is often mediated by treating them as if they are alive. We exclaim "my car doesn't want to start," or "my computer loves to crash. " Of increasing cultural importance are software systems designed explicitly to perform tasks and/or exhibit complex behaviors usually deemed as intentional human phenomena, including creating, improvising, and learning. Compared to the instrumental programs (e.g., Adobe Photoshop), these intentional systems (e.g., George Lewis' musical system Voyager) seem to produce output that is "about" certain things in the world rather than the mere execution of algorithmic rules. This dissertation investigates such phenomena with two central research questions: (1) How is system intentionality formed? and (2) What are the design implications for building systems that utilize such intentionality as an expressive resource. In the discourse of artificial intelligence (AI) practice, system intentionality is typically seen as a technical and ontological property of a computer program, emerging from its underlying algorithms and knowledge engineering. Distilling from the areas of hermeneutics, actor-network theory, cognitive semantics theory, and philosophy of mind, this dissertation proposes a humanistic and interpretive framework called the AI hermeneutic network. It accentuates that system intentionality is narrated and interpreted by its human creators and users in their socio-cultural settings. Special attention is paid to system authors' discursive strategies, a constitutive component of AI, embedded in their source code and technical literature. The utility of the framework is demonstrated by a close analytical reading of a full-scale AI system, Copycat. The theoretical discovery leads to new design strategies, namely scale of intentionality and agency play. They provide insights for using system intentionality and agency as expressive resources that can be used to convey meanings and express ideas. The fruits of these insights are illustrated by a stream of consciousness literature inspired interactive narrative project Memory, Reverie Machine, co-developed using Harrell's GRIOT system. It portrays a protagonist whose intentionality and agency vary dynamically in service of narrative needs.
Metacognitive Factors that Impact Student Nurse Use of Point of Care Technology in Clinical Settings

The utility of personal digital assistants (PDA) as a point of care resource in health care practice and education presents new challenges for nursing faculty. While there is a plethora of PDA resources available, little is known about the variables that effect student learning and technology adoption. In this study nursing students used PDA software programs which included a drug guide, medical dictionary, laboratory manual and nursing diagnosis manual during acute care clinical experiences. Analysis of student journals comparative reflective statements about the PDA as an adjunct to other available resources in clinical practice are presented. The benefits of having a PDA included readily available data, validation of thinking processes, and facilitation of care plan re-evaluation. Students reported increased frequency of use and independence. Significant correlations between user perceptions and computer self-efficacy suggested greater confidence in abilities with technology resulting in increased self-awareness and achievement of learning outcomes.
A Passive RFID Tag Antenna Installed in a Recessed Cavity in a Metallic Platform

A passive RFID tag antenna in a recessed cavity in metallic objects such as vehicles, air craft, and metallic containers, and an impedance matching technique for this configuration are proposed. The proposed tag antenna can be considered as a cavity-backed antenna and it is comprised of a bowtie antenna installed in a recessed cubic volume in a large metallic object, and the input impedance of the bowtie antenna can be easily matched by adjusting the coupling effect between the tag antenna and the cavity. Main parameters affecting the coupling are the dimensions of the cavity and the location of the bowtie antenna inside the cavity. For more practical analysis of the impedance matching process, an equivalent-circuit model consisting of several lumped elements is introduced and each element is optimized using a genetic algorithm (GA). Experimental results show that the maximum reading distance of the proposed tag antenna with optimized dimensions can be improved about 3.2 times compared to a commercial RFID tag.
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Release by Macrophages after Ingestion of Plasmodium chabaudi-Infected Erythrocytes: Possible Role in the Pathogenesis of Malarial Anemia

ABSTRACT Human falciparum malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum infection, results in 1 to 2 million deaths per year, mostly children under the age of 5 years. The two main causes of death are severe anemia and cerebral malaria. Malarial anemia is characterized by parasite red blood cell (RBC) destruction and suppression of erythropoiesis (the mechanism of which is unknown) in the presence of a robust host erythropoietin response. The production of a host-derived erythropoiesis inhibitor in response to parasite products has been implicated in the pathogenesis of malarial anemia. The identity of this putative host factor is unknown, but antibody neutralization studies have ruled out interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and gamma interferon while injection of interleukin-12 protects susceptible mice against lethal P. chabaudiinfection. In this study, we report that ingestion of P. chabaudi-infected erythrocytes or malarial pigment (hemozoin) induces the release of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) from macrophages. MIF, a proinflammatory mediator and counter-regulator of glucocorticoid action, inhibits erythroid (BFU-E), multipotential (CFU-GEMM), and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor-derived colony formation. MIF was detected in the sera of P. chabaudi-infected BALB/c mice, and circulating levels correlated with disease severity. Liver MIF immunoreactivity increased concomitant with extensive pigment and parasitized RBC deposition. Finally, MIF was elevated three- to fourfold in the spleen and bone marrow of P. chabaudi-infected mice with active disease, as compared to early disease, or of uninfected controls. In summary, the present results suggest that MIF may be a host-derived factor involved in the pathophysiology of malaria anemia.
An Architecture based on Linked Data technologies for the Integration and reuse of OER in MOOCs Context

The Linked Data initiative is considered as one of the most effective alternatives for creating global shared information spaces, it has become an interesting approach for discovering and enriching open educational resources data, as well as achieving semantic interoperability and re-use between multiple OER repositories. The notion of Linked Data refers to a set of best practices for publishing, sharing and interconnecting data in RDF format. Educational repositories managers are, in fact, realizing the potential of using Linked Data for describing, discovering, linking and publishing educational data on the Web. This work shows a data architecture based on semantic web technologies that support the inclusion of open educational materials in massive online courses. The authors focus on a type of openness: open of contents as regards alteration i.e. freedom to reuse the material, to combine it with other materials, to adapt, and to share it further under an open license.
Differences in the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease, metropolitan NSW, 1997-2001.

Although invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) accounts for only a minority of the infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (such as pneumonia and otitis media), it is associated with the most severe disease and is readily measured, as it is by definition associated with a sterile site isolate. The Metropolitan NSW Pneumococcal Study Group was formed in 1997 to generate data describing the age-specific incidence, serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns of invasive pneumococcal disease in a large population that is believed to be representative of urban Australia.
Finger joint kinematics from MR images

Accurate and quantitative analysis of human hand motion requires an understanding of the kinematics of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints in three dimensions. This paper presents a technique to investigate in-vivo finger joint kinematics using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Bone surface models were extracted from MR images of the right hand of ten healthy subjects in four different postures. The relative motion of adjacent bones for all subjects was calculated and expressed as the helical axis and the angles around the axes of local bone coordinate system. The motion data indicated the change of axis orientation with flexion. After carefully selecting the subject and a pose with an appropriate flexional angle, studies determined that the mean inclination between the axes of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints was approximately 14 [deg].
Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow up to $\mathit{Re}_{{\it\tau}}\approx 5200$

A direct numerical simulation of incompressible channel flow at a friction Reynolds number ( $\mathit{Re}_{{\it\tau}}$ ) of 5186 has been performed, and the flow exhibits a number of the characteristics of high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded turbulent flows. For example, a region where the mean velocity has a logarithmic variation is observed, with von Kármán constant ${\it\kappa}=0.384\pm 0.004$ . There is also a logarithmic dependence of the variance of the spanwise velocity component, though not the streamwise component. A distinct separation of scales exists between the large outer-layer structures and small inner-layer structures. At intermediate distances from the wall, the one-dimensional spectrum of the streamwise velocity fluctuation in both the streamwise and spanwise directions exhibits $k^{-1}$ dependence over a short range in wavenumber $(k)$ . Further, consistent with previous experimental observations, when these spectra are multiplied by $k$ (premultiplied spectra), they have a bimodal structure with local peaks located at wavenumbers on either side of the $k^{-1}$ range.
The Association of Deep Vein Thrombosis With Cancer Treatment Modality: Chemotherapy or Surgery?

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a well-recognized complication in patients with cancer. Chemotherapy and cancer surgery increase the risk of DVT in these patients. There are a few reports about the prevalence of DVT in patients with cancer regarding different managing modalities. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DVT in patients with cancer, who were hospitalized in teaching hospitals, according to their treatment intervention. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted on 602 patients with cancer in Kerman, Iran, during years 2006-2007. Among the subjects, 301 had been operated and the rest had received chemotherapy. The prevalence of DVT was determined based on patients’ variables, cancer factors, and therapeutic modalities. Results: Totally, 349 subjects (58%) were male. DVT incidence was 19.9%, most of the cases were over 40 years of age (82.2%), and 21.2% of males and 18.2% of females had developed DVT. The prevalence of DVT in chemotherapy group was higher than that in surgery group (21.9% and 17.9%, respectively); however, this difference was statistically insignificant. DVT developed more frequently in lung cancer (42%) with small cell carcinoma being the most common pathologic finding (42.9%) in those with lung cancer (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: DVT occurs frequently in patients with malignancies. In this study, there was no association between DVT prevalence and age as well as sex; nonetheless, the prevalence was significantly higher in some sites and in patients with certain pathologies. Although DVT prevalence was higher in chemotherapy than in surgery, the difference was insignificant. Informing patients with cancer about symptoms of DVT and prophylactic interventions are warranted.
Measuring the Dynamic Characteristics of a Low Specific Speed Pump—Turbine Model

This paper presents results from an experiment performed to obtain the dynamic characteristics of a reversible pump-turbine model. The characteristics were measured in an open loop system where the turbine initially was run on low rotational speed before the generator was disconnected allowing the turbine to go towards runaway. The measurements show that the turbine experience damped oscillations in pressure, speed and flow rate around runaway corresponding with presented stability criterion in published literature. Results from the experiment is reproduced by means of transient simulations. A one dimensional analytical turbine model for representation of the pump-turbine is used in the calculations. The simulations show that it is possible to reproduce the physics in the measurement by using a simple analytical model for the pump-turbine as long as the inertia of the water masses in the turbine are modeled correctly.
MicroRNA-200c Contributes to Injury From Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia by Targeting Reelin

Background and Purpose— MicroRNA (miR)-200c increases rapidly in the brain after transient cerebral ischemia but its role in poststroke brain injury is unclear. Reelin, a regulator of neuronal migration and synaptogenesis, is a predicted target of miR-200c. We hypothesized that miR-200c contributes to injury from transient cerebral ischemia by targeting reelin. Methods— Brain infarct volume, neurological score and levels of miR-200c, reelin mRNA, and reelin protein were assessed in mice subjected to 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion with or without intracerebroventricular infusion of miR-200c antagomir, mimic, or mismatch control. Direct targeting of reelin by miR-200c was assessed in vitro by dual luciferase assay and immunoblot. Results— Pretreatment with miR-200c antagomir decreased post–middle cerebral artery occlusion brain levels of miR-200c, resulting in a significant reduction in infarct volume and neurological deficit. Changes in brain levels of miR-200c inversely correlated with reelin protein expression. Direct targeting of the Reln 3′ untranslated region by miR-200c was verified with dual luciferase assay. Inhibition of miR-200c resulted in an increase in cell survival subsequent to in vitro oxidative injury. This effect was blocked by knockdown of reelin mRNA, whereas application of reelin protein afforded protection. Conclusions— These findings suggest that the poststroke increase in miR-200c contributes to brain cell death by inhibiting reelin expression, and that reducing poststroke miR-200c is a potential target to mitigate stroke-induced brain injury.
Intranasal Immunization of Mice with Inactivated Virus and Mast Cell Activator C48/80 Elicits Protective Immunity against Influenza H1 but not H5

Vaccination represents the most economic and effective strategy of preventing influenza pandemics. We previously demonstrated that intranasal immunization of mice with recombinant hemagglutinin and the mast cell activator C48/80 elicited protective immunity against challenge with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza in mice, demonstrating that the novel C48/80 mucosal adjuvant was safe and effective. The present study demonstrated that intranasal immunization with inactivated H1N1 virus and C48/80 elicited protective immunity against lethal challenge with homologous virus, however, when the immunogen was replaced with inactivated H5N1 virus protection was lost. These observations suggested that the adjuvant effects conferred by C48/80 were virus subtype specific and that its use as a broad-spectrum adjuvant for use in immunizations against all influenza viruses needs to be further analyzed.
The role of stellar feedback and dark matter in the evolution of dwarf galaxies

Supernova and multiple supernova events regulate several structural properties of dwarf galaxies. In particular, they govern the metal enrichment and the energy budget of the ISM; they might induce partial (blowout) or total (blowaway) gas removal from the galaxy; they also regulate the pressure of the ISM, and consequently the morphology of the galactic gaseous body. Significant amounts of dark matter may play an equally important role: the dark matter gravitational potential tends to concentrate baryons towards the centre, thus enhancing both the star formation rate and the metal production. Also, the dynamical properties of the ISM, and the occurrence of a blowout or blowaway, are shown to be determined by the dark matter content. We present detailed analytical/numerical models describing the evolution of dwarf irregular galaxies (dIs), including the above and other effects. The main results are: (i) dwarfs with total masses M & 5 � 10 6 M( are blown away; those with gas masses up to .10 9 M( lose mass in an outflow; (ii) metallicities are found to correlate tightly with dark matter content, and are consistent with a range of dark-to-visible mass ratios f < 0±30; with about 65per cent of the dwarfs in the sample having f < 0±10; (iii) we predict a lower limit to the oxygen abundance in dIs of 12 1 log…O=H† < 7:2; (iv) outflows are not particularly important for the metallicity evolution of dwarf galaxies, and certainly less important than star formation for gas consumption; however, dwarfs with gas masses of a few �10 8 M( are shown to be the major pollutants of the IGM; (v) the ISM Hi velocity dispersion correlates with metallicity and, independently of dark matter, scales as Z 3.5 . Specific comparisons with well-studied dIs, such as for example Leo A, yield excellent agreement with the data. Based on our results, we discuss a scenario in which late-type and early-type dwarfs had common progenitors in the past, but differences in their total mass forced these objects to follow different evolutionary paths. We therefore consider dI ! dE transitions occurring at present cosmic times as very unlikely.
Yoga as an Intervention for Children With Attention Problems

Abstract A multiple baseline design across three grade level groups with a comparison group was employed to investigate the effectiveness of yoga for improving time on task with 10 elementary school children who evidenced attention problems. A yoga videotape, published by Gaiam, was used that required the children to follow an adult instructor and three children who engaged in deep breathing, physical postures, and relaxation exercises for 30 minutes, twice a week, for a period of 3 weeks. Time on task was defined as the percentage of intervals observed that the students were orientating toward the teacher or task, and performing the requested classroom assignments. The results indicated effect sizes that ranged from 1.5 to 2.7 as a function of the intervention. Effect sizes at follow-up decreased, but ranged from.77 to 1.95. Peer comparison data indicated that classmates' time on task remained essentially unchanged throughout the three phases of the study.