Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rous sarcoma virus integrase protein: mapping functions for catalysis and substrate binding

Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), like all retroviruses, encodes an integrase protein that is responsible for covalently joining the reverse-transcribed viral DNA to host DNA. We have probed the organization of functions within RSV integrase by constructing mutant derivatives and assaying their activities in vitro. We find that deletion derivatives lacking the amino-terminal 53 amino acids, which contain the conserved H-X(3-7)-H-X(23-32)-C-X(2)-C (HHCC) Zn(2+)-binding motif, are greatly impaired in their ability to carry out two reactions characteristic of integrase proteins: specific cleavage of the viral DNA termini and DNA strand transfer. Deletion mutants lacking the carboxyl-terminal 69 amino acids are also unable to carry out these reactions. However, all deletion mutants that retain the central domain are capable of carrying out disintegration, an in vitro reversal of the normal DNA strand transfer reaction, indicating that the catalytic center probably lies within this central region. Another conserved motif, D-X(39-58)-D-X(35)-E, is found in this central domain. These findings with RSV integrase closely parallel previous findings with human immunodeficiency virus integrase, indicating that a modular catalytic domain is a general feature of this family of proteins. Surprisingly, and unlike results obtained so far with human immunodeficiency virus integrase, efficient strand transfer activity can be restored to a mutant RSV integrase lacking the amino-terminal HHCC domain by fusion to various short peptides. Furthermore, these fusion proteins retain the substrate specificity of RSV integrase. These data support a model in which the integrase activities required for strand transfer in vitro, including substrate recognition, multimerization, and catalysis, all lie primarily outside the amino-terminal HHCC domain.
BRR2a Affects Flowering Time via FLC Splicing

Several pathways control time to flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana through transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulation. In recent years, mRNA processing has gained interest as a critical regulator of flowering time control in plants. However, the molecular mechanisms linking RNA splicing to flowering time are not well understood. In a screen for Arabidopsis early flowering mutants we identified an allele of BRR2a. BRR2 proteins are components of the spliceosome and highly conserved in eukaryotes. Arabidopsis BRR2a is ubiquitously expressed in all analyzed tissues and involved in the processing of flowering time gene transcripts, most notably FLC. A missense mutation of threonine 895 in BRR2a caused defects in FLC splicing and greatly reduced FLC transcript levels. Reduced FLC expression increased transcription of FT and SOC1 leading to early flowering in both short and long days. Genome-wide experiments established that only a small set of introns was not correctly spliced in the brr2a mutant. Compared to control introns, retained introns were often shorter and GC-poor, had low H3K4me1 and CG methylation levels, and were often derived from genes with a high-H3K27me3-low-H3K36me3 signature. We propose that BRR2a is specifically needed for efficient splicing of a subset of introns characterized by a combination of factors including intron size, sequence and chromatin, and that FLC is most sensitive to splicing defects.
Which literature retrieval method is most effective for GPs?

BACKGROUND Evidence-based medicine requires new skills of physicians, including literature searching. OBJECTIVE To determine which literature retrieving method is most effective for GPs: the printed Index Medicus; Medline through Grateful Med; or Medline on CD-ROM. METHODS The design was a randomized comparative study. In a continuing medical education course, three groups of health care professionals (87 GPs and 16 other health care professionals) used one of the literature retrieval methods to retrieve citations on four search topics related to general practice. For the analysis in pairs, we used the search results of the 75 participants who completed all four assignments. As outcome measures, we used precision, recall and an overall search quality score; we also had a post-course questionnaire on personal characteristics, experience with computers, handling medical literature and satisfaction with course instruction and search results. RESULTS The recall and overall search quality scores in the Index Medicus groups (n = 32) were higher (P = <0.001) than those in the CD-ROM groups (n = 31). In addition, the search quality scores in the Grateful Med groups (n = 12) were higher (P < 0.003) than those in the CD-ROM groups. There were no differences in precision. CONCLUSION In the period 1994-1997, the printed Index Medicus was the most effective literature retrieval method for GPs. For inexperienced GPs, there is a need for training in electronic literature retrieval methods.
Category-Specific Semantic Deficits in Focal and Widespread Brain Damage: A Computational Account

Category-specific semantic impairments have been explained in terms of preferential damage to different types of features (e.g., perceptual vs. functional). This account is compatible with cases in which the impairments were the result of relatively focal lesions, as in herpes encephalitis. Recently, however, there have been reports of category-specific impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease, in which there is more widespread, patchy damage. We present experiments with a connectionist model that show how ficategory-specificfl impairments can arise in cases of both localized and wide-spread damage; in this model, types of features are topographically organized, but specific categories are not. These effects mainly depend on differences between categories in the distribution of correlated features. The model's predictions about degree of impairment on natural kinds and artifacts over the course of semantic deterioration are shown to be consistent with existing patient data. The model shows how the probabilistic nature of damage in Alzheimer's disease interacts with the structure of semantic memory to yield different patterns of impairment between patients and categories over time.
Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the developing kidney lead to expression of tenascin in the mesenchyme

Tenascin, a mesenchymal extracellular matrix glycoprotein, has been implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during fetal development (Chiquet-Ehrismann, R., E. J. Mackie, C. A. Pearson, T. Sakakura, 1986, Cell, 47:131-139). We have now investigated the expression of tenascin during embryonic development of the mouse kidney. In this system, mesenchymal cells convert into epithelial cells as a result of a tissue interaction. By immunofluorescence, tenascin could not be found in the mesenchyme until kidney tubule epithelial began to form. It then became detectable around condensates and s- shaped bodies, the early stages of tubulogenesis. In an in vitro culture system, tenascin expression by the mesenchyme is tightly coupled to the de novo formation of epithelial, and does not occur if tubulogenesis is suppressed. The results strongly suggest that the formation of the new epithelium stimulates the expression of tenascin in the nearby mesenchyme. During postnatal development, the expression of tenascin decreases and the spatial distribution changes. In kidneys from adult mice, no tenascin can be found in the cortex, but interspersed patches of staining are visible in the medullary stroma. The results strongly support the view that tenascin is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. It could therefore be crucial for embryonic development.
Proactive Interference Does Not Meaningfully Distort Visual Working Memory Capacity Estimates in the Canonical Change Detection Task

The change detection task has become a standard method for estimating the storage capacity of visual working memory. Most researchers assume that this task isolates the properties of an active short-term storage system that can be dissociated from long-term memory systems. However, long-term memory storage may influence performance on this task. In particular, memory traces from previous trials may create proactive interference that sometimes leads to errors, thereby reducing estimated capacity. Consequently, the capacity of visual working memory may be higher than is usually thought, and correlations between capacity and other measures of cognition may reflect individual differences in proactive interference rather than individual differences in the capacity of the short-term storage system. Indeed, previous research has shown that change detection performance can be influenced by proactive interference under some conditions. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the canonical version of the change detection task – in which the to-be-remembered information consists of simple, briefly presented features – is influenced by proactive interference. Two experiments were conducted using methods that ordinarily produce substantial evidence of proactive interference, but no proactive interference was observed. Thus, the canonical version of the change detection task can be used to assess visual working memory capacity with no meaningful influence of proactive interference.
A Cloud Based Object Recognition Platform for IOS

Food recognition is not only a challenging task but also important for patients and travelers. In order to provide a good recognition capability, we propose a cloud based object recognition platform for IOS platform, in which an improved 2DPCA algorithm is used for object recognition. A Hadoop based cloud server is built for this platform. To show the effectiveness of this platform, a series of tests are finished using ALOI (Amsterdam Library of Object Images) database. These tests show that our approach has a better performance in multi-radians and multi-illumination environment compared with existing approaches.
Control of Rat Renal Vascular Resistance at Reduced Perfusion Pressure

Determination of the factors influencing renal vascular resistance (RVR) at very low perfusion pressures (RPP) is of interest, since prolonged periods of reduced perfusion can lead to acute renal failure. We have studied the effects of inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system on renal blood flow (RBF), measured by electromagnetic flow probe, over a subautoregulatory pressure range of BOSS mm Hg. These studies were carried out in rats on low sodium diets (LS), in which angiotensin II (All) is increased, and high sodium diets (HS), in which All is suppressed. We have also studied the effect of altering the kallikrein-kinin system, since our previous studies have indicated an interaction between this system and All in control of RVR at normal RPP. Variations in sodium intake did not alter the regression of RBF on RPP over the entire low pressure range. RVR in LS rats increased from 15.8 ± 0.4 between 65 and 90 mm Hg to 21.2 ± 1.2 mm Hg/ml per min at pressures <45 mm Hg (P < 0.05). In HS rats, RVR rose from 13.8 ± 0.5 at RPP between 65 and 90 mm Hg to 18.6 ± 0.9 mm Hg/ml per min at RPP < 45 mm Hg (P < 0.001). Saralasin, an All antagonist, increased RBF, and thus reduced RVR, over the entire low pressure range in LS rats, but had no effect on RVR in HS rats. Captopril, which inhibits the formation of All as well as the degradation kinins, increases RBF in both LS and HS rats. Aprotinin, an inhibitor of kallikrein, reduced RBF, and thus increased RVR over the entire low pressure range in LS rats. Aprotinin had no effect on RVR in HS rats, but pretreatment with this agent blocked the vasodilatory effect of captopril. Infusion of kinins raised RBF in HS rats but had no effect on RBF of LS rats. We conclude that RVR is not fixed or minimal in the subautoregulatory pressure range. AH acts as a vasoconstrictor throughout this low pressure range in LS rats, but its effect is countered by the vasodilator influence of kinins. Neither hormone substantially influenced RVR in HS rats. Parallel changes in the activity of these two hormones maintains a relatively constant RVR despite changes in dietary sodium intake.
Direct Innervation of GnRH Neurons by Encephalic Photoreceptors in Birds

In nonmammalian vertebrates, photic cues that regulate the timing of seasonal reproductive cyclicity are detected by nonretinal, nonpineal deep brain photoreceptors. It has long been assumed that the underlying mechanism involves the transmission of photic information from the photoreceptor to a circadian system, and thence to the reproductive axis. An alternative hypothesis is that there is direct communication between the brain photoreceptor and the reproductive axis. In the present study, light and confocal microscopy reveal that gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and processes are scattered among photoreceptor cells (identified by their opsin-immunoreactivity) in the lateral septum (SL). In the median eminence (ME), opsin and GnRH immunoreactive fibers overlap extensively. Single and double label ultrastructural immunocytochemistry indicate that in the SL and preoptic area (POA), opsin positive terminals form axo-dendritic synapses onto GnRH dendrites. In the ME, opsin and GnRH terminals lie adjacent to each other, make contact with tanycytes, or terminate on the hypophyseal portal capillaries. These results reveal that brain photoreceptors communicate directly with GnRH-neurons; this represents a means by which photoperiodic information reaches the reproductive axis.
Electric Field Induced Nitride Trapped Charge Lateral Migration in a SONOS Flash Memory

We investigated electric field-induced trapped electron lateral migration in a SONOS flash cell. The threshold voltage shift (ΔVt) and gate-induceddrain leakage (GIDL) current were measured to monitor nitride electron movement in retention. We applied different voltages to the gate and the source/drain in retention to vary the vertical and lateral electric fields. Our study shows that: 1) GIDL current can be used to monitor trapped charge lateral migration and 2) nitride charge lateral migration exhibits strong dependence on the lateral electric field. Based on measured temperature and field dependence, a nitride trapped charge emission process via thermally assisted tunneling is proposed for electron lateral migration. The emission rates of thermally assisted tunneling, direct trap-to-band tunneling and Frenkel-Poole emission were compared.
Gingival tissue physiology in vitro. 2. Glycogen storage and utilization.

Sixty gingival explants were cultured in vitro for periods of one to forty-eight hours in media containing I μc/ml tritiated thymidine. Autoradiograptas revealed a pattern of labelling dependent on the method of excision of the explants. Where epithelial ridges were intact, proliferalive activity at the lateral margins of the explants preceded the migration of the epithelium. Where ridges were incised during removal of the explant the injured ridges also contributed extensively to the proliferation of cells which then began active migration. Labelling of cells in the newly migrated epithelium occurred after the appearance of an argyrophilic hasement membrane byt before the appearance of a P.A. S, positive structure.
Prognostic Determinants in Patients with Traumatic Pancreatic Injuries

The aim of this study was to identify factors that predict morbidity and mortality in patients with traumatic pancreatic injuries. A retrospective review was performed on 75 consecutive patients with traumatic pancreatic injuries admitted to the Emergency Medical Center at Masan Samsung Hospital and subsequently underwent laparotomy during the period January 2000 to December 2005. Overall mortality and morbidity rates were 13.3% and 49.3%, respectively. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that greater than 12 blood transfusions and an initial base deficit of less than -11 mM/L were the most important predictors of mortality (p<0.05). On the other hand, the most important predictors of morbidity were surgical complexity and an initial base deficit of less than -5.8 mM/L (p<0.01). These data suggests that early efforts to prevent shock and rapidly control of bleeding are most likely to improve the outcome in patients with traumatic pancreatic injuries. The severity of pancreatic injury per se influenced only morbidity.
A contingency approach to incorporate human, emotional and social influence into a TAM for KM programs

In our dynamic environment with its accelerating technological progress, knowledge has become a very important asset through which firms can acquire competitive advantages. Most previous studies have focused on the influence of the technological perspective of knowledge management (KM) programs, neglecting the influence of the human side of the situation. The study aims to incorporate human, emotional and social influence variables into a technology acceptance model (TAM) and then to empirically test the model's feasibility. Through a series of expert interviews in conjunction with a questionnaire survey, our study results yield three conclusions. First, a contingency fit between KM orientation and emotional factors will enhance employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation toward using a specific KM program. Second, intrinsic motivation will not only serve as a mediation variable to influence perceived usefulness, but also a direct influential variable on attitude and intention toward using a KM program. Third, the social influence factors, including internalization and identification, will serve as both direct and moderating effects on employees' attitude and intention toward using a KM program. Since none of the previous studies have simultaneously incorporated human, emotional and social influence factors into a TAM, the results of this study have provided a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of KM program implementation.
Factors Associated with Hookah Smoking among University Students

Background These days, hookah smoking has gained popularity among people in many communities, especially among youths and students, and more attention to this issue seems necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting hookah smoking among Sabzevar Azad University students. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on university students in Sabzevar, Iran in 2014. The questionnaire was developed and its validity and reliability were assessed. Three hundred six male students of Sabzevar Azad University were selected by simple random sampling and questionnaires were filled out by them. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and the Chi-Square and Independent-samples t-test. Results The results showed that 47.7% of the participants had a history of smoking hookah. The main factors affecting hookah smoking from participants’ point of view were: filling leisure time, availability of hookah, positive social appearance, friends’ invitation and relief from anxieties. Chi-Square tests showed that there was no significant relationship between fathers’ level of education (p=0.41), mothers’ level of education (p=0.46), fathers’ job (p=0.18), mothers’ job (p=0.53) and students’ current grade (p=0.41) with hookah smoking. The study showed significant relationship between present hookah smoking and awareness about complications of the hookah (p=0.01). Conclusion Interventions to reduce and quit hookah smoking among students should include several items, such as teaching problem-solving skills to fill leisure time properly and to deal with the temptation of hookah smoking, as well as teaching refusal skills at the invitation of friends for hookah.
On-line and first fit colorings of graphs

A graph coloring algorithm that immediately colors the vertices taken from a list without looking ahead or changing colors already assigned is called “on-line coloring. ” The properties of on-line colorings are investigated in several classes of graphs. In many cases we find on-line colorings that use no more colors than some function of the largest clique size of the graph. We show that the first fit on-line coloring has an absolute performance ratio of two for the complement of chordal graphs. We prove an upper bound for the performance ratio of the first fit coloring on interval graphs. It is also shown that there are simple families resisting any on-line algorithm: no on-line algorithm can color all trees by a bounded number of colors.
Exonuclease Requirements for Recombination of λ-Phage in recD Mutants of Escherichia coli

Recombination of λ red gam phage in recD mutants is unaffected by inactivation of RecJ exonuclease. Since nucleases play redundant roles in E. coli, we inactivated several exonucleases in a recD mutant and discovered that 5′–3′ exonuclease activity of RecJ and exonuclease VII is essential for λ-recombination, whereas exonucleases of 3′–5′ polarity are dispensable. The implications of the presented data on current models for recombination initiation in E. coli are discussed.
Adaptation to Illness in Couples Dealing With a Cardiovascular Disease

The aim of this study was to examine the dyadic effects of three patient and spouse personality traits (i. e., neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) on couples’ adaptation to illness. Two important illness cognitions were used as indicators of adaptation to illness–namely, illness-related acceptance and helplessness. Seventy-five patients with a chronic cardiovascular disease and their spouses participated in the study. The dyadic effects of personality traits, as well as the interaction effects between patient and spouse traits were examined with the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). Several actor effects (i. e., the effects of a person’s own characteristics on their own outcomes) were noted. Also, certain partner effects (i. e., the effects of the characteristics of the one member of the couple on the other member’s outcomes) were found. After controlling for actor effects, patients’ helplessness was related to their spouses’ extraversion, spouses’ illness acceptance was related to.
Representation Of A Nonspherical Ice Particle By A Collection Of Independent Spheres For Scattering And Absorption Of Radiation : 2 . Hexagonal Columns And Plates

[1] A cloud of nonspherical ice particles may be represented in radiation models by a collection of spheres, in which the model cloud contains the same total volume of ice and the same total surface area as the real cloud but not the same number of particles. The spheres then have the same volume-to-area (V/A) ratio as the nonspherical particle. In previous work this approach was shown to work well to represent randomly oriented infinitely long circular cylinders for computation of hemispherical reflectance, transmittance, and absorptance. In this paper the results have been extended to hexagonal columns and plates using a geometric optics technique for large particles and finitedifference-time-domain theory (FDTD) for small particles. The extinction efficiency and single-scattering coalbedo for these prisms are closely approximated by the values for equal-V/A spheres across the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared from 0.2 to 25 mm wavelength. Errors in the asymmetry factor can be significant where ice absorptance is weak, at visible wavelengths for example. These errors are greatest for prisms with aspect ratios close to 1. Errors in hemispheric reflectance, absorptance, and transmittance are calculated for horizontally homogeneous clouds with ice water paths from 0.4 to 200,000 g m 2 and crystal thicknesses of 1 to 400 mm, to cover the range of crystal sizes and optical depths from polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) through cirrus clouds to surface snow. The errors are less than 0.05 over most of these ranges at all wavelengths but can be larger at visible wavelengths because of the ideal shapes of the prisms. The method was not tested for, and is not expected to be accurate for, angle-dependent radiances.