Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth Conditions Determine the DNF2 Requirement for Symbiosis

Rhizobia and legumes are able to interact in a symbiotic way leading to the development of root nodules. Within nodules, rhizobia fix nitrogen for the benefit of the plant. These interactions are efficient because spectacularly high densities of nitrogen fixing rhizobia are maintained in the plant cells. DNF2, a Medicago truncatula gene has been described as required for nitrogen fixation, bacteroid’s persistence and to prevent defense-like reactions in the nodules. This manuscript shows that a Rhizobium mutant unable to differentiate is not sufficient to trigger defense-like reactions in this organ. Furthermore, we show that the requirement of DNF2 for effective symbiosis can be overcome by permissive growth conditions. The dnf2 knockout mutants grown in vitro on agarose or Phytagel as gelling agents are able to produce nodules fixing nitrogen with the same efficiency as the wild-type. However, when agarose medium is supplemented with the plant defense elicitor ulvan, the dnf2 mutant recovers the fix− phenotype. Together, our data show that plant growth conditions impact the gene requirement for symbiotic nitrogen fixation and suggest that they influence the symbiotic suppression of defense reactions in nodules.
Mutations in Citizenship

Mutations in citizenship are crystallized in an ever-shifting landscape shaped by the flows of markets, technologies, and populations. We are moving beyond the citizenship-versus-statelessness model. First, the elements of citizenship (rights, entitlements, etc.) are becoming disarticulated from each other, and becoming re-articulated with universalizing criteria of neoliberalism and human rights. Such ‘global assemblages’ define zones of political entitlements and claims. Second, the space of the ‘assemblage’, rather than the national terrain, becomes the site for political mobilizations by diverse groups in motion. Three contrasting configurations are presented. In the EU zone, unregulated markets and migrant flows challenge liberal citizenship. In Asian zones, foreigners who display self-enterprising savoire faire gain rights and benefits of citizenship. In camps of the disenfranchised or displaced, sheer survival becomes the ground for political claims. Thus, particular constellations shape specific problems and resolutions to questions of contemporary living, further disarticulating and deterritorializing aspects of citizenship.
Mental Health in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Does Screening Capture the Complexity?

Introduction. Children with cerebral palsy (CP), one of the most common childhood neurological disorders, often have associated medical and psychological symptoms. This study assesses mental health problems compared to population controls and the ability of a mental health screening tool to predict psychiatric disorders and to capture the complexity of coexisting symptoms. Methods. Children with CP (N = 47) were assessed according to DSM-IV criteria using a psychiatric diagnostic instrument (Kiddie-SADS) and a mental health screening questionnaire (SDQ). Participants from the Bergen Child Study, a large epidemiological study, served as controls. Results. Children with CP had significantly higher means on all problem scores including impact scores. Two in three children scored above 90th percentile cutoff on Total Difficulties Score (TDS), and 57% met criteria for a psychiatric disorder, yielding a sensitivity of 0.85 and a specificity of 0.55. Mental health problems coexisted across symptom scales, and peer problems were highly prevalent in all groups of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion. A high prevalence of mental health problems and cooccurrence of symptoms were found in children with CP compared to controls. Screening with SDQ detects mental health problems, but does not predict specific disorders in children with CP. ADHD is common, but difficult to diagnose due to complexity of symptoms. Mental health services integrated in regular followup of children with CP are recommended due to high prevalence and considerable overlap of mental health symptoms.
Servant leadership and engagement in a merge process under high uncertainty

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to aim mainly at further understanding how servant leadership can affect engagement during a merger with high levels of uncertainty through the mediating role of organizational identification and psychological empowerment. In addition, the research aimed at validating the servant leadership survey (SLS) in a new culture and language. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 1,107 respondents from two merging Portuguese companies answered a survey. Structural equation modeling was used to further test the mediation model proposed. Findings – SLS proved to be valid and reliable in the Portuguese context and language. Servant leadership strongly affected work engagement in conditions of high uncertainty. Organizational identification and psychological empowerment acted as mediating variables. Research limitations/implications – Future research could include longitudinal studies, the effect of specific servant leadership dimensions and the distinction between servant lead.
MEDBOLI: Medical Diagnosis Based on Ontologies and Logical Inference

The Differential diagnosis (ddx) is a systematic method to identify unknowns. This method, essentially a process of elimination, is used by taxonomists to identify living organisms and by physicians to diagnose the specific disease in a patient. One important point is the enormous amount of knowledge that doctors are required to possess, in order to be able to make a correct ddx. The main problem is that the number of diseases which exist worldwide is enormous, and it is beyond the scope of the human brain to remember them all. For this reason, in this paper we present MEDBOLI, an ontology-driven medical diagnosis system which applies the use of ontologies combined with logical inference and computation of probabilities to establish the probability of the diagnosis.
Differences in transmitter release and number of nerve terminals per motoneuron between two frog muscles

Recent studies suggest that the number of nerve terminals maintained per motoneuron and perhaps other motoneuron properties (Grinnell and Herrera, 1980a; Grinnell and Trussell, 1983) influence transmitter release. We have examined, in detail, the structure and function of motoneurons innervating two different twitch muscles, the sartorius and the ext. long. dig. IV (e.l.d.) in the adult frog using histochemical and electrophysiological techniques. These studies were undertaken with a view towards learning whether differences in the number of nerve terminals per motoneuron were correlated with differences in transmitter release between motoneurons innervating these two muscles. Moreover, these studies provide detailed, quantitative data that are a necessary prerequisite for carrying out additional studies to examine the possible influence of muscle on transmitter release properties. In low Ca2+-high Mg2+ Ringer's solution, mean quantal content (m) and miniature end-plate potential (MEPP) frequency were larger at sartorius than at e.l. d. end-plates. The mean length of nerve terminals was also found to be greater in sartorius than in e.l. d. muscles. When release was normalized for the difference in terminal length, m remained larger in the sartorius, whereas MEPP frequency in the two muscles was similar. Cell bodies of individual sartorius motoneurons were greater in cross-sectional area and maintained approximately 5.6-fold greater aggregate length of nerve terminals per motoneuron than did e.l. d. motoneurons. This greater aggregate length of nerve terminal contact with their respective target muscles is primarily a result of a greater number of nerve terminals supported by sartorius than by e.l. d. motoneurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prediction of arterial blood gas values from venous blood gas values in patients with acute respiratory failure receiving mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is useful in evaluation of the clinical condition of critically ill patients; however, arterial puncture or insertion of an arterial catheter may cause many complications. This study evaluated whether pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) values of venous blood gas (VBG) could accurately predict their ABG analogs for patients with acute respiratory failure treated by mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS Forty six patients who were admitted to the ICU due to acute respiratory failure and treated by mechanical ventilation were included in this study. Blood for VBG analysis was sampled from the cubital or dorsal palmar veins, while ABG was sampled simultaneously from the radial or brachial arteries via an arterial catheter at the other upper extremity. Regression equations and mean percentage-difference equations were derived to predict arterial pH, PCO2, and HCO3- values from their VBG analogs. The equations were validated by evaluating VBG and ABG samples from a separate group of 11 patients. RESULTS A total of 46 paired samples from 46 patients were evaluated. The mean percentage differences between the venous and arterial values divided by venous values for pH, PCO2, and HCO3- were (mean +/- SD): deltapH (%), 0.50 +/- 0.45; deltaPCO2 (%), 17.09 +/- 9.60; and deltaHCO3- (%), 9.72 +/- 7.73; respectively. Regression equations for prediction of pH, PCO2 and HCO3- values were: arterial pH (pHa) = 0.45 + 0.94 x venous pH (pHv) [r = 0.83, p < 0.0001]; partial pressure of arterial CO2 (PaCO2) = 3.06 + 0.76 x partial pressure of venous CO2 (PvCO2) [r = 0.86, p < 0.0001]; and arterial HCO3- (HCO3-a) = 2.34 + 0.82 x venous HCO3- (HCO3-v) [r = 0.91, p < 0.0001]. The predicted ABG values from the mean percentage-difference equations were derived as follows: pHa = pHv x 1.005; PaCO2 = PvCO2 x 0.83; and HCO3-a = HCO3-v x 0.90. Validation of the regression equations and mean percentage-difference equations revealed only a small (clinically insignificant) variation between the actual and predicted ABG values. CONCLUSIONS Venous blood gas can accurately predict the ABG values of pH, PCO2 and HCO3- for patients with acute respiratory failure being treated with mechanical ventilation.
‘But then feminism goes out the window!’: exploring teenage girls’ critical response to celebrity feminism

The release of ELLE UK’s December 2014 ‘Feminism Issue’ capped off a year in which feminism was increasingly visible within popular media cultures, including celebrity culture. Considering Beyoncé’s MTV Music Video Awards performance before an illuminated backdrop of the word ‘Feminist’ (discussed elsewhere in this Forum by Nathalie Weidhase) and celebrities like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lawrence claiming allegiance to the f-word, Jessica Valenti’s (2014) recent acknowledgement of the increasing cool factor of feminism among celebrities seems particularly apt. There has been a substantial amount of feminist critique of what we may call ‘celebrity feminism’ – a form of popular feminism made visible recently by young celebrity women eager to publicly claim a feminist identity. We may contextualise celebrity feminism as part of the increasing prominence of what Catherine Rottenberg (2013) calls ‘neoliberal feminism’. This version of feminism recognises current inequalities between men and women yet disavows the social, cultural, and economic roots of these inequalities in favour of the neoliberal ethos of individual action, personal responsibility, and unencumbered choice as the best strategy to produce gender equality. Actor Emma Watson’s insistence in her ELLE December 2014 feature interview that feminism is foremost about choice for women and girls, for example, is indicative of this neoliberal imperative. Yet we do not aim to reproduce the excellent critiques made of celebrity feminism (Gay 2014, Valenti 2014) here. Instead, we examine teenage girls’ responses to this version of popular feminism, perspectives which have been unexplored in both mainstream and academic discussions of celebrity feminism. This lack of attention to girls is troubling, considering that many of the celebrities performing feminist identities are marketed towards teen girls. Therefore, we ask how girls understand celebrity feminism, analysing the tensions that it often raises for girls doing feminism in their everyday lives. To do so we foreground the voices of girls interviewed as part of their involvement with a feminist club at a London high school or their participation in feminist politics as bloggers. Girls’ responses to celebrities like Beyoncé and Emma Watson point to the nuanced and complex ways in which young people are problematising celebrity feminism.
A multilingual TTS system with less than 1 Mbyte footprint for embedded applications

Text-to-speech (TTS) systems have improved their quality to a large extent lately. This development has resulted in memory requirements of several megabytes that cannot be accepted in many applications, especially in embedded systems. Such applications are usually limited to a footprint of as much as 1 megabyte and require the processing power to be as low as possible. These requirements may be met if the text processing is changed from the usual data-driven algorithms to rule-based processing. Furthermore, the inventory (diphone inventory) should be as small as possible and should be stored in a compressed manner. This is demonstrated by a modified version of the Dresden speech synthesis system, DRESS, which is called microDRESS. Compared to the baseline system, microDRESS does not show essential quality losses apart from the influences of the telephone bandwidth which is appropriate for many embedded applications.
Productive academic talk during inquiry-based science

This study reports on the types of academic talk that contribute to enhanced explanatory responses, reasoning, problem-solving and learning. The study involved 10 groups of 3–4 students who were provided with one of three linguistic tools (i.e. Cognitive Questioning, Philosophy for Children and Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)) to scaffold the questioning process and promote discussion during small group work. Groups were videotaped as they worked on inquiry-based science activities and the videotapes were fully transcribed to identify those helping discourses that contribute to productive talk and learning. In addition, three vignettes of students' discussions are also presented in order to illuminate the different types of productive talk that the students demonstrated in their groups. In the first vignette, the students predominately engaged in analogizing as a tool for constructing meaning. In the second, productive talk involved mainly asking questions and providing elaborations and statements while the third is characterized by questions, reasons, rebuttals and statements where students essentially demonstrate the full complement of discourses characteristic of productive academic talk. The study provides insights into how students appropriate various stratagems for talking and thinking together while simultaneously communicating their shared intentionality and motivation to complete the task.
Non-intrusive estimation of the level of reverberation in speech

We show corroborating evidence that, among a set of common acoustic parameters, the clarity index C50 provides a measure of reverberation that is well correlated with speech recognition accuracy. We also present a data driven method for non-intrusive C50 parameter estimation from a single channel speech signal. The method extracts a number of features from the speech signal and uses a binary regression tree, trained on appropriate training data, to estimate the C50. Evaluation is carried out using speech utterances convolved with real and simulated room impulse responses, and additive babble noise. The new method outperforms a baseline approach in our evaluation.
Power-delay efficient technology mapping of BDD-based circuits using DCVSPG cells

Efficient technology mapping has become an important vehicle in deep-submicron technologies for improving performance-oriented synthesis. On the other hand, library-based Pass Transistor Logic (PTL) synthesis, like Lean Integration with Pass-Transistors (LEAP) synthesis, has drawn significant attention to the VLSI research community. In this paper, we propose three new library cells based on differential cascode voltage Switch with Pass Gate Logic (DCVSPG). Synthesis using these cells outperforms the existing LEAP-based synthesis for BDD-based (Binary Decision Diagram-Based) circuits. Results on benchmark circuits show that the new cell-based mapping technique yields more than 60% reduction in both power and delay in the synthesized circuits.
A review of dynamic variables and their relationship to risk prediction in sex offenders

In recent years, a good deal of attention has been paid to the question of recidivism in sex offenders, with an emphasis on the pool of identified static variables associated with risk. The paper aims to review the developing evidence-base for dynamic (changeable) variables, describing their clinical and research characteristics. It also considers the relationship between dynamic domains and apparently fixed developmental variables, such as attachment and victimization experiences. Three main models are presented, and examined in terms of their ability to enhance static prediction models. Results would suggest that there are four dynamic domains, which can predict sexual recidivism independently of static risk prediction, and that these domains should be of central consideration in the continuing development of treatment programmes.
Robust heteroclinic Cycles in Two-Dimensional Rayleigh-bÉnard convection without Boussinesq Symmetry

The onset of convection in systems that are heated via current dissipation in the lower boundary or that lose heat from the top boundary via Newton’s law of cooling is formulated as a bifurcation problem. The Rayleigh number as usually dened is shown to be inappropriate as a bifurcation parameter since the temperature dierence across the layer depends on the amplitude of convection and hence changes as convection evolves at xed external parameter values. A modied Rayleigh number is introduced that does remain constant even when the system is evolving, and solutions obtained with the standard formulation are compared with those obtained via the new one. Near the 1 : 2 spatial resonance in low Prandtl number fluids these eects open up intervals of Rayleigh number with no stable solutions in the form of steady convection or steadily traveling waves. Direct numerical simulations in two dimensions show that in such intervals the dynamics typically take the form of a nearly heteroclinic modulated traveling wave. This wave may be quasiperiodic or chaotic.
Some Validation Data for the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS).

Abstract Rand, P. 1978. Some Validation Data for the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS). Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 22, 155‐171. The AM Swas administered to 588 sixth grade Oslo children, 301 boys and 287 girls. Among other tests given were 6 verbal and 2 numerical tests, TASC, and a Lie/Defensiveness Scale. On the basis of achievement theory, scores on the AMS subscale for motive to seek success (M5) were predicted to be positively related to performance on the verbal and numerical tests, and scores on the subscale for motive to avoid failure (Mf) to be negatively related to those scores. The theory also leads to the assumption that the difference in performance between individuals high and low in motive scores would be clearest on tasks experienced as being of medium difficulty. The results show predicted and mostly significant relationships. Even when related to the tests of personality characteristics, the AMS shows promising qualities. TASC scores are related positively to Mf scores an.
Extravasated Platelet Aggregation in Liver Zone 3 Is Associated With Thrombocytopenia and Deterioration of Graft Function After Living-Donor Liver Transplant.

OBJECTIVES Continuous thrombocytopenia after liver transplant is associated with a less favorable prognosis, but this pathogenesis remains unclear. We focused on the consumption of platelets in the allograft. We assessed platelet consumption in allografts, and evaluated the pathology of platelet aggregation in an allograft tissue and its involvement in clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS We took biopsy specimens from 20 patients. To examine the localization of platelet aggregation, CD42b was assayed immunohistochemically, and its level of expression correlated with clinical data and outcomes. RESULTS Platelet aggregation in zone 3 was 70%, compared with 30% in zone 1 and 50% in zone 2. Platelets were found mainly as extravasated platelet aggregates in local microenvironments. Patients were stratified according to the extent of extravasated platelet aggregates in zone 3 into extravasated platelet aggregate-negative and -positive groups. Graft weight/recipient body weight ratio with the extravasated platelet aggregatepositive group was significantly lower than that of the extravasated platelet aggregate-negative group. Platelet count after surgery was lower, while total bilirubin and prothrombin time/international normalized ratio were higher in the extravasated platelet aggregate-positive than they were in the extravasated platelet aggregate-negative group. CONCLUSIONS Extravasated platelet aggregates in the zone 3 of allograft tissue cause the consumption of platelets and continuous thrombocytopenia after transplant, and may be the clinical marker for deterioration of graft function. Platelet activation and degranulation following the release by platelets of some negative regulators may be involved partially in liver damage.
Comparison of the Protective Effect of Indole β-carbolines and R-(-)-deprenyl Against Nitrogen Species-Induced Cell Death in Experimental Culture Model of Parkinson's Disease

Background The membrane permeability transition of mitochondria has been suggested to be involved in toxic and oxidative forms of cell injury. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to play a critical role in neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. Despite the suggestion that indole β-carbolines may be neurotoxic, these compounds provide a protective effect against cytotoxicity of other neurotoxins. In addition, the effect of indole β-carbolines on change in the mitochondrial membrane permeability due to reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which may lead to cell death, has not been clarified. Methods Differentiated PC12 cells were used as the experimental culture model for the investigation of neuronal cell injury, which occurs in Parkinson's disease. The effect of indole β-carbolines (harmalol and harmine) on differentiated PC12 cells against toxicity of S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP) was determined by measuring the effect on the change in transmembrane potential, cytochrome c release, formation of ROS, GSH contents, caspase-3 activity and cell viability, and was compared to that of R-(-)-deprenyl. Results Specific inhibitors of caspases (z-LEHD.fmk, z-DQMD.fmk) and antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine, dithiothreitol, melatonin, carboxy-PTIO and uric acid) depressed cell death in PC12 cells due to SNAP. β-Carbolines and R-(-)-deprenyl attenuated the SNAP-induced cell death and GSH depletion concentration dependently with a maximal inhibitory effect at 25-50 µM. The compounds inhibited the nuclear damage, decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, cytochrome c release and formation of reactive oxygen species caused by SNAP in PC12 cells. β-Carbolines and R-(-)-deprenyl attenuated the H2O2-induced cell death and depletion of GSH. Conclusions The results suggest that indole β-carbolines attenuate the SNAP-induced viability loss in PC12 cells by inhibition of change in the mitochondrial membrane permeability, which may be caused by free radicals. Indole β-carbolines appear to exert a protective effect against the nitrogen species-mediated neuronal cell injury in Parkinson's disease comparable to R-(-)-deprenyl.