Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Escherichia coli Frameshift Mutation Rate Depends on the Chromosomal Context but Not on the GATC Content Near the Mutation Site

Different studies have suggested that mutation rate varies at different positions in the genome. In this work we analyzed if the chromosomal context and/or the presence of GATC sites can affect the frameshift mutation rate in the Escherichia coli genome. We show that in a mismatch repair deficient background, a condition where the mutation rate reflects the fidelity of the DNA polymerization process, the frameshift mutation rate could vary up to four times among different chromosomal contexts. Furthermore, the mismatch repair efficiency could vary up to eight times when compared at different chromosomal locations, indicating that detection and/or repair of frameshift events also depends on the chromosomal context. Also, GATC sequences have been proved to be essential for the correct functioning of the E. coli mismatch repair system. Using bacteriophage heteroduplexes molecules it has been shown that GATC influence the mismatch repair efficiency in a distance- and number-dependent manner, being almost nonfunctional when GATC sequences are located at 1 kb or more from the mutation site. Interestingly, we found that in E. coli genomic DNA the mismatch repair system can efficiently function even if the nearest GATC sequence is located more than 2 kb away from the mutation site. The results presented in this work show that even though frameshift mutations can be efficiently generated and/or repaired anywhere in the genome, these processes can be modulated by the chromosomal context that surrounds the mutation site.
A Customer Emotion Recognition through Facial Expression using Kinect Sensors v1 and v2: A Comparative Analysis

Products evoke positive or negative emotions to customers. Those with negative emotion toward the product are likely to reject it, while those with positive emotion toward the product are enticed to buy it. There were already some studies on customer emotion through facial expression using ordinary cameras. In this study, the researchers aimed to develop models that recognize customer's emotion through Kinect sensor v1 and the new Kinect sensor v2 and tried to compare these sensors in terms of recognition rates. The two sensors were placed one on top of the other and simultaneously recorded videos of the customers and extracted facial features from the captured facial expressions. Each instance of the extracted features was then labeled with the corresponding observed emotion of the customer from the recorded video. The resulting dataset were then processed using some classifiers. Results showed that Kinect sensor v2 performed better than Kinect sensor v1.
Scientific Explanation

The three cardinal aims of science are prediction, control, and explanation; but the greatest of these is explanation. Also the most inscrutable: prediction aims at truth, and control at happiness, and insofar as we have some independent grasp of these notions, we can evaluate science’s strategies of prediction and control from the outside. Explanation, by contrast, aims at scientific understanding, a good intrinsic to science and therefore something that it seems we can only look to science itself to explicate. Philosophers have wondered whether science might be better off abandoning the pursuit of explanation. Duhem (1954), among others, argued that explanatory knowledge would have to be a kind of knowledge so exalted as to be forever beyond the reach of ordinary scientific inquiry: it would have to be knowledge of the essential natures of things, something that neo-Kantians, empiricists, and practical men of science could all agree was neither possible nor perhaps even desirable. Everything changed when Hempel formulated his dn account of explanation. In accordance with the observation above, that our only clue to the nature of explanatory knowledge is science’s own explanatory practice, Hempel proposed simply to describe what kind of things scientists tendered when they claimed to have an explanation, without asking whether such things were capable of providing “true understanding”. Since Hempel, the philosophy of scientific explanation has proceeded in this humble vein,
Some Physicochemical Properties of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) Seed Flour and Starch

Some physicochemical and rheological properties of jackfruit seed flour and starch, isolated from the flour were investigated. The flour had good capacities for water absorption (205%) and oil absorption (93%). Substitution of wheat flour with the seed flour, at the level of 5, 10 and 20% markedly reduced the gluten strength of the mixed dough. The Brabender amylogram (6% concentration, db) of seed starch showed that its pasting temperature was 81 °C and its viscosity was moderate, remained constant during a heating cycle and retrograded slightly on cooling. The starch showed an A-typed X-ray powder diffraction pattern.
Specificity and Sensitivity of a Human Olfactory Receptor Functionally Expressed in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 Cells andXenopus Laevis Oocytes

Here, we provide the first evidence for functional expression of a human olfactory receptor protein (OR17–40) and show that recombinant olfactory receptors can be functionally expressed in heterologous systems. A mixture of 100 different odorants (Henkel 100) elicited a transient increase in intracellular [Ca2+] in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells stably or transiently transfected with the plasmid pOR17–40. By subdividing the odorant mixture into progressively smaller groups, we identified a single component that represented the only effective substance: helional. Only the structurally closely related molecule heliotroplyacetone also activated the receptor. Other compounds, including piperonal, safrole, and vanillin, were completely ineffective. Mock-transfected cells and cells transfected with other receptors showed no change in intracellular [Ca2+] in response to odor stimulation. We were also able to functionally express OR17–40 inXenopus laevis oocytes. Coexpression of a “reporter” channel allowed measurement of the response of oocytes injected with the cRNA of the human receptor to the odor mixture Henkel 100. The effective substances were the same (helional, heliotropylacetone) as those identified by functionally expressing the receptor in HEK293 cells and were active at the same, lower micromolar concentration. These findings open the possibility of now characterizing the sensitivity and specificity of many, if not all, of the hundreds of different human olfactory receptors.
Multi-scale matching for data association in vision-based SLAM

In this paper, we propose a multi-scale matching approach to address the data association problem in vision-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Data association in vision-based SLAM can be simply represented as a feature correspondence problem related to two features observed in different positions under different imaging conditions. We apply an improved Harris detector to automatically extract feature points with high localization accuracy. The scale space in frequency domain is built by introducing the Log-Gabor filter under the monogenic signal analysis framework. Reliable correspondence between two features is found and identified over all scales by combining advantages of geometric invariant property in monogenic signal information as well as photometric invariant property in color entropy information. Our approach is able to establish correct data association which is robust to changes in scale, blur, viewpoint, and illumination. Moreover, the cost on map management is reduced by selecting the obtained small number of reliably matched features as visual landmarks. Experiments conducted on a standard benchmark dataset and an office-like indoor environment demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
High-Resolution Observations of Interstellar Ca I Absorption—Implications for Depletions and Electron Densities in Diffuse Clouds

We present high-resolution (FWHM ∼ 0.3-1.5 km s-1) spectra, obtained with the AAT UHRF, the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m coudé spectrograph, and/or the KPNO coudé feed, of interstellar Ca I absorption toward 30 Galactic stars. Comparisons of the column densities of Ca I, Ca II, K I, and other species—for individual components identified in the line profiles and also when integrated over entire lines of sight—yield information on relative electron densities and depletions (dependent on assumptions regarding the ionization equilibrium). There is no obvious relationship between the ratio N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) [equal to ne/(Γ/αr) for photoionization equilibrium] and the fraction of hydrogen in molecular form f(H2) (often taken to be indicative of the local density nH). For a smaller sample of sight lines for which the thermal pressure (nHT) and local density can be estimated via analysis of the C I fine-structure excitation, the average electron density inferred from C, Na, and K (assuming photoionization equilibrium) seems to be independent of nH and nHT. While the electron density (ne) obtained from the ratio N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) is often significantly higher than the values derived from other elements, the patterns of relative ne derived from different elements show both similarities and differences for different lines of sight—suggesting that additional processes besides photoionization and radiative recombination commonly and significantly affect the ionization balance of heavy elements in diffuse interstellar clouds. Such additional processes may also contribute to the (apparently) larger than expected fractional ionizations (ne/nH) found for some lines of sight with independent determinations of nH. In general, inclusion of "grain-assisted" recombination does reduce the inferred ne, but it does not reconcile the ne estimated from different elements; it may, however, suggest some dependence of ne on nH. The depletion of calcium may have a much weaker dependence on density than was suggested by earlier comparisons with CH and CN. Two appendices present similar high-resolution spectra of Fe I for a few stars and give a compilation of column density data for Ca I, Ca II, Fe I, and S I.
Endurance sport practice as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter

Although the benefits of regular exercise in controlling cardiovascular risk factors have been extensively proven, little is known about the long-term cardiovascular effects of regular and extreme endurance sport practice, such as jogging, cycling, rowing, swimming, etc. Recent data from a small series suggest a relationship between regular, long-term endurance sport practice and atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter. Reported case control studies included less than 300 athletes, with mean age between 40 and 50. Most series recruited only male patients, or more than 70% males, who had been involved in intense training for many years. Endurance sport practice increases between 2 and 10 times the probability of suffering AF, after adjusting for other risk factors. The possible mechanisms explaining the association remain speculative. Atrial ectopic beats, inflammatory changes, and atrial size have been suggested. Some of the published studies found that atrial size was larger in athletes than in controls, and this was a predictor for AF. It has also been shown that the left atrium may be enlarged in as many as 20% of competitive athletes. Other proposed mechanisms are increased vagal tone and bradycardia, affecting the atrial refractory period; however, this may facilitate rather than cause the arrhythmia. In summary, recent data suggest an association between endurance sport practice and atrial fibrillation and flutter. The underlying mechanism explaining this association is unclear, although structural atrial changes (dilatation and fibrosis) are probably present. Larger longitudinal studies and mechanistic studies are needed to further characterize the association to clarify whether a threshold limit for the intensity and duration of physical activity may prevent AF, without limiting the cardiovascular benefits of exercise.
Relative Importance of NF-κB p50 in Mycobacterial Infection

ABSTRACT To understand the role of NF-κB in the development of murine tuberculosis in vivo, NF-κB p50 knockout mice were infected withMycobacterium tuberculosis by placing them in the exposure chamber of an airborne-infection apparatus. These mice developed multifocal necrotic pulmonary lesions or lobar pneumonia. Compared with the levels in wild-type mice, pulmonary inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma interferon, and tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA levels were significantly low but expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor β mRNAs were within the normal ranges. The pulmonary IL-6 mRNA expression level was higher. Therefore, NF-κB and its interaction with host cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.
Separate Mothering and Fathering: The Plurality of Parenting Within the Framework of Postdivorce Shared Parenting Norms

ABSTRACT This article explores the components and the plurality of everyday parenting among separated mothers and fathers. Drawing on an online survey of 114 mothers and fathers, it presents a topological analysis of mothers’ and fathers’ childrearing activities and decision making; unilateral, parallel, and negotiated relationships; residence and contact; and legal orders. The findings revealed 5 mothering and fathering patterns: unilateral, traditional residential, and interchangeable mothering, and involved nonresidential and interchangeable fathering. They disclose the relational and gendered structures of motherhood and fatherhood practice and social representation that are shaping postseparation parenting within the legal framework of shared parenting.
Exome Sequencing in a Family with Luminal-Type Breast Cancer Underpinned by Variation in the Methylation Pathway

Panel-based next generation sequencing (NGS) is currently preferred over whole exome sequencing (WES) for diagnosis of familial breast cancer, due to interpretation challenges caused by variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUS). There is also no consensus on the selection criteria for WES. In this study, a pathology-supported genetic testing (PSGT) approach was used to select two BRCA1/2 mutation-negative breast cancer patients from the same family for WES. Homozygosity for the MTHFR 677 C>T mutation detected during this PSGT pre-screen step was considered insufficient to cause bilateral breast cancer in the index case and her daughter diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer (<30 years). Extended genetic testing using WES identified the RAD50 R385C missense mutation in both cases. This rare variant with a minor allele frequency (MAF) of <0.001 was classified as a VUS after exclusion in an affected cousin and extended genotyping in 164 unrelated breast cancer patients and 160 controls. Detection of functional polymorphisms (MAF > 5%) in the folate pathway in all three affected family members is consistent with inheritance of the luminal-type breast cancer in the family. PSGT assisted with the decision to pursue extended genetic testing and facilitated clinical interpretation of WES aimed at reduction of recurrence risk.
Older people's social sharing practices in YouTube through an ethnographical lens

This paper reports on a classical, face-to-face ethnographical study of YouTube use and social sharing practices by 32 older people (65-90). The study was conducted in a computer clubhouse in Scotland over an 18-month period. Whereas research on Social Network Sites (SNS) is on the rise, very little is known about how people aged 60+ use them in their everyday lives, despite an ageing population. The study shows that the use of YouTube by this group of older people is occasional and motivated by face-to-face or online conversations in e-mails. They watch videos that they find meaningful, do not upload videos because they do not perceive any benefit in it, and search for videos by writing sentences, instead of clicking on categories, to reduce cognitive load. Online comments in YouTube are seldom read nor made. Instead, they make comments in f2f, and/or e-mails, always with key members of their social circles. They rate videos in these online and offline conversations, and share videos by capitalizing on previously learned strategies, such as copy-and-paste. We argue that these results provide a more complete picture of SNS and older people than that given by previous studies, and enable a discussion on their User Experience. We also discuss some implications for design.
The Ordinary and Extraordinary: Producing Migrant Inclusion and Exclusion in US Sanctuary Movements

This article analyzes the Sanctuary Movement for Central Americans and the New Sanctuary Movement , two United States faith-based social movements, to think through the ways in which these pro-immigrant efforts paradoxically render migrants figuratively mute and often excluded from conceptualizations of the nation and its inhabitants even as they advocate for legal inclusion. We examine this tension of inclusion and exclusion through the frequent representation of migrants’ histories and Christianity as extraordinary in the Sanctuary Movement for Central Americans, and migrants’ lives as ordinary in the New Sanctuary Movement. We identify two key processes by which this framing of migrants as extraordinary or ordinary limits the enactment of full social, political, and economic inclusion: (a) public support is principally granted to certain stories, religions, identities, and experiences; and (b) migrants are consistently positioned, and often celebrated, by sanctuary activists as “others. ” The discourses of migrants as extraordinary or ordinary effectively generate broad involvement of faith communities in sanctuary work. Yet, as we argue, this framing comes with the cost of limiting activist support only to particular groups of migrants, flattening the performances of migrant identities, and positioning migrants as perpetually exterior to the US. Reliance on discourses of the extraordinary and ordinary, therefore, can truncate opportunities for making legible a range of migration experiences and extending belonging to all migrants, outcomes that arise in contrast to the purported inclusionary goals of the faith-based sanctuary social movements.
Identification of Known and Novel microRNAs and Their Targets in Peach (Prunus persica) Fruit by High-Throughput Sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs that have functions in post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants. Although the most important economic component of peach trees (Prunus persica) is the fruit, not much is known about miRNAs in this organ. In this study, miRNAs and their targets were identified and characterized from libraries of small RNAs of peach fruit through Solexa based-sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. A total of 557 known peach miRNAs belonging to 34 miRNA families were identified, and some of these miRNAs were found to be highly conserved in at least four other plant species. Using the most current criteria for miRNA annotation, 275 putative novel miRNAs were predicted, and the sequencing frequencies of these novel miRNAs were less than those of the conserved miRNAs. In total, 3959 and 1614 target genes for 349 known and 193 novel miRNAs, respectively, were predicted with the criteria that a single target gene can be targeted by different miRNAs and that a single miRNA can also have a large number of target genes. Three targets were even found to be targeted by 13 novel miRNAs that contained the same complete miRNA sequence at different locations and had different scaffolds. The proteins predicted to be targeted by the miRNAs identified in this study encompass a wide range of transcription factors and are involved in many biological processes and pathways, including development, metabolism, stress responses and signal transduction. A total of 115 and 101 target genes were identified to be cleaved by 60 known miRNAs and 27 novel miRNAs through degradome sequencing, respectively. These miRNAs induce cleavage of their targets precisely at the position between nucleotides 10 and 11 of the miRNA sequences from the 5’ to the 3’ end. Thirty conserved miRNAs and 19 novel miRNAs exhibited differential expression profiles in the peach, and the expression patterns of some miRNAs appeared to be tissue- or developmental stage-specific. The findings of this study provide an important basis for the analysis of miRNAs, their targets and the functions of these targets in peach fruit.
Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms on the Risk of Tuberculosis, a Meta-Analysis of 29 Case-Control Studies

The relationship of four potentially functional polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, ApaI, BsmI, FokI and TaqI , with tuberculosis susceptibility were considered. The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the association between the four polymorphisms and tuberculosis risk in different ethnic backgrounds. Eligible case-control studies that were catalogued before April 1st 2013 were enrolled, and the heterogeneity between the studies was evaluated using a χ2 based Q-test. Fixed and random effect models were built to evaluate the association of the four polymorphisms with the risk of tuberculosis, and the association between the four polymorphisms and tuberculosis was expressed as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Finally, twenty nine qualified studies were enrolled for this meta-analysis that included 6179 tuberculosis cases and 6585 healthy controls. The variant homozygote genotype of the FokI polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of tuberculosis when compared to the heterozygote and wild type homozygote genotypes in the Chinese population (ff vs. Ff+FF: ORrecessive=1.97, 95%CI: 1.32-2.93, P bonferroni=0.0032; heterogeneity test: χ2=0.24, P=0.62). For European subjects, the homozygote and heterozygote genotypes of the BsmI polymorphism were associated with a significantly decreased risk of tuberculosis when compared to the wild type homozygote (bb+Bb vs. BB: ORdominant=0.41, 95%CI, 0.22-0.76, P bonferroni=0.02; heterogeneity test: χ2=2.59, P=0.11). Based on the above results, we conclude that variants of the VDR gene that are homozygous for the FokI polymorphism might be more susceptible to tuberculosis in Chinese. Furthermore, larger sample studies are warranted to confirm the protective effects of BsmI variants on tuberculosis in the Europeans.
Family Life and Marathon Running: Constraint, Cooperation, and Gender in a Leisure Activity

Abstract This qualitative study examines patterns in the ways families manage a family member's involvement in amateur marathon running. Drawing on in-depth interviews (N = 46), we found that families generally used cooperative and egalitarian strategies to prevent or reduce family-leisure conflict. Research participants discussed how families affected running, how running affected families, how conflicts arose, how they dealt with conflicts, and issues of gender differences. Families both facilitate and constrain participation in this form of leisure, and both men and women manage gender in the context of leisure-family relationships.
‘What kind of abuse is him spitting in my food?’: reflections on the similarities between disability hate crime, so-called ‘mate’ crime and domestic violence against women with intellectual disabilities

Abstract Domestic violence against women with learning disabilities is a wholly under-researched topic. A recent study indicated that there are strong parallels between domestic violence, disability hate crime and ‘mate’ crime. This article explores these similarities and argues that rather than treating them as discrete phenomena, we need to make the connections and re-affirm the commitment that feminist scholars and activists made long ago, namely to take violence committed in private as seriously as that committed in public.