Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethnomedicinal studies on plants used by Yanadi tribe of Chandragiri reserve forest area, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Aim: Ethnomedicinal studies on medicinal plants used by Yanadi tribe of Chandragiri reserve forest area are documented during the period of 2014-2015. The study is mainly focused on medicinal importance of plants used by Yanadi tribe to treat various ailments. Materials and Methods: The information collected on treated ailments, part used, preparation, combination, and addition of ingredients to prepare herbal medicines with the help of standard questionnaire. Results: During the study, 53 types of ailments were treated using 48 medicinal plants belongs to 26 families were documented. Among the medicinal plants, shrubs (15) were most using life form of plants for the preparation of herbal medicines. Leaf part (40%), paste form (33%), and oral administration (63%) of herbal medicines were most preferable. The documented ethnomedicinal importance of this tribe was cross-checked with Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical database shows most of the plants were correlated with this database. Conclusion: There is no record of traditional medicinal knowledge of these villages so far, hence the present study is aimed to document the information on medicinal plants used by Yanadi tribe in Chandragiri reserve forest area. The correlation of ethnomedicinal uses with Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical database clearly indicates the high medicinal significance of claimed data of this Yanadi tribe.
Index coding via linear programming

Index Coding has received considerable attention recently motivated in part by real-world applications and in part by its connection to Network Coding. The basic setting of Index Coding encodes the problem input as an undirected graph and the fundamental parameter is the broadcast rate $\beta$, the average communication cost per bit for sufficiently long messages (i.e. the non-linear vector capacity). Recent nontrivial bounds on $\beta$ were derived from the study of other Index Coding capacities (e.g. the scalar capacity $\beta_1$) by Bar-Yossef et al (2006), Lubetzky and Stav (2007) and Alon et al (2008). However, these indirect bounds shed little light on the behavior of $\beta$: there was no known polynomial-time algorithm for approximating $\beta$ in a general network to within a nontrivial (i.e. $o(n)$) factor, and the exact value of $\beta$ remained unknown for any graph where Index Coding is nontrivial. Our main contribution is a direct information-theoretic analysis of the broadcast rate $\beta$ using linear programs, in contrast to previous approaches that compared $\beta$ with graph-theoretic parameters. This allows us to resolve the aforementioned two open questions. We provide a polynomial-time algorithm with a nontrivial approximation ratio for computing $\beta$ in a general network along with a polynomial-time decision procedure for recognizing instances with $\beta=2$. In addition, we pinpoint $\beta$ precisely for various classes of graphs (e.g. for various Cayley graphs of cyclic groups) thereby simultaneously improving the previously known upper and lower bounds for these graphs. Via this approach we construct graphs where the difference between $\beta$ and its trivial lower bound is linear in the number of vertices and ones where $\beta$ is uniformly bounded while its upper bound derived from the naive encoding scheme is polynomially worse.
Morphogenesis of the second pharyngeal arch cartilage (Reichert's cartilage) in human embryos

This study was performed on 50 human embryos and fetuses between 7 and 17 weeks of development. Reichert's cartilage is formed in the second pharyngeal arch in two segments. The longer cranial or styloid segment is continuous with the otic capsule; its inferior end is angulated and is situated very close to the oropharynx. The smaller caudal segment is in contact with the body and greater horn of the hyoid cartilaginous structure. No cartilage forms between these segments. The persistent angulation of the inferior end of the cranial or styloid segment of Reichert's cartilage and its important neurovascular relationships may help explain the symptomatology of Eagle's syndrome.
New Kid on the Pretransplant Block: IgG Recognizing Apoptotic Cells

As sensitive and specific solid-phase assays for detecting donor-specific antibodies (DSA) become widely adopted and the histological diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection clarified, the link between DSA and increased acute as well as chronic antibody-mediated rejection and graft loss has become increasingly evident (1). Most DSA investigations have focused on antibodies directed against polymorphic HLA Classes I and II; however, DSA recognizing minor histocompatibility molecules, such as MICA and MICB, or non-HLA antigens have also been reported to be associated with poor graft outcome. Gao et al (2) report on the presence of antibodies with specificity for apoptotic cells (AC) in the pretransplant serum, and the correlation between higher titers of pretransplant anti-AC IgG with increased graft loss. Interestingly, the anti-AC IgG was restricted almost exclusively to the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses that have the most potent complement activating and FcgR-binding properties. These findings suggest that anti-AC IgG may need to be considered when assessing the risk of graft loss.
CDK10 functions as a tumor suppressor gene and regulates survivability of biliary tract cancer cells

Cyclin-dependent kinase 10 (CDK10) is a member of the Cdc2 family of kinases, and has been demonstrated to be an important determinant of resistance to endocrine therapy for breast cancer. To investigate the expression and possible function of CDK10 in biliary tract cancer (BTC), we systematically examined CDK10 in tissues and cell lines. We found that expression of CDK10 was downregulated in both biliary tract tumors and cell lines. Remarkably, the expression of CDK10 correlated with clinical characteristics. Overexpression or knockdown of CDK10, respectively, inhibited or promoted cell proliferation, colony formation and migration. This suggests that CDK10 functions as a tumor suppressor gene in BTC. Overexpression of CDK10 caused malignant cells to become sensitive to chemotherapy and other hostile environments, suggesting that CDK10 functions to regulate survivability of BTC cells. We investigated the expression of six genes to resolve the mechanism. c-RAF was negatively regulated by CDK10 in both cells and specimens. Our results indicate that CDK10 plays a crucial role in the growth and survivability of biliary tract cancer, and offers a potential therapeutic target for this fatal disease.
Genetic and molecular characterization of capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3

To achieve a better understanding of the genetics of capsular polysaccharide synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae, we have identified and characterized mutants deficient in type 3 capsule production. We Identified a clone that restored encapsulation in one of our mutants and in a mutant deficient in UDP‐glucose dehydrogenase. By hybridization, we developed a chromosomal map of the type 3‐specific region and identified a flanking region containing DNA common to all capsule types examined. Insertion mutations were used to identify chromosomal loci required for capsule synthesis, and to map transcription within the region. Using non‐destructive insertions linked to type‐specific genes of type 2, 3, or 5, we were able to select for the transformation of all necessary genes specific for capsule type. Our data provide molecular evidence to show that all the type‐specific genes are linked in a cassette and can be transferred as a unit during transformation.
Drug repurposing for aging research using model organisms

Many increasingly prevalent diseases share a common risk factor: age. However, little is known about pharmaceutical interventions against ageing, despite many genes and pathways shown to be important in the ageing process and numerous studies demonstrating that genetic interventions can lead to a healthier ageing phenotype. An important challenge is to assess the potential to repurpose existing drugs for initial testing on model organisms, where such experiments are possible. To this end, we present a new approach to rank drug-like compounds with known mammalian targets according to their likelihood to modulate ageing in the invertebrates C. elegans and Drosophila. Our approach combines information on genetic effects on ageing, orthology relationships and sequence conservation, 3D protein structures, drug binding and bioavailability. Overall, we rank 743 different drug-like compounds for their likelihood to modulate ageing. We provide various lines of evidence for the successful enrichment of our ranking for compounds modulating ageing, despite sparse public data suitable for validation. The top ranked compounds are thus prime candidates for in vivo testing of their effects on lifespan in C. elegans or Drosophila. As such, these compounds are promising as research tools and ultimately a step towards identifying drugs for a healthier human ageing.
Standardization of whole slide image morphologic assessment with definition of a new application: Digital slide dynamic morphometry

Background: In histopathology, the quantitative assessment of various morphologic features is based on methods originally conceived on specific areas observed through the microscope used. Failure to reproduce the same reference field of view using a different microscope will change the score assessed. Visualization of a digital slide on a screen through a dedicated viewer allows selection of the magnification. However, the field of view is rectangular, unlike the circular field of optical microscopy. In addition, the size of the selected area is not evident, and must be calculated. Materials and Methods: A digital slide morphometric system was conceived to reproduce the various methods published for assessing tumor budding in colorectal cancer. Eighteen international experts in colorectal cancer were invited to participate in a web-based study by assessing tumor budding with five different methods in 100 digital slides. Results: The specific areas to be tested by each method were marked by colored circles. The areas were grouped in a target-like pattern and then saved as an . xml file. When a digital slide was opened, the . xml file was imported in order to perform the measurements. Since the morphometric tool is composed of layers that can be freely moved on top of the digital slide, the technique was named digital slide dynamic morphometry. Twelve investigators completed the task, the majority of them performing the multiple evaluations of each of the cases in less than 12 minutes. Conclusions: Digital slide dynamic morphometry has various potential applications and might be a useful tool for the assessment of histologic parameters originally conceived for optical microscopy that need to be quantified.
Exploring numeracy teaching and learning by using ethnomathematics

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact that the cultural or everyday practices of ethnomathematics of a particular cultural group will have if they are used in teaching and learning of numeracy concepts related to geometrical shapes. It explored cultural practices, artefacts, written, verbal or visual communication messages reflecting mathematics in order to see how they could best eliminate the problems learners encounter in the acquisition of numeracy language. Data was generated using observations, brainstorming and interviews. Based on this research, the impact of using ethnomathematics in numeracy teaching and learning brings in innumerable benefits. These include promoting deep learning and allows teachers to maka use of prior knowledge in the classroom. This allows learners to recall and relate to the concepts learnt and employ them in their daily activities so that they do not to remain inert. Another impact of interest was the reclaiming of names of geometrical shapes from certain languages which currently teachers are not aware of as they are overlooked. For instance when geometrical shapes were first discussed using local terminology, it made more meaning than when taught using English used as a medium of teaching and learning in the research area.
High-Throughput Screening Methodology to Identify Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation Inhibitors

An increasing number of neurodegenerative diseases are being found to be associated with the abnormal accumulation of aggregated proteins in the brain. In Parkinson’s disease, this process involves the aggregation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) into intraneuronal inclusions. Thus, compounds that inhibit α-syn aggregation represent a promising therapeutic strategy as disease-modifying agents for neurodegeneration. The formation of α-syn amyloid aggregates can be reproduced in vitro by incubation of the recombinant protein. However, the in vitro aggregation of α-syn is exceedingly slow and highly irreproducible, therefore precluding fast high throughput anti-aggregation drug screening. Here, we present a simple and easy-to-implement in-plate method for screening large chemical libraries in the search for α-syn aggregation modulators. It allows us to monitor aggregation kinetics with high reproducibility, while being faster and requiring lower protein amounts than conventional aggregation assays. We illustrate how the approach enables the identification of strong aggregation inhibitors in a library of more than 14,000 compounds.
Tailored Capsule Based Self-Healing for Epoxy Matrix Composites

Keywords: self-healing ; epoxy ; solvent healing ; shape memory alloy wires ; aging ; fatigue testing ; microfluidic encapsulation ; epoxy/amine healing These Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne EPFL, n° 5978 (2013)Programme doctoral Sciences et Genie des materiauxFaculte des sciences et techniques de l'ingenieurInstitut des materiauxLaboratoire de technologie des composites et polymeresJury: S. Mischler (president), J. Brugger, J.R. Hobdell, S. van der Zwaag Public defense: 2013-11-1 Reference doi:10.5075/epfl-thesis-5978Print copy in library catalog Record created on 2013-10-21, modified on 2016-08-09
Signatures of the extragalactic cosmic-ray source composition from spectrum and shower depth measurements

We discuss the differences induced by the assumed composition of extragalactic sources on the predicted UHECR spectrum and the energy evolution of $ $, i.e. the mean value of the atmospheric depth at the cosmic-ray air shower maximum. We show that different assumptions for the source power evolution do not modify our earlier finding that in the case of a mixed composition the ankle can be interpreted as the end of the transition from galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays. We show the characteristic features in the shape of $ $(E) that are associated with this transition for each cosmic-ray composition model. These characteristic features are present whatever the hadronic model used for the calculation. In the mixed composition cases, a signature of the interactions of nuclei with the photon backgrounds is also expected above $10^{19}$ eV. The comparisons with Stereo HiRes and Fly's Eye data favour an extragalactic mixed composition and the corresponding interpretation of the ankle. Confrontation of model predictions with future data at the highest energies will allow a better determination of the transition features and of the cosmic-ray source composition, independently of hadronic models. We also emphasize that in the pure proton case, a combined analysis of the spectrum and composition below the ankle could lead to constraints on the source power evolution with redshift.
Teacher Professional Identity, Work Engagement, and Emotion Influence: How Do They Affect Teachers’ Career Satisfaction

Teachers’ behaviours significantly influence students’ learning outcomes but also play an important role in national development and construction. However, few studies have attempted to investigate the interrelationships between teachers’ professional identity, work engagement, emotion, and attitude towards career satisfaction. This study aims to explore the effect of professional identity and emotion on work engagement and career satisfaction separately and to investigate the influence of work engagement on attitude and, subsequently career satisfaction. A convenience sampling technique includes 221 valid questionnaires that were subjected to descriptive analysis followed by subsequent empirical testing of the populated hypotheses using SPSS and AMOS. Results showed that professional identity and emotion positively influence work engagement and career satisfaction respectively. Work engagement positively influenced attitude and, subsequently career satisfaction. Last, the theoretical and practical implications and limitations were discussed.
Transcriptional Profiling of Laser Capture Microdissected Subpopulations of the Osteoblast Lineage Provides Insight Into the Early Response to Sclerostin Antibody in Rats

Sclerostin antibody (Scl‐Ab) increases bone formation through a process dependent on the activation of canonical Wnt signaling, although the specific signaling in the osteoblast lineage in vivo is largely unknown. To gain insight into the signaling pathways acutely modulated by Scl‐Ab, the transcriptional response of subpopulations of the osteoblast lineage was assessed by TaqMan and microarray analyses of mRNA isolated from laser capture microdissection (LCM)–enriched samples from the vertebrae of ovariectomized rats during the first week after Scl‐Ab administration. Briefly, 6‐month‐old Sprague‐Dawley rats were ovariectomized and, after 2 months, received a single dose of vehicle (VEH) or 100 mg/kg Scl‐Ab (n = 20/group). Lumbar vertebrae were collected at 6, 24, 72, and 168 hours postdose and cryosectioned for LCM. Osteocytes were captured from bone matrix, and osteoblasts and lining cells were captured from bone surfaces based on fluorochrome labeling. mRNA was isolated, amplified, and profiled by TaqMan and microarray. Expression analysis revealed that Scl‐Ab caused strikingly similar transcriptional profiles across all three cell types. Only 13 known canonical Wnt target genes, the majority with known functions in bone, showed a significant change in expression by microarray in response to Scl‐Ab, with Wisp1 and Twist1 being the most responsive. Coincident with increased expression of Wnt target genes was the upregulation of numerous extracellular matrix (ECM) genes. The acute and progressive upregulation of ECM genes in lining cells supports their activation into matrix‐producing osteoblasts, consistent with modeling‐based bone formation. A similar transcriptional profile in osteocytes may indicate that Scl‐Ab stimulates perilacunar/pericanalicular matrix deposition. Pathway analyses indicated that Scl‐Ab regulated a limited number of genes related to cell cycle arrest and B‐cell development. These data describe the acute downstream signaling in response to Scl‐Ab in vivo and demonstrate selected canonical Wnt target gene activation associated with increased bone formation in all mature osteoblast subpopulations. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Dimension-Dependent behavior in the satisfability of random k-Horn formulae

We determine the asymptotical satisfiability probability of a random at-most-k-Horn formula, via a probabilistic analysis of a simple version, called PUR, of positive unit resolution. We show that for k=k(n)->oo the problem can be ``reduced'' to the case k(n)=n, that was solved in cs.DS/9912001. On the other hand, in the case k= a constant the behavior of PUR is modeled by a simple queuing chain, leading to a closed-form solution when k=2. Our analysis predicts an ``easy-hard-easy'' pattern in this latter case. Under a rescaled parameter, the graphs of satisfaction probability corresponding to finite values of k converge to the one for the uniform case, a ``dimension-dependent behavior'' similar to the one found experimentally by Kirkpatrick and Selman (Science'94) for k-SAT. The phenomenon is qualitatively explained by a threshold property for the number of iterations of PUR makes on random satisfiable Horn formulas.
Communication Over MIMO Broadcast Channels Using Lattice-Basis Reduction

A new viewpoint for adopting the lattice reduction in communication over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channels is introduced. Lattice basis reduction helps us to reduce the average transmitted energy by modifying the region which includes the constellation points. The new viewpoint helps us to generalize the idea of lattice-reduction-aided (LRA) preceding for the case of unequal-rate transmission, and obtain analytic results for the asymptotic behavior (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) rarr infin) of the symbol error rate for the LRA precoding and the perturbation technique. Also, the outage probability for both cases of fixed-rate users and fixed sum rate is analyzed. It is shown that the LRA method, using the Lenstra-Lenstra-Lovasz (LLL) algorithm, achieves the optimum asymptotic slope of symbol error rate (called the precoding diversity).
Identification of YHR019 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VIII as the gene for the cytosolic asparaginyl‐tRNA synthetase

Exploiting the asparagine auxotrophy of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain 8556a, we have isolated the gene for the cytosolic asparaginyl‐tRNA synthetase (AsnRS) of S. cerevisiae, by functional complementation of the mutation affecting this strain. The isolated gene could be identified to the open reading frame YHR019, called DED81, located on chromosome VIII. The mutant gene from the 8556a strain, asnrs−‐1, was amplified from genomic DNA by PCR. This gene contains a point mutation, leading to the replacement of a glycine residue by a serine in a region of the protein probably important for the asparaginyl‐adenylate recognition. The protein encoded by YHR019 is very similar to cytosolic AsnRS from other eukaryotic sources. In a phylogenetic analysis based on AsnRS sequences from various organisms, the eukaryotic sequences were clustered. Expression of YHR019 in Escherichia coli demonstrated that a yeast AsnRS activity was produced. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity in three chromatography steps. We showed that the recombinant S. cerevisiae AsnRS was able to charge unfractionated yeast tRNA, but not E. coli tRNA, with asparagine. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Apigenin Attenuates Oxidative Injury in ARPE-19 Cells thorough Activation of Nrf2 Pathway

The current study was aimed at evaluating the therapeutic implication of apigenin and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. The tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) at 200 μM was used to induce oxidative stress-associated injury in ARPE-19 cells. Apigenin at concentrations less than 800 μM did not cause cytotoxic effects on ARPE-19 cells. Cell viability assay showed that apigenin at 200 μM significantly promoted cell survival in t-BHP-treated ARPE-19 cells. Additionally, apigenin at 100 μM significantly protected ARPE-19 cells from t-BHP-induced apoptosis. Molecular examinations demonstrated that apigenin at 400 μM significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2 and stimulated its nuclear translocation in ARPE-19 cells treated with or without t-BHP. Apigenin 400 μM also significantly elevated the expression of HO-1, NQO1, and GCLM at both mRNA and protein levels in the presence or absence of t-BHP. Furthermore, apigenin at 400 μM significantly increased the activities of SOD, CAT, GSH-PX, and T-AOC and reduced the levels of ROS and MDA in t-BHP-treated ARPE-19 cells. However, these effects of apigenin were all abolished by being transfected with Nrf2 siRNA. Collectively, our current data indicated that apigenin exerted potent antioxidant properties in ARPE-19 cells challenged with t-BHP, which were dependent on activation of Nrf2 signaling.