Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An In Vivo Quantitative Comparison of Photoprotection in Arabidopsis Xanthophyll Mutants

Contribution of different LHCII antenna carotenoids to protective NPQ (pNPQ) were tested using a range of xanthophyll biosynthesis mutants of Arabidopsis: plants were either devoid of lutein (lut2), violaxanthin (npq2), or synthesized a single xanthophyll species, namely violaxanthin (aba4npq1lut2), zeaxanthin (npq2lut2), or lutein (chy1chy2lut5). A novel pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorescence analysis procedure, that used a gradually increasing actinic light intensity, allowed the efficiency of pNPQ to be tested using the photochemical quenching (qP) parameter measured in the dark (qPd). Furthermore, the yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) was calculated, and the light intensity which induces photoinhibition in 50% of leaves for each mutant was ascertained. Photoprotective capacities of each xanthophyll were quantified, taking into account chlorophyll a/b ratios and excitation pressure. Here, light tolerance, pNPQ capacity, and ΦPSII were highest in wild type plants. Of the carotenoid mutants, lut2 (lutein-deficient) plants had the highest light tolerance, and the joint the highest ΦPSII with violaxanthin only plants. We conclude that all studied mutants possess pNPQ and a more complete composition of xanthophylls in their natural binding sites is the most important factor governing photoprotection, rather than any one specific xanthophyll suggesting a strong structural effect of the molecules upon the LHCII antenna organization and discuss the results significance for future crop development.
Bayesian tracking for fluorescence microscopic imaging

Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful imaging tool for studying molecular dynamics in living cells. For quantitative motion analysis of subcellular structures robust and accurate detection and tracking techniques are necessary sequential Monte Carlo methods, also known as particle filters (PF), have become a tremendously popular tool to perform tracking in many fields. We propose a PF-based approach for quantitative analysis of subcellular dynamics. This approach utilizes all spatiotemporal information, which is an important advantage over existing methods that separate the object detection and object linking stage. The tracking technique has been evaluated using simulated but highly realistic image sequences, for which ground truth was available, showing that the method is more robust to noise than existing tracking techniques. In addition, evaluation experiments were conducted with real fluorescence microscopy image data acquired for specific biological studies
Esaim: Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations on the Properness of the Extension of Dynamic Optimization Problems to Allow Impulsive Controls

This article investigates the properness, or well-posedness, of impulsive extension of a conventional optimal control problem. This includes both well-posedness of the solution to impulsive control systems arising as result of an impulsive extension of ordinary differential systems, and existence theorems. Well-posedness in the classic Cauchy sense is proved. Approximation lemmas that guarantee sensitivity to small perturbations in control variables are obtained. Filippov type existence theorems are established. A model example is provided to show the relevance of the impulsive controls problems which are under study. The dates will be set by the publisher.
President Obama and education reform : the personal and the political

PART I: THE INSTITUTIONAL AND THE PERSONAL History and Policy Myths, Pluralism, and the Educational Industrial Complex Barack Obama: The Personal and the Political PART II: THE POLICIES Common Core: Backdoor National Standards The Race to the Top Obama's Accountability Inheritance - NCLB Obama's Vision of Accountability - ESEA reauthorization PART III: THE FUTURE President Obama and the Future of Public Education
A novel active website fingerprinting attack against Tor anonymous system

Tor is a popular anonymizing network and the existing work shows that it can preserve users' privacy from website fingerprinting attacks well. However, based on our extensive analysis, we find it is the overlap of web objects in returned web pages that make the traffic features obfuscated, thus degrading the attack detection rate. In this paper, we propose a novel active website fingerprinting attack under Tor's local adversary model. The main idea resides in the fact that the attacker can delay HTTP requests originated from users for a certain period to isolate responding traffic segments containing different web objects. We deployed our attack in PlanetLab and the experiment lasted for one month. The SVM multi-classification algorithm was then applied on the collected datasets with the introduced features to identify the visited website among 100 top ranked websites in Alexa. Compared to the stat-of-the-art work, the classification result is improved from 48.5% to 65% by delaying at most 10 requests. We also analyzed the timing characteristics of Tor traffic to prove the stealth of our attack. The research results show that anonymity in Tor is not as strong as expected and should be enhanced in the future.
Urban and Regional Economics

This text explains the spatial economic underpinnings of the behaviour of urban and regional economies. This is in order to highlight the differences between the two types of economy. By adopting an explicitly spatial approach, the author is able to explain urban economics and regional economics within a single integrated framework. The method of instruction, and the explanation of the models used, is essentially diagrammatic.
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce Factors Affecting Third Generation (3g) Mobile Service Acceptance: Evidence from Malaysia

This paper aims to examine factors affecting subscribers' intention towards using 3G mobile service. Cross sectional data were collected from 100 respondents through a survey. Data were then analyzed by means of multiple regression analysis. The findings verified the research hypotheses, and confirmed that Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Attitude are jointly responsible in determining the subscribers' intention-2-to use of 3G mobile service. Perceived Usefulness was found as a key factor influences subscribers' intention to use 3G mobile services. This study was conducted only in Malaysia and does not cover other countries. The findings are only applicable in Malaysia and cannot be generalised for the other countries. Consideration of the factors identified should lead to more successful adoption of 3G. The study implies that the 3G mobile telecommunication companies need to lift consumers' intention to adopt 3G mobile services. Users' of 3G mobile services need to be provided with more diverse and entertaining ways of communicating, which are at the same time easily accessible and convenient to use. The paper enhance understanding of user acceptance of 3G mobile communication services.
Do Grading Standards Affect the Incentive to Learn?

The paper extends the literature on education production functions by arguing that incentives partly determine student performance. The paper develops a model in which schools' grading standards influence student effort. The model is tested using the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY). The level of grading standards at each school is a highly significant predictor of gains in student test scores, more so than are standard measures of school resources. Amount of homework performed by students also responds to grading standards. The paper concludes that higher grading standards represent an important tool for improving school quality.
Long Run Underperformance after Ipos and Optimistic Analysts' Forecasts

Our empirical study examines whether analysts' optimistic forecasts explain the long-run abnormal return following IPOs. Analysts are expected to achieve a mean-zero forecast error. According to previous empirical studies, we find that analysts' earnings forecasts for firms going public have an upward bias. While this bias is larger for high-PER stocks over the first year following IPOs, it strongly increases for low-PER and medium-PER during the two-year period. Accordingly, we show that long-run abnormal return is positively correlated to the actual earnings changes and earnings forecasts revisions. Underperformance appears to be the result of stock price adjustment to the arrival of new information about the true earnings perspectives.
Elaboration Likelihood Model in Consumer Research: A Review

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is a model of information processing and persuasion. Ever since its introduction in the 1980’s, ELM has been frequently cited by scholars from both cognitive/social psychology and consumer research. This paper reviews the application of ELM to consumer research over the past decade, with the focus on studies conducted in advertising contexts, effects on brand evaluations, specification of processing mechanisms, and findings that seem to extend or contradict the model. A body of literature is discussed in three domains: antecedents, processes, and processing cues. A brief interpretation for the review and future directions for research are presented.
Two new species of Culex subgenus Melanoconion (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Amazon forest

Two new mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex (Melanoconion) phyllados n. sp. and Culex (Melanoconion) brachiatus n. sp. from the state of Amazonas, Brazil, are here validated and described based on morphological features of the male genitalia. Both species are morphologically more similar to both Culex coppenamensis Bonne-Wepster & Bonne and Culex alinkios Sallum & Hutchings than to any other species of the Bastagarius Subgroup of the subgenus Melanoconion. Diagnostic characters for the identification of the adult male of both species are provided.
Expenditures on Collective and Individual Services: Discussion on the Classification of Government Expenditures with Regard to their Inclusion into Growth Models

Abstract The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of government expenditures on long-run economic growth in developed countries using their different breakdown. Empirical analysis is performed for a panel of 34 OECD countries in the period 2000-2012. Above all, the results support the idea that conclusions of previous studies on this topic may be strongly distorted by inappropriate classification of expenditures, typically in the case of expenditures on education and health. These are usually considered productive and thus growth enhancing, but if their part of R&D expenditures is detached, their effect on growth is in fact negative. In general, it is concluded that government expenditures on individual services have negative effects on growth, while the impact of expenditures on collective services is positive.
Lactobacilli Inactivate Chlamydia trachomatis through Lactic Acid but Not H2O2

Lactobacillus species dominate the microbiome in the lower genital tract of most reproductive-age women. Producing lactic acid and H2O2, lactobacilli are believed to play an important role in prevention of colonization by and growth of pathogens. However, to date, there have been no reported studies characterizing how lactobacilli interact with Chlamydia trachomatis, a leading sexually transmitted bacterium. In this report, we demonstrate inactivation of C. trachomatis infectivity by culture media conditioned by Lactobacillus crispatus, L. gasseri and L. jensenii, known to be dominating organisms in the human vaginal microbiome. Lactobacillus still cultures produced lactic acid, leading to time- and concentration-dependent killing of C. trachomatis. Neutralization of the acidic media completely reversed chlamydia killing. Addition of lactic acid into Lactobacillus-unconditioned growth medium recapitulated the chlamydiacidal activity of conditioned media. The H2O2 concentrations in the still cultures were found to be comparable to those reported for the cervicovaginal fluid, but insufficient to inactivate chlamydiae. Aeration of Lactobacillus cultures by shaking markedly induced H2O2 production, but strongly inhibited Lactobacillus growth and lactic acid production, and thus severely affected acidification, leading to significantly reduced chlamydiacidal efficiency. These observations indicate lactobacilli inactivate chlamydiae primarily through maintaining acidity in a relatively hypoxic environment in the vaginal lumen with limited H2O2, which is consistent with the notion that women with higher vaginal pH are more prone to sexually transmitted C. trachomatis infection. In addition to lactic acid, formic acid and acetic acid also exhibited potent chlamydiacidal activities. Taken together, our findings imply that lowering the vaginal pH through engineering of the vaginal microbiome and other means will make women less susceptible to C. trachomatis infection.
Strategies and priorities for African agriculture: Economywide perspectives from country studies

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, countries within Sub-Saharan Africa reached milestones that seemed impossible only ten years ago: macroeconomic stability, sustained economic growth, and improved governance. Continuing this pattern of success will require enhancing the regionâ€™s agricultural sector, in which a large proportion of poor people make a living. The authors of Strategies and Priorities for African Agriculture: Economywide Perspectives from Country Studies argue that, although the diversity of the region makes generalization difficult, increasing staple-crop production is more likely to reduce poverty than increasing export-crop production. This conclusion is based on case studies of ten low-income African countries that reflect varying levels of resource endowments and development stages. The authors also recommend increased, more efficient public investment in agriculture and agricultural markets and propose new directions for future research. The last ten years have been an encouraging time for one of the worldâ€™s poorest regions; this book offers an analysis of how recent, promising trends can be sustained into the future.
Teleoperation controller design using H∞-optimization with application to motion-scaling

The design of a bilateral teleoperation controller is a nontrivial problem. The goal is to achieve a stable system with optimal performance in the possible presence of time delays, disturbances, uncertainties and/or measurement noise. In this paper, a general design strategy based on H/sub /spl infin// theory is presented. This approach allows a convenient means to trade off the optimization of various performance criteria and system robustness. The control approach is applied to a motion-scaling teleoperation system and simulations and experiments with the resulting controllers demonstrate that the strategy is effective.
Comparison of Left Atrial Area Marked Ablated in Electroanatomical Maps with Scar in MRI

Three‐dimensional electroanatomic mapping (EAM) is routinely used to mark ablated areas during radiofrequency ablation. We hypothesized that, in atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, EAM overestimates scar formation in the left atrium (LA) when compared to the scar seen on late‐gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE‐MRI).
Genome Sequence of the Endosymbiont Rickettsia peacockii and Comparison with Virulent Rickettsia rickettsii: Identification of Virulence Factors

Rickettsia peacockii, also known as the East Side Agent, is a non-pathogenic obligate intracellular bacterium found as an endosymbiont in Dermacentor andersoni ticks in the western USA and Canada. Its presence in ticks is correlated with reduced prevalence of Rickettsia rickettsii, the agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It has been proposed that a virulent SFG rickettsia underwent changes to become the East Side Agent. We determined the genome sequence of R. peacockii and provide a comparison to a closely related virulent R. rickettsii. The presence of 42 chromosomal copies of the ISRpe1 transposon in the genome of R. peacockii is associated with a lack of synteny with the genome of R. rickettsii and numerous deletions via recombination between transposon copies. The plasmid contains a number of genes from distantly related organisms, such as part of the glycosylation island of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Genes deleted or mutated in R. peacockii which may relate to loss of virulence include those coding for an ankyrin repeat containing protein, DsbA, RickA, protease II, OmpA, ScaI, and a putative phosphoethanolamine transferase. The gene coding for the ankyrin repeat containing protein is especially implicated as it is mutated in R. rickettsii strain Iowa, which has attenuated virulence. Presence of numerous copies of the ISRpe1 transposon, likely acquired by lateral transfer from a Cardinium species, are associated with extensive genomic reorganization and deletions. The deletion and mutation of genes possibly involved in loss of virulence have been identified by this genomic comparison. It also illustrates that the introduction of a transposon into the genome can have varied effects; either correlating with an increase in pathogenicity as in Francisella tularensis or a loss of pathogenicity as in R. peacockii and the recombination enabled by multiple transposon copies can cause significant deletions in some genomes while not in others.
Brain Parenchymal Fraction: A Relatively Simple MRI Measure to Clinically Distinguish ALS Phenotypes

Even though neuroimaging and clinical studies indicate that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) manifests with distinct clinical phenotypes, no objective test exists to assess upper motor degeneration in ALS. There is great interest in identifying biomarkers of ALS to allow earlier diagnosis and to recognize disease subtypes. Current quantitative neuroimaging techniques such as T2 relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging are time-consuming to use in clinical settings due to extensive postprocessing requirements. Therefore, we aimed to study the potential role of brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) as a relatively simple quantitative measure for distinguishing ALS phenotypes. T1-weighted MR images of brain were obtained in 15 neurological controls and 88 ALS patients categorized into 4 distinct clinical phenotypes, upper motor neuron- (UMN-) predominant ALS patients with/without corticospinal tract (CST) hyperintensity on T2/PD-weighted images, classic ALS, and ALS with frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). BPF was calculated using intracranial grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid volumes obtained in control and ALS subgroups using SPM8 software. Only ALS-FTD patients had significant reduction in BPF when compared to controls and nondemented ALS patients. Correlation of clinical measures such as disease duration with BPF further supports the view that the BPF could be a potential biomarker for clinical diagnosis of ALS-FTD patients.
Peripheral Effects of FAAH Deficiency on Fuel and Energy Homeostasis: Role of Dysregulated Lysine Acetylation

Background FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase), primarily expressed in the liver, hydrolyzes the endocannabinoids fatty acid ethanolamides (FAA). Human FAAH gene mutations are associated with increased body weight and obesity. In our present study, using targeted metabolite and lipid profiling, and new global acetylome profiling methodologies, we examined the role of the liver on fuel and energy homeostasis in whole body FAAH−/− mice. Methodology/Principal Findings FAAH−/− mice exhibit altered energy homeostasis demonstrated by decreased oxygen consumption (Indirect calorimetry). FAAH−/− mice are hyperinsulinemic and have adipose, skeletal and hepatic insulin resistance as indicated by stable isotope phenotyping (SIPHEN). Fed state skeletal muscle and liver triglyceride levels was increased 2–3 fold, while glycogen was decreased 42% and 57% respectively. Hepatic cholesterol synthesis was decreased 22% in FAAH−/− mice. Dysregulated hepatic FAAH−/− lysine acetylation was consistent with their metabolite profiling. Fasted to fed increases in hepatic FAAH−/− acetyl-CoA (85%, p<0.01) corresponded to similar increases in citrate levels (45%). Altered FAAH−/− mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (MDH2) acetylation, which can affect the malate aspartate shuttle, was consistent with our observation of a 25% decrease in fed malate and aspartate levels. Decreased fasted but not fed dihydroxyacetone-P and glycerol-3-P levels in FAAH−/− mice was consistent with a compensating contribution from decreased acetylation of fed FAAH−/− aldolase B. Fed FAAH−/− alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) acetylation was also decreased. Conclusions/Significance Whole body FAAH deletion contributes to a pre-diabetic phenotype by mechanisms resulting in impairment of hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. FAAH−/− mice had altered hepatic lysine acetylation, the pattern sharing similarities with acetylation changes reported with chronic alcohol treatment. Dysregulated hepatic lysine acetylation seen with impaired FAA hydrolysis could support the liver's role in fostering the pre-diabetic state, and may reflect part of the mechanism underlying the hepatic effects of endocannabinoids in alcoholic liver disease mouse models.
Intranasal corticosteroids versus oral H1 receptor antagonists in allergic rhinitis: systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Abstract Objective: To determine whether intranasal corticosteroids are superior to oral H1 receptor antagonists (antihistamines) in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Design: Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing intranasal corticosteroids with oral antihistamines. Setting: Randomised controlled trials conducted worldwide and published between 1966 and 1997. Subjects: 2267 subjects with allergic rhinitis in 16 randomised controlled trials. Main outcome measures: Nasal blockage, nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal itch, postnasal drip, nasal discomfort, total nasal symptoms, nasal resistance, and eye symptoms and global ratings. Outcomes measured on different scales were combined to determine pooled odds ratios (categorical outcomes) or standardised mean differences (continuous outcomes). Assessment of heterogeneity between studies, and subgroup analyses of eye symptoms, were undertaken. Results: Intranasal corticosteroids produced significantly greater relief than oral antihistamines of nasal blockage (standardised mean difference −0.63, 95% confidence interval −0.73 to −0.53), nasal discharge (−0.5, −0.6 to −0.4), sneezing (−0.49, −0.59 to −0.39), nasal itch (−0.38, −0.49 to −0.21), postnasal drip (−0.24, −0.42 to −0.06), and total nasal symptoms (−0.42, −0.53 to −0.32), and global ratings gave an odds ratio for deterioration of symptoms of 0.26 (0.08 to 0.8). There were no significant differences between treatments for nasal discomfort, nasal resistance, or eye symptoms. The effects on sneezing, total nasal symptoms, and eye symptoms were significantly heterogeneous between studies. Other combined outcomes were homogeneous between studies. Subgroup analysis of the outcome of eye symptoms suggested that the duration of assessment (averaged mean score over the study period versus mean score at end of study period) might have accounted for the heterogeneity. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review, together with data on safety and cost effectiveness, support the use of intranasal corticosteroids over oral antihistamines as first line treatment for allergic rhinitis.