Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex Bias and Maternal Contribution to Gene Expression Divergence in Drosophila Blastoderm Embryos

Early embryogenesis is a unique developmental stage where genetic control of development is handed off from mother to zygote. Yet the contribution of this transition to the evolution of gene expression is poorly understood. Here we study two aspects of gene expression specific to early embryogenesis in Drosophila: sex-biased gene expression prior to the onset of canonical X chromosomal dosage compensation, and the contribution of maternally supplied mRNAs. We sequenced mRNAs from individual unfertilized eggs and precisely staged and sexed blastoderm embryos, and compared levels between D. melanogaster, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis. First, we find that mRNA content is highly conserved for a given stage and that studies relying on pooled embryos likely systematically overstate the degree of gene expression divergence. Unlike studies done on larvae and adults where most species show a larger proportion of genes with male-biased expression, we find that transcripts in Drosophila embryos are largely female-biased in all species, likely due to incomplete dosage compensation prior to the activation of the canonical dosage compensation mechanism. The divergence of sex-biased gene expression across species is observed to be often due to lineage-specific decrease of expression; the most drastic example of which is the overall reduction of male expression from the neo-X chromosome in D. pseudoobscura, leading to a pervasive female-bias on this chromosome. We see no evidence for a faster evolution of expression on the X chromosome in embryos (no “faster-X” effect), unlike in adults, and contrary to a previous study on pooled non-sexed embryos. Finally, we find that most genes are conserved in regard to their maternal or zygotic origin of transcription, and present evidence that differences in maternal contribution to the blastoderm transcript pool may be due to species-specific divergence of transcript degradation rates.
Intestinal Na+, K+, 2Cl− cotransporter 2 plays a crucial role in hyperosmotic transitions of a euryhaline teleost

Euryhaline fishes, such as the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), must quickly transition between hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic physiological strategies. When freshwater individuals transition to seawater they are exposed to increased diffusive water loss and ion gain. To maintain osmoregulatory balance these animals must drink and absorb seawater through the intestine, followed by ion excretion at the gills. The ability of fishes to transition between strategies can limit the magnitude of osmotic shock that can be tolerated. Here, we demonstrate that red drum can tolerate direct transfer from freshwater to full‐strength seawater with marginal impacts on osmotic balance, as indicated by plasma and muscle ion concentration, as well as muscle water. Seawater transition is concurrent with a significant increase in intestinal fluid volume. Typical patterns of osmoregulatory plasticity were observed in the gill with increased expression of nkcc1 and cftr. Expression changes in the anterior intestine were observed after 24 h for nkcc2 with smaller and later responses observed for slc26a3, slc26a6, and nbc. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated similar patterns of NKCC localization in freshwater and seawater intestines; however, reduced basolateral staining of V‐type ATPase was observed in seawater. Electrophysiological preparations demonstrated that seawater fish had increased absorptive current in the anterior intestine, which was significantly reduced in the presence of 10 μmol/L bumetanide. Overall, these results suggest that nkcc2 plays a crucial role during hyperosmotic transitions, and may be a more important complement to the well‐known bicarbonate secretion pathway than generally considered.
Detection of weak gravitational lensing by large-scale structure

We report a detection of the coherent distortion of faint galaxies arising from gravitational lensing by foreground structures. This ‘cosmic shear’ is potentially the most direct measure of the mass power spectrum, as it is unaffected by poorly justified assumptions made concerning the biasing of the distribution. Our detection is based on an initial imaging study of 14 separated 8×16 arcmin2 fields observed in good, homogeneous conditions with the prime focus EEV-CCD camera of the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope. We detect an rms shear of 1.6 per cent in 8×8 arcmin2 cells, with a significance of 3. 4σ. We carefully justify this detection by quantifying various systematic effects and carrying out extensive simulations of the recovery of the shear signal from artificial images defined according to measured instrument characteristics. We also verify our detection by computing the cross-correlation between the shear in adjacent cells. Including (Gaussian) cosmic variance, we measure the shear variance to be (0.016)2±(0.012)2±(0.006)2, where these 1σ errors correspond to statistical and systematic uncertainties, respectively. Our measurements are consistent with the predictions of cluster-normalized cold dark matter (CDM) models (within 1σ) but a Cosmic Background Explorer normalized standard cold dark matter model is ruled out at the 3. 0σ level. For the currently favoured ΛCDM model (with Ωm=0.3), our measurement provides a normalization of the mass power spectrum of σ8=1.5±0.5, fully consistent with that derived from cluster abundances. Our result demonstrates that ground-based telescopes can, with adequate care, be used to constrain the mass power spectrum on various scales. The present results are limited mainly by cosmic variance, which can be overcome in the near future with more observations.
The Promise and Limitations of Reading Instruction in the Mainstream: The Need for a Multilevel Approach

The purpose of this article is to describe how increasingly intensive, multilevel interventions can be used to ensure the increase in number of children who learn to read. We first review the promise and limitations of empirically validated best practices for mainstream classrooms. We then discuss results from a recent multilevel intervention study. We conclude by examining implications of a multilevel instructional approach for special education service delivery.
On the Association between the Pleasantness and Meaningfulness of Words

To study the associations between the pleasantness and meaningfulness of words of four classes (pleasant and concrete, unpleasant and concrete, pleasant and abstract, unpleasant and abstract), we presented a 20-word list for each class to 184 subjects who rated the words for pleasantness and reported associations for calculation of word meaningfulness. Within both the concrete and abstract groups, pleasantness and meaningfulness were positively correlated for pleasant words and negatively correlated for unpleasant words. Although none of these correlations was statistically significant, all four (−.51 to .18) were stronger than the over-all correlation of 06 between pleasantness and meaningfulness for the 80-word pool.
Noncommutative Deformations of Wightman Quantum Field Theories

Quantum field theories on noncommutative Minkowski space are studied in a model-independent setting by treating the noncommutativity as a deformation of quantum field theories on commutative space. Starting from an arbitrary Wightman theory, we consider special vacuum representations of its Weyl-Wigner deformed counterpart. In such representations, the effect of the noncommutativity on the basic structures of Wightman theory, in particular the covariance, locality and regularity properties of the fields, the structure of the Wightman functions, and the commutative limit, is analyzed. Despite the nonlocal structure introduced by the noncommutativity, the deformed quantum fields can still be localized in certain wedge-shaped regions, and may therefore be used to compute noncommutative corrections to two-particle S-matrix elements.
Natural history museums, parks, and connection with nature

Experiences in natural settings, and indirect nature experiences such as films, increase both well-being and environmentally protective behavior. Thus, public facilities such as natural history museums may facilitate pro-environmental behavior changes. In three studies, we examined nature connection, well-being, and spontaneous well-being goals as a function of exposure to museum exhibits or parks. Participants recruited in parks reported higher nature connection than those in indoor public locations. Among museum visitors, touring the exhibits did not influence nature connection, but did increase the number of pro-environmental well-being goals. When participants were randomly assigned to view a museum or a control presentation, those who viewed the museum presentation reported both higher nature connection and more pro-environmental goals. These results suggest that natural history museums and parks provide public settings in which people are more likely to be receptive to environmental information and to reflect on options for personal action.
The binding of sodium dodecyl sulphate to various proteins.

1. The binding of sodium dodecyl sulphate to proteins by equilibrium dialysis was investigated. 2. Most of the proteins studied bound 90-100% of their weight of sodium dodecyl sulphate. 3. The glycoproteins studied bound 70-100% of their weight of sodium dodecyl sulphate, calculated in terms of the polypeptide moiety of the molecule. 4. Proteins not containing S.S groups bound about 140% of their weight of sodium dodecyl sulphate. 5. Reduction of four proteins containing S.S groups caused a rise in sodium dodecyl sulphate binding to 140% of the weight of protein. 6. The apparent micellar molecular weights of the protein-sodium dodecyl sulphate complexes were measured by the dye-solubilization method; they were all found to have approximately the same micellar molecular weight (34000-41000) irrespective of the molecular weight of the protein to which they were attached.
Humor and foreign language teaching

The benefits of humor in education have been widely assessed in recent research. Theorists and teachersfrom differentfields have made suggestions about possible uses of humor in the classroom. Among them, language methodologists have tried to demonstrate howjokes andpuns could be used in language teaching. However, a harmonious Integration of humor into existing language teaching approaches is still lacking. The present paper shows how classroom humor can enhance language learners' linguistic and cultural competence if introduced at the right time in the teaching sequence. "I could never keep the attention of my students for a whole class period," one of my colleagues told me, further explaining how, when she saw how Johnny Carson managed to magnetize the interest of the students for several hours a week, she decided to try it, and . it worked. The use of humor in the American classroom is well documented. Its benefits have been assessed in areas äs varied äs statistics (Ziv 1988), special education (Wolfgang 1987), and reading (Whitmer 1986). What for a long time seemed to be opposite concepts — the serious undertakings of education and the leisurely character of humor — suddenly appear to be complementary. In a study conducted at the University of Ontario, for example, the use of humor was considered one of the five main teaching behaviors that distinguished "outstanding" from "average" and "poor" lecturers (based on Student evaluations) (Murray 1983). Humor has further been shown to have a positive efFect on the learning environment, to initiale, maintain, and enhance learner interest, and to facilitate retention (Hffl 1988: 20-24). In spite of all these attributes, humor is still largely underused in actual Humor 8-3 (1995), 285-298. 0933-1719/95/0008-0285 © Walter de Gruyter
Improved Adaptive Complex Diffusion Despeckling Filter References and Links

Despeckling optical coherence tomograms from the human retina is a fundamental step to a better diagnosis or as a preprocessing stage for retinal layer segmentation. Both of these applications are particularly important in monitoring the progression of retinal disorders. In this study we propose a new formulation for a well-known nonlinear complex diffusion filter. A regularization factor is now made to be dependent on data, and the process itself is now an adaptive one. Experimental results making use of synthetic data show the good performance of the proposed formulation by achieving better quantitative results and increasing computation speed. Speckle noise reduction algorithm for optical coherence tomography based on interval type II fuzzy set, " Opt. Comparison of PDE-based nonlinear diffusion approaches for image enhancement and denoising in optical coherence tomography, " IEEE Trans. Speckle reduction in optical coherence tomography by " path length encoded " angular compounding, " J. Speckle reduction in optical coherence tomography by frequency compounding, " J. Optical coherence tomography speckle reduction by a partially spatially coherent source, " J. Phase-domain processing of optical coherence tomography images, " J. Restoration of optical coherence images of living tissue using the clean algorithm, " J. Biomed. Iterative homomorphic technique for speckle reduction in synthetic-aperture radar imaging, " J. Adaptive noise smoothing filter for images with signal-dependent noise, " IEEE Trans. Speckle noise reduction for optical coherence tomography, " Proc. Evaluation of the adaptive speckle suppression filter for coronary optical coherence tomography imaging, " IEEE Trans. Retinal thickness measurements in optical coherence tomography using a Markov boundary model " , in Thickness profiles of retinal layers by optical coherence tomography image segmentation, " Am. Quantitative thickness measurement of retinal layers imaged by optical coherence tomography, " Am. macular substructures with optical coherence tomography for glaucoma diagnosis, " Ophthalmology 115(6), 949– 956 (2008). Enhanced optical coherence tomography imaging by multiple scan averaging, " Br. Enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in ophthalmic optical coherence tomography by image registration-method and clinical examples, " J. Biomed. Speckle reduction in optical coherence tomography images using digital filtering, " J. Automated detection of retinal layer structures on optical coherence tomography images, " Opt. Image enhancement and denoising by complex diffusion processes, " IEEE Trans.
The Effect of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion on High-Intensity Intermittent Running and Subsequent Performance

Price, MJ and Simons, C. The effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on high-intensity intermittent running and subsequent performance. J Strength Cond Res 24(7): 1834-1842, 2010-The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) ingestion on intermittent running and subsequent performance. Eight healthy men volunteered to take part in the study. One hour after the ingestion of either NaHCO3 or placebo (sodium chloride; NaCl) participants undertook 20 × 24-second runs on a motorized treadmill at the velocity eliciting maximal oxygen uptake (100% v-&OV0312;o2max). After sprint 20 participants performed a run to volitional exhaustion at 120% v-&OV0312;o2max. Capillary blood samples for blood pH, bicarbonate ([HCO3−]), and lactate ([Bla]) concentration were taken pre and postingestion, every fifth sprint and after the performance run. After ingestion of NaHCO3, blood [HCO3−] increased from resting values (p < 0.05), and the increase in pH approached significance. Blood [HCO3−] continually decreased throughout intermittent exercise (p < 0.05) and decreased further after performance in both trials (p < 0.05). [Bla] was similar in both trials throughout intermittent exercise but was greater at exhaustion for NaHCO3 (main effect for trial; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in performance of the group between trials (78 ± 22 and 75 ± 22 seconds for NaHCO3 and NaCl, respectively). The intercept of the relationships between [Bla] and [HCO3−] and between [Bla] and pH was greater during NaHCO3 (p < 0.05), whereas the relationship between pH and [HCO3−] was unchanged (p > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the ingestion of NaHCO3− before intermittent type exercise was sufficient to induce metabolic alkalosis but did not significantly affect performance. However, because significant individual variations in performance were observed, an individual approach to bicarbonate ingestion is recommended based on the intensity and duration of the required performance.
On a Dilemma of Comparative Factor AnalysiA Study of Factor Matching Based on Random Data

ONE of the most important, but still inadequately resolved issues pertinent to factor analytically oriented research is that of matching factors from two or more independent studies. Powerful though the methods of factor analysis may be for purposes of organizing masses of data within the context of a single multivariate experiment, their use in comprehensive, programmatic research has been severely limited by a lack of equally powerful rotational methods for establishing identity of concepts, as evidenced by matched factors, across a series of researches.
Education and Progressivism

A major problem with Lawrence A. Cremin's The Transformation of the School is the neglect of one aspect of progressive political ideology and one stream of educational thought during the pre-World War I period. The neglect of these two movements was probably caused by a failure to give a coherent statement as to the nature of educational reforms during this period and the use of a rather vague definition of progressive political and social change. What Cremin calls “progressive education” during the pre-World War I period appears to be a conglomeration of educational changes with no particular common bonds except that they represented something new. This lack of clarity gives the impression that a strange combination of people were called “progressive educators. ” Under the roof of this title is mixed the free atmosphere of Marietta Johnson's Organic School with the well ordered air of the platoon system of the Gary Public Schools. The title also houses the educational elitist and test-oriented Edward L. Thorndike with Caroline Pratt's Play School. This confused picture of educational change is a function of an equally obscure definition of progressive political and social change. Cremin vaguely defines “American Progressivism writ large” as social and political change designed to improve the lives of individuals, a valueless definition since it literally includes everyone.
Teacher Educator Professional Learning in the Third Space

This article reports on the results of a research project in which 18 teacher educators in three countries—Australia, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom—were interviewed about their experiences of working in the so-called “third space” between schools and universities, particularly in relation to the practicum, or field supervision. Most teacher educators have previously worked as teachers in schools or other educational settings, and when they become teacher educators in universities, they are often involved in the supervision or mentoring of preservice teachers in the field. The research reported in this article examined how university-based teacher educators manage the challenges inherent in working with mentor/cooperating teachers after having been or when still practicing as teachers in schools. Findings from the study showed that for teacher educators, working in the third space involves managing shifting identities between teacher and teacher educator, responding to changing perspectives on learning and teaching, and negotiating sometimes finely balanced and difficult relationships.
Progesterone induces nano‐scale molecular modifications on endometrial epithelial cell surfaces

Background information. The endometrial epithelial cell membrane is a key interface in female reproductive biology. Steroid hormones play a predominant role in cyclic changes which occur at this interface during the female menstrual cycle. Specific changes in the morphology of the endometrial epithelial cell surface become apparent with the epithelial transition that drives the switch from a non‐receptive to receptive surface due to the action of progesterone on an oestrogen primed tissue. AFM (atomic force microscopy) allows the high‐resolution characterization of the endometrial epithelial cell surface. Its contact probe mechanism enables a unique imaging method that requires little sample preparation, yielding topographical and morphological characterization. By stiffening the cell membrane, low concentrations of fixatives allow the surface detail of the cell to be resolved while preserving fine ultra‐structural details for analysis.
Learning about Learning: A Conundrum and a Possible Resolution.

What is it to learn in the modern world? We can identify four learning epochs through which our understanding of learning has passed: a metaphysical view; an empirical view; an experiential view; and, currently, a learning-amid-contestation view. In this last and current view, learning has its place in a world in which, the more one learns, the more one is aware of counter positions and perspectives. Here is a conundrum for learning here becomes a kind of un-learning. This learning calls for the development among students of certain kinds of dispositions and qualities. These dispositions and qualities provide resources that enable students to venture forwards to enquire in a world in which every position and every perspective is subject to contestation. Learning here becomes the formation of a radical-but-active-doubt . Such a view of learning for the twenty-first century points to a poverty in the notion of ‘learning outcomes’, if learning is incessant but self-doubting enquiry. This learning has no outcome except the continuing formation – largely a self-formation – of the student’s being. This view of learning opens the way for possibilities in curricula and pedagogy, possibilities that both unsettle students but which also help them to develop the inner resources to go on learning in a difficult world.
The pro-inflammatory effect of uraemia overrules the anti-atherogenic potential of immunization with oxidized LDL in apoE-/- mice.

BACKGROUND Uraemia increases oxidative stress, plasma titres of antibodies recognizing oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and development of atherosclerosis. Immunization with oxLDL prevents classical, non-uraemic atherosclerosis. We have investigated whether immunization with oxLDL might also prevent uraemia-induced atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-/-) mice. METHODS ApoE-/- mice were immunized with either native LDL (n = 25), Cu(2+)-oxidized LDL (n = 25), PBS (n = 25), the apolipoprotein B-derived peptide P45 (apoB-peptide P45) conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) (n = 25) or BSA (n = 25) prior to induction of uraemia by 5/6 nephrectomy (NX). RESULTS Immunization with oxLDL increased plasma titres of immunoglobulin G (IgG) recognizing Cu(2+)-oxLDL and malondialdehyde-modified LDL (MDA-LDL). However, 5/6 NX induced a marked increase in plasma concentrations of anti-oxLDL antibodies as well as pro-atherogenic cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6 and IL-12)] in native mouse LDL (nLDL)-, oxLDL- and PBS-immunized mice. Even though nLDL- and oxLDL-immunized mice displayed higher anti-MDA-LDL IgG titres than the PBS group, aortic atherosclerosis lesion size was not affected by immunization. Immunization with the apoB-peptide P45, which consistently reduces classical atherosclerosis in non-uraemic mice, also did not reduce lesion size in uraemic apoE-/- mice. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic effect of uraemia overrules the anti-atherogenic potential of oxLDL immunization in apoE-/- mice.