Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Toxoplasma gondii cAMP Dependent Protein Kinase and Its Role in the Tachyzoite Growth

Background cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) has been implicated in the asexual stage of the Toxoplasma gondii life cycle through assaying the effect of a PKA-specific inhibitor on its growth rate. Since inhibition of the host cell PKA cannot be ruled out, a more precise evaluation of the role of PKA, as well as characterization of the kinase itself, is necessary. Methodology/Principal Finding The inhibitory effects of two PKA inhibitors, H89, an ATP-competitive chemical inhibitor, and PKI, a substrate-competitive mammalian natural peptide inhibitor, were estimated. In the in vitro kinase assay, the inhibitory effect of PKI on a recombinant T. gondii PKA catalytic subunit (TgPKA-C) was weaker compared to that on mammalian PKA-C. In a tachyzoite growth assay, PKI had little effect on the growth of tachyzoites, whereas H89 strongly inhibited it. Moreover, T. gondii PKA regulatory subunit (TgPKA-R)-overexpressing tachyzoites showed a significant growth defect. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest that PKA plays an important role in the growth of tachyzoites, and the inhibitory effect of substrate-competitive inhibitor PKI on T. gondii PKA was low compared to that of the ATP competitive inhibitor H89.
Range and severity of a plant disease increased by global warming

Climate change affects plants in natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout the world but little work has been done on the effects of climate change on plant disease epidemics. To illustrate such effects, a weather-based disease forecasting model was combined with a climate change model predicting UK temperature and rainfall under high- and low-carbon emissions for the 2020s and 2050s. Multi-site data collected over a 15-year period were used to develop and validate a weather-based model forecasting severity of phoma stem canker epidemics on oilseed rape across the UK. This was combined with climate change scenarios to predict that epidemics will not only increase in severity but also spread northwards by the 2020s. These results provide a stimulus to develop models to predict the effects of climate change on other plant diseases, especially in delicately balanced agricultural or natural ecosystems. Such predictions can be used to guide policy and practice in adapting to effects of climate change on food security and wildlife.
Lessons Learned From Instructional Design Theory: an Application in Management Education

Given that many doctoral programs do not provide extensive training on how to present course information in the classroom, the current paper looks to educational psychology theory and research for guidance. Richard Mayer and others' copious empirical work on effective and ineffective instructional design, along with relevant research findings in cognitive science, are summarized and adapted to the management education context. The goal of this article is to enhance instructors' ability to effectively relay course material and to offer specific advice for how instructors can implement prior research findings.
Molecular Mechanism of Pregnenolone Sulfate Action at NR1/NR2B Receptors

NMDA receptors are highly expressed in the CNS and are involved in excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity as well as excitotoxicity. They have several binding sites for allosteric modulators, including neurosteroids, endogenous compounds synthesized by the nervous tissue and expected to act locally. Whole-cell patch-clamp recording from human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing NR1-1a/NR2B receptors revealed that neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate (PS) (300 μm), when applied to resting NMDA receptors, potentiates the amplitude of subsequent responses to 1 mm glutamate fivefold and slows their deactivation twofold. The same concentration of PS, when applied during NMDA receptor activation by 1 mm glutamate, has only a small effect. The association and dissociation rate constants of PS binding and unbinding from resting NMDA receptors are estimated to be 3.3 ± 2.0 mm-1sec-1 and 0.12 ± 0.02 sec-1, respectively, corresponding to an apparent affinity Kd of 37 μm. The results of experiments indicate that the molecular mechanism of PS potentiation of NMDA receptor responses is attributable to an increase in the peak channel open probability (Po). Responses to glutamate recorded in the continuous presence of PS exhibit marked time-dependent decline. Our results indicate that the decline is induced by a change of the NMDA receptor affinity for PS after receptor activation. These results suggest that the PS is a modulator of NMDA receptor Po, the effectiveness of which is lowered by glutamate binding. This modulation may have important consequences for the neuronal excitability.
Structural Relationships among Counselling Self- Efficacy, General Self-Efficacy and Positive-Negative Affect in Psychological Counsellor Candidates

Citation: Ümmet, D. (2017). Structural relationships among counselling self-efficacy, general self-efficacy and positivenegative affect in psychological counsellor candidates. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17, 1875–1892. http://dx.doi. org/10.12738/estp.2017. 6.0180 1 Correspondence to: Durmuş Ümmet (PhD), Department of Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Marmara University, Kadıköy, Istanbul 34722 Turkey. Email: dummet@marmara.edu. tr Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships between counselling self-efficacy, general self-efficacy and positive-negative emotions among a sample of psychological counsellor candidates, with the main variable of interest being counselling self-efficacy. Moreover, structural equation modelling was used to test the model in relation to the variables. The study group consisted of 250 psychological counsellor candidates (194 females, 56 males) in their final year of study in the psychological counselling and guidance departments of six different universities. All of the students in this study were selected through random sampling. The results show that the most important independent variable that affected counselling self-efficacy was positive affect, which was also the most important independent variable affecting general self-efficacy. Additionally, the mediating role of general self-efficacy in the relationship between positive affect and psychological self-efficacy was found to be statistically significant. The implication of the findings is that positive affect is a contributing factor to the self-efficacy of psychological counsellor candidates.
Walsh-Hadamard Transform for Facial Feature Extraction in Face Recognition

This Paper proposes a new facial feature extraction approach, Wash-Hadamard Transform (WHT). This approach is based on correlation between local pixels of the face image. Its primary advantage is the simplicity of its computation. The paper compares the proposed approach, WHT, which was traditionally used in data compression with two other known approaches: the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) using the face database of Olivetti Research Laboratory (ORL). In spite of its simple computation, the proposed algorithm (WHT) gave very close results to those obtained by the PCA and DCT. This paper initiates the research into WHT and the family of frequency transforms and examines their suitability for feature extraction in face recognition applications.
Acute Cardiac Disorder or Pneumonia and Concomitant Presence of Pulmonary Embolism

Purpose To determine the frequency of apparent acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and of concomitant disease in computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA); to compare the frequency of PE in patients with pneumonia or acute cardiac disorder (acute coronary syndrome, tachyarrhythmia, acute left ventricular heart failure or cardiogenic shock), with the frequency of PE in patients with none of these alternative chest pathologies (comparison group). Methods Retrospective analysis of all patients who received a CTPA at the emergency department (ED) within a period of four years and 5 months. Results Of 1275 patients with CTPA, 28 (2.2%) had PE and concomitant radiologic evidence of another chest disease; 3 more (0.2%) had PE and an acute cardiac disorder without radiological evidence of heart failure. PE was found in 11 of 113 patients (10%) with pneumonia, in 5 of 154 patients (3.3%) with an acute cardiac disorder and in 186 of 1008 patients (18%) in the comparison group. After adjustment for risk factors for thromboembolism and for other relevant patient’s characteristics, the proportion of CTPAs with evidence of PE in patients with an acute cardiac disorder or pneumonia was significantly lower than in the comparison group (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.05–0.33, p<0.001 for patients with an acute cardiac disorder, and OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23–0.89, p = 0.021 for patients with pneumonia). Conclusion The frequency of PE and a concomitant disease that can mimic PE was low. The presence of an acute cardiac disorder or pneumonia was associated with decreased odds of PE.
A relativistic model of the radio jets in 3C296

We present new, deep 8.5-GHz VLA observations of the nearby, low-luminosity radio galaxy 3C 296 at resolutions from 0.25 to 5.5 arcsec. These show the intensity and polarization structures of the twin radio jets in detail. We derive the spectralindex distribution using lower-frequency VLA observations and show that the flatterspectrum jets are surrounded by a sheath of steeper-spectrum diffuse emission. We also show images of Faraday rotation measure and depolarization and derive the apparent magnetic-field structure. We apply our intrinsically symmetrical, decelerating relativistic jet model to the new observations. An optimized model accurately fits the data in both total intensity and linear polarization. We infer that the jets are inclined by 58◦ to the line of sight. Their outer isophotes flare to a half-opening angle of 26◦ and then recollimate to form a conical flow beyond 16 kpc from the nucleus. On-axis, they decelerate from a (poorly-constrained) initial velocity β = v/c ≈ 0.8 to β ≈ 0.4 around 5 kpc from the nucleus, the velocity thereafter remaining constant. The speed at the edge of the jet is low everywhere. The longitudinal profile of proper emissivity has three principal power-law sections: an inner region (0 – 1.8 kpc), where the jets are faint, a bright region (1.8 – 8.9 kpc) and an outer region with a flatter slope. The emission is centre-brightened. Our observations rule out a globally-ordered, helical magnetic-field configuration. Instead, we model the field as random on small scales but anisotropic, with toroidal and longitudinal components only. The ratio of longitudinal to toroidal field falls with distance along the jet, qualitatively but not quantitatively as expected from flux freezing, so that the field is predominantly toroidal far from the nucleus. The toroidal component is relatively stronger at the edges of the jet. A simple adiabatic model fits the emissivity evolution only in the outer region after the jets have decelerated and recollimated; closer to the nucleus, it predicts far too steep an emissivity decline with distance. We also interpret the morphological differences between brightness enhancements (“arcs”) in the main and counter-jets as an effect of relativistic aberration.
X-Ray Binaries and Ultra-Luminoius X-Ray Sources in Nearby and Distant Galaxies(Session 2 : ULXs and Intermediate-Mass BHs)

We review recent results on populations of compact X-ray sources in normal galaxies. The luminosity distributions of low and high mass X-ray binaries in nearby galaxies appear to be described by the respective "universal"luminosity functions, whose shapes do not vary significantly from galaxy to galaxy and the normalizations are proportional to the SFR (HMXBs) and stellar mass (LMXBs) of the host galaxy. There is a significant qualitative difference between XLFs of high and low mass X-ray binaries, reflecting the difference in the accretion regimes in these two types of X-ray binaries. The high luminosity cutoff is by an order of magnitude larger for HMXBs - although bright sources, log(L X ) ≥ 39, are observed in both young and old galaxies, the truly ultra-luminous ones, with log(L X ) ∼ 40 - 40.5, are associated with the regions of intense star formation and have not been detected so far in old stellar populations of elliptical and SO galaxies. The L X -SFR relations for distant galaxies in the HDF-N indicate that ULXs at redshifts of ∼ 0.2 - 1.3 were not significantly more luminous than those observed in nearby galaxies.
Social inequalities and gender differences in the experience of alcohol-related problems.

AIMS To examine the influence of country-level characteristics and individual socio-economic status (SES) on individual alcohol-related consequences. METHODS Data from 42,655 men and women collected by cross-sectional surveys in 25 countries of the Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study study were used. The individual SES was measured by the highest attained educational level. Alcohol-related consequences were defined as the self-report of at least one internal or one external consequence in the last year. The relationship between individuals' education and alcohol-related consequences was examined by meta-analysis. In a second step, the individual level data and country data were combined in multilevel models. As country-level indicators, we used the purchasing power parity of the gross national income (GNI), the Gini coefficient and the Gender Gap Index. RESULTS Lower educated men and women were more likely to report consequences than higher educated men and women even after controlling for drinking patterns. For men, this relation was significant for both internal and external problems. For women, it was only significant for external problems. The GNI was significantly associated with reporting external consequences for men such that in lower income countries men were more likely to report social problems. CONCLUSION The fact that problems accrue more quickly for lower educated persons even if they drink in the same manner can be linked to the social or environmental dimension surrounding problems. That is, those of fewer resources are less protected from the experience of a problem or the impact of a stressful life event.
Depression, Prevalence and Some Risk Factors in Elderly Nursing Homes in Tehran, Iran

Background: The most common geriatric psychiatric disorder is depression, known to be a multi factorial disorder. However, the influence of common preventable factors is yet to be discovered. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of depression and some possible risk factors in elderly residents of nursing homes in Iran. Methods: Data on demographic characteristics, nutritional and health status of 244 residents aged 60 years or older were collected from seventeen nursing homes in Tehran, Iran, during 2010 to 2012. Depression was assessed and classified according to the 15-item GDS. Univariate and then multivariate complex sample survey ordinal regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between depression and the risk factors. Results: The average age of the 244 cases studied was 75.8 (±8.7) years, 53.3% were female (of whom 74.2% were housewives), 43.4% illiterate, and 32.0% were divorced or were living separately. The percentages of non-depressed, mild, moderate and severe depression were 9.8%, 50.0%, 29.5% and 10.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that dissatisfaction with personnel of nursing homes and food quality had odds ratios of 2.91 (1.33–6.36) and 2.64 (1.44–4.87), corresponding to greater odds of having a higher grade depression. Moreover, those who rested or walked had significantly higher risk of a more severe depression in comparison with those who did not (OR of 2.25 (1.50–3.38) and 1.98 (1.24–3.18), respectively), however, studying had a protective odds ratio of 0.17 (0.13–0.22). Conclusion: Depression was very common in our sample and their lifestyle influenced its prevalence.
Type 1 Autoimmune Pancreatitis Can Transform into Chronic Pancreatitis: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of 73 Japanese Patients

Some patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) form pancreatic stones suggestive of transformation into chronic pancreatitis (CP). The present study examined the underlying risk factors and mechanism of AIP progression to confirmed CP. We compared the clinical and laboratory parameters of subjects who progressed to confirmed CP with those of the subjucts who did not in a cohort of 73 type 1 AIP patients. A total of 16 (22%) AIP patients progressed to CP. Univariate analysis revealed that relapse was significantly more frequent in the progression group, and multivariate analysis indicated that pancreatic head swelling (OR 12.7, P = 0.023) and nonnarrowing of the main pancreatic duct in the pancreatic body (OR 12.6, P = 0.001) were significant independent risk factors for progression to CP. Kaplan-Meier testing showed that the progression rate to CP was approximately 10% at 3 years and 30% at 10 years in total AIP patients and 30% at 3 years and 60% at 10 years in subjects with both risk factors. AIP with pancreatic head swelling and a history of relapse may cause pancreatic juice stagnation and nonnarrowing of the main pancreatic duct in the pancreatic body, which can progress to advanced stage chronic pancreatitis.
Effect of Periodontal Disease on Preeclampsia

Background: A lot of studies have shown periodontal diseases as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. The association between periodontitis and preeclampsia has been studied recently with controversy. Considering the importance of preventing preeclampsia as a dangerous and life-threatening disease in pregnant women, the present study was carried out. Methods: Two hundred and ten pregnant women participated in this case-control study (105 controls & 105 cases) during years 2007 and 2008. Preeclamptic cases were defined as blood pressure ≥140/90mmHg and proteinuria +1. Control group were pregnant women with normal blood pressure without proteinuria. Both groups were examined during 48 hours after child delivery. Plaque Index (PLI), Pocket Depth (PD), Clinical Attachment Level (CAL), Bleeding On Probing (BOP), Gingival Recession (GR) were measured on all teeth except for third molars and recorded as periodontal examination. Data was analyzed using t-test, chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests. Results: There was no significant difference between the two study groups for PD. CAL, GR, BOP significantly increased in the case group (P< 0.02). This study showed that preeclamptic cases were more likely to develop periodontal disease (P< 0.0001). Eighty three percent of the control group and 95% of the case group had periodontal disease (P< 0.005) which had shown that preeclamptic cases were 4.1 times more likely to have periodontal disease (OR= 4.1). Conclusion: Preeclamptic cases significantly had higher attachment loss and gingival recession than the control group.
Evidence of the ‘plant economics spectrum’ in a subarctic flora

1. A fundamental trade‐off among vascular plants between traits inferring rapid resource acquisition and those leading to conservation of resources has now been accepted broadly, but is based on empirical data with a strong bias towards leaf traits. Here, we test whether interspecific variation in traits of different plant organs obeys this same trade‐off and whether within‐plant trade‐offs are consistent between organs.
Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitors on the Serum Concentrations of the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Citalopram, Escitalopram, and Sertraline

Background: The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline are all metabolized by the cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme CYP2C19, which is inhibited by the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, and pantoprazole. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of these PPIs on the serum concentrations of citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline. Methods: Serum concentrations from patients treated with citalopram, escitalopram, or sertraline were obtained from a routine therapeutic drug monitoring database, and samples from subjects concomitantly using PPIs were identified. Dose-adjusted SSRI serum concentrations were calculated to compare data from those treated and those not treated with PPIs. Results: Citalopram concentrations were significantly higher in patients treated with omeprazole (+35.3%; P < 0.001), esomeprazole (+32.8%; P < 0.001), and lansoprazole (+14.7%; P = 0.043). Escitalopram concentrations were significantly higher in patients treated with omeprazole (+93.9%; P < 0.001), esomeprazole (+81.8%; P < 0.001), lansoprazole (+20.1%; P = 0.008), and pantoprazole (+21.6%; P = 0.002). Sertraline concentrations were significantly higher in patients treated with esomeprazole (+38.5%; P = 0.0014). Conclusions: The effect of comedication with PPIs on the serum concentration of SSRIs is more pronounced for omeprazole and esomeprazole than for lansoprazole and pantoprazole, and escitalopram is affected to a greater extent than are citalopram and sertraline. When omeprazole or esomeprazole are used in combination with escitalopram, a 50% dose reduction of the latter should be considered.
A European Mars Simulation Wind Tunnel Facility

Laboratory simulation can contribute to the science of understanding the planets surface by complementing direct observation, by testing/calibrating instrumentation and by providing a test bed for computer modeling. It can also lead to the development of new investigative technologies. In the case of Mars, understanding the structure and evolution of the near surface environment and its interaction with the atmosphere is of fundamental importance to climatology and to the search for extra terrestrial habitats [1,2]. Specifically the facility will be used for the multidisciplinary scientific study of aerosol formation and transport (on Mars and Earth), granular electrification, magnetic properties, erosion, cohesion/adhesion, water transport, UV induced mineralogy, bacterial survival and many others. In addition to this scientific role the facility can aid in dealing with the hazardous environment on Mars with regard to instrumentation and manned exploration. As well as hazards such as the low pressure and temperature, fine grained dust is actively transported though the Martian atmosphere and constitutes a major hazard. This facility will be accessible to national and international collaborators and space agencies for instrument testing, calibration and qualification.
Use of Real-Time PCR and Molecular Beacons To Detect Virus Replication in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Individuals on Prolonged Effective Antiretroviral Therapy

ABSTRACT We have designed a novel, precise, and sensitive assay to measure unspliced (US) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-1-infected individuals by using real-time PCR and molecular beacons. Individuals were classified as either well suppressed (WS) or partially suppressed, based on longitudinal measurements of plasma HIV-1 RNA. The proportion of individuals with US mRNA undetectable over time was significantly higher among WS individuals; however, 30% of WS subjects still had detectable US mRNA after 24 months of effective antiviral therapy.