Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Rim15-Endosulfine-PP2ACdc55 Signalling Module Regulates Entry into Gametogenesis and Quiescence via Distinct Mechanisms in Budding Yeast

Quiescence and gametogenesis represent two distinct survival strategies in response to nutrient starvation in budding yeast. Precisely how environmental signals are sensed by yeast cells to trigger quiescence and gametogenesis is not fully understood. A conserved signalling module consisting of Greatwall kinase, Endosulfine and Protein Phosphatase PP2ACdc55 proteins regulates entry into mitosis in Xenopus egg extracts and meiotic maturation in flies. We report here that an analogous signalling module consisting of the serine-threonine kinase Rim15, the Endosulfines Igo1 and Igo2 and the Protein Phosphatase PP2ACdc55, regulates entry into both quiescence and gametogenesis in budding yeast. PP2ACdc55 inhibits entry into gametogenesis and quiescence. Rim15 promotes entry into gametogenesis and quiescence by converting Igo1 into an inhibitor of PP2ACdc55 by phosphorylating at a conserved serine residue. Moreover, we show that the Rim15-Endosulfine-PP2ACdc55 pathway regulates entry into quiescence and gametogenesis by distinct mechanisms. In addition, we show that Igo1 and Igo2 are required for pre-meiotic autophagy but the lack of pre-meiotic autophagy is insufficient to explain the sporulation defect of igo1Δ igo2Δ cells. We propose that the Rim15-Endosulfine-PP2ACdc55 signalling module triggers entry into quiescence and gametogenesis by regulating dephosphorylation of distinct substrates.
Qualitative Spatial Representation and Reasoning in Angry Birds: The Extended Rectangle Algebra

Angry Birds is a popular video game where the task is to kill pigs protected by a structure composed of different building blocks that observe the laws of physics. The structure can be destroyed by shooting the angry birds at it. The fewer birds we use and the more blocks we destroy, the higher the score. One approach to solve the game is by analysing the structure and identifying its strength and weaknesses. This can then be used to decide where to hit the structure with the birds. In this paper we use a qualitative spatial reasoning approach for this task. We develop a novel qualitative spatial calculus for representing and analysing the structure. Our calculus allows us to express and evaluate structural properties and rules, and to infer for each building block which of these properties and rules are satisfied. We use this to compute a heuristic value for each block that corresponds to how useful it is to hit that block. We evaluate our approach by comparing the suggested shot with other possible shots.
In vitro antimicrobial evaluation of Kaempferia galanga L. rhizome extract

In the present study, antimicrobial activity of ethanol, methanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous extracts of Kaempferia galanga rhizome were screened aganist ten human pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pesudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae and four fungal species :Aspergillus niger, A . flavus, A.fumigatus and Candida albicans susing disc diffusion assay. All the extracts showed significant antibacterial and antifungal properties. Highest inhibition zone (21.3±0.08) was recorded for ethanolic extract against Staphylococcus aureus.
Characterization of Plasmids Carrying CMY-2 from Expanded-Spectrum Cephalosporin-Resistant Salmonella Strains Isolated in the United States between 1996 and 1998

ABSTRACT Sequencing of DNA from 15 expanded-spectrum cephalosporin (e.g., ceftriaxone)-resistant Salmonella isolates obtained in the United States revealed that resistance to ceftriaxone in all isolates was mediated by cmy-2. Hybridization patterns revealed three plasmid structures containing cmy-2 in these 15 isolates. These data suggest that the spread of cmy-2 among Salmonella strains is occurring through mobilization of the cmy-2 gene into different plasmid backbones and consequent horizontal transfer by conjugation.
A Two-Dimensional Network of Analog Circuits for Motion Detection Based on the Frog Visual System

A two-dimensional network for motion detection constructed of simple analog circuits was proposed and designed based on the frog visual system. In the frog visual system, the two-dimensional motion of a moving object can be detected by performing simple information processing in the tectum and thalamus of the frog brain. The measured results of the test chip fabricated by a 1.2 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process confirmed the correct operation of the basic circuits in the network. The results obtained with the simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE) showed that the proposed network can detect the motion direction and velocity of a moving object. Thus, a chip for two-dimensional motion detection was realized using the proposed network.
The levels of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in paediatric patients with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma

Our purpose was to determine whether numbers of CD4+CD25+ T [T regulatory (Treg)] cells and mRNA expression of functional molecules of Treg are related to airway allergy and disease severity in 51 paediatric patients with allergic rhinitis or bronchial asthma and 47 healthy controls. Surface markers were evaluated with flow cytometry, and mRNA was determined with real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Children with allergic disease had fewer CD4+CD25+ T cells (8·49% ± 2·41% versus 9·58% ± 2·43%, P < 0·05) and CD4+CD25hi T cells (1·32% ± 0·68% versus 1·70% ± 0·68%, P < 0·01) than control subjects. Numbers of CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD25hi T lymphocytes were higher in children with persistent allergic rhinitis and/or moderate–severe bronchial asthma than in those with respective milder disease. The number of Treg cells was correlated positively with total immunoglobulin E level. The mRNA expression of forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) was increased in moderate–severe versus mild asthma (2·93 ± 0·38 versus 1·60 ± 0·31, P < 0·01). Patients with moderate–severe bronchial asthma also had increased mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)‐10 compared with patients with mild asthma (15·24 ± 4·07 versus 3·77 ± 2·18, P < 0·01). The suppressive function of Treg cells from patients with more severe asthma was competent in vitro. On average, decreased numbers of Treg cells in children with allergic airway disease might represent a defect of the Treg population. With increased expression of FoxP3 and IL‐10 in Treg from patients with relatively severe allergic disease, adaptive and functional Treg might be generated in response to aggravated atopy and disease severity.
An examination of annual athletic-fund donor motivations

Patrick M. Gray: An Examination of Annual Athletic-fund Donor Motivations (Under the direction of Dr. Richard Southall) The purpose of this study was to examine the motivating factors that contributed to annual contributions at three different NCAA institutions. Annual Fund donors at each participating school were contacted via e-mail and asked to take part in an online survey. Data was obtained from over 5,000 donors, including general demographic information as well as motivating factors that led to their annual contribution. Using a Principle Component Analysis (PCA) motivating factors were grouped together and further analyzed to explore significant differences between the three institutions. Significant differences existed between all schools or two of the three schools when measured with each component. Motives deemed to be reciprocal were one of the components significantly different. The motives for giving were also measured between Alumni and Non-Alumni at each institution, with similar results.
The diversity and significance of mold species in Norwegian 2 drinking water 3 4

3 Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, P O Box 85167, AD Utrecht, The Netherlands 9 10 11 *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Section for Food and Feed Microbiology, P.O. Box 8156 12 Dep. , 0033 Oslo, Norway. Phone: (47) 23216244. Fax: (47) 23216202. E-mail: 13 ida.skaar@vetinst.no 14 15 16 Running title: Diversity of mold species in drinking water 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 AC CE PT ED Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.01628-06 AEM Accepts, published online ahead of print on 6 October 2006
Cyclin C Regulated Oxidative Stress Responsive Transcriptome in Mus musculus Embryonic Fibroblasts

The transcriptional changes that occur in response to oxidative stress help direct the decision to maintain cell viability or enter a cell death pathway. Cyclin C-Cdk8 is a conserved kinase that associates with the RNA polymerase II Mediator complex that stimulates or represses transcription depending on the locus. In response to oxidative stress, cyclin C, but not Cdk8, displays partial translocation into the cytoplasm. These findings open the possibility that cyclin C relocalization is a regulatory mechanism governing oxidative stress-induced transcriptional changes. In the present study, the cyclin C-dependent transcriptome was determined and compared to transcriptional changes occurring in oxidatively stressed Mus musculus embryonic fibroblasts. We observed a similar number (∼2000) of genes up or downregulated in oxidatively stressed cells. Induced genes include cellular repair/survival factors while repressed loci were generally involved in proliferation or differentiation. Depleting cyclin C in unstressed cells produced an approximately equal number of genes (∼2400) that were repressed by, or whose transcription required, cyclin C. Consistent with the possibility that cyclin C nuclear release contributes to transcriptional remodeling in response to oxidative stress, we found that 37% cyclin C-dependent genes were downregulated following stress. Moreover, 20% of cyclin C- repressed genes were induced in response to stress. These findings are consistent with a model that cyclin C relocalization to the cytoplasm, and corresponding inactivation of Cdk8, represents a regulatory mechanism to repress and stimulate transcription of stress-responsive genes.
Enhanced image classification with a fast-learning shallow convolutional neural network

We present a neural network architecture and training method designed to enable very rapid training and low implementation complexity. Due to its training speed and the absence of iteratively-tuned parameters, the method has strong potential for applications requiring frequent retraining or online training. The approach is characterized by (a) convolutional filters based on biologically inspired visual processing filters, (b) randomly-valued classifier-stage input weights, (c) use of least squares regression to train the classifier output weights in a single batch, and (d) linear classifier-stage output units. We demonstrate the efficacy of the method by applying it to image classification. Our results match existing state-of-the-art results on the MNIST (0.37% error) and NORB-small (2.2% error) image classification databases, but with very fast training times compared to standard deep network approaches. The network's performance on the Google Street View House Number (SVHN) (4% error) database is also competitive with state-of-the art methods.
Survival and Risk Comparison of Campylobacter jejuni on Various Processed Meat Products

The objective of this study was to investigate survival kinetics of Campylobacter jejuni on various processed meat products (dry-cured ham, round ham with/without sodium nitrite, garlic seasoned ham with/without sodium nitrite, and sausage without sodium nitrite). Additionally, a semi-quantitative risk assessment of C. jejuni on various processed meat products was conducted using FDA-iRISK 1.0. Inoculated processed meat products with 6.0 ± 0.5 log CFU/g of C. jejuni were vacuum packed and stored at 4, 10, 17, 24, 30, and 36 °C. Survival curves were fitted to the Weibull model to obtain the delta values of C. jejuni on various processed meat products. The most rapid death of C. jejuni was observed on dry-cured ham, followed by sausage without sodium nitrite. The results of semi-quantitative risk assessment indicate that dry-cured ham represented the lowest risk among all samples. C. jejuni on processed meats presented a greater risk at 4 °C than at 10 °C. The risk of ham was greater than the risk of sausage, regardless of type. Among all samples, the highest risk of C. jejuni was observed in round ham without sodium nitrite. Overall, our data indicates that risk of processed meat products due to C. jejuni is relatively low.
Lunar periodicity in the shell flux of planktonic foraminifera in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract. Synchronised reproduction offers clear benefits to planktonic foraminifera – an important group of marine calcifiers – as it increases the chances of successful gamete fusion. Such synchrony requires tuning to an internal or external clock. Evidence exists for lunar reproductive cycles in some species, but its recognition in shell flux time series has proven difficult, raising questions about reproductive strategies. Using spectral analysis of a 4-year time series (mostly at weekly resolution) from the northern Gulf of Mexico, we show that the shell flux of Globorotalia menardii, Globigerinella siphonifera, Orbulina universa, Globigerinoides sacculifer, Globigerinoides ruber (both pink and white varieties), Pulleniatina obliquiloculata, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Globigerinella calida and Globigerinita glutinata is characterised by lunar periodicity. However, the lunar rhythm is not present in all size fractions of each species and tends to be more dominant in the flux of larger shells, consistent with reproduction being more prevalent in larger specimens. Lunar periodicity is superimposed on longer term/seasonal changes in the shell fluxes, but accounts for a significant part of the variance in the fluxes. The amplitude of the lunar cycle increases roughly proportional with the magnitude of the flux, demonstrating that most of the population is indeed affected by lunar-phased synchronisation. In most species peak fluxes occur predominantly around, or just after, full moon. Only G. siphonifera and G. calida show a contrasting pattern with peaks concentrated around new moon. Although the exact cause of the synchronisation remains elusive, our data considerably increase the number of species for which lunar synchronised reproduction is reported and suggest that such reproductive behaviour is common in many species of planktonic foraminifera.
A Computational Model of Syntactic Processing: Ambiguity Resolution from Interpretation

Syntactic ambiguity abounds in natural language, yet humans have no difficulty coping with it. In fact, the process of ambiguity resolution is almost always unconscious. But it is not infallible, however, as example 1 demonstrates. (1) The horse raced past the barn fell. This sentence is perfectly grammatical, as is evident when it appears in the following context: (2) Two horses were being shown off to a prospective buyer. One was raced past a meadow and the other was raced past a barn. Grammatical yet unprocessable sentences such as 1 are called 'garden-path sentences. ' Their existence provides an opportunity to investigate the human sentence processing mechanism by studying how and when it fails. The aim of this thesis is to construct a computational model of language understanding which can predict processing difficulty. The data to be modeled are known examples of garden path and non-garden path sentences, and other results from psycholinguistics. It is widely believed that there are two distinct loci of computation in sentence processing: syntactic parsing and semantic interpretation. One longstanding controversy is which of these two modules bears responsibility for the immediate resolution of ambiguity. My claim is that it is the latter, and that the syntactic processing module is a very simple device which blindly and faithfully constructs all possible analyses for the sentence up to the current point of processing. The interpretive module serves as a filter, occasionally discarding certain of these analyses which it deems less appropriate for the ongoing discourse than their competitors. This document is divided into three parts. The first is introductory, and reviews a selection of proposals from the sentence processing literature. The second part explores a body of data which has been adduced in support of a theory of structural preferences--one that is inconsistent with the present claim. I show how the current proposal can be specified to account for the available data, and moreover to predict where structural preference theories will go wrong. The third part is a theoretical investigation of how well the proposed architecture can be realized using current conceptions of linguistic competence. In it, I present a parsing algorithm and a meaning-based ambiguity resolution method.
Demagnetizing Field Effect on the Detection Range of a Galfenol-Based Magnetic Field Sensor

This paper investigates the new developments of a class of magnetic field sensors based on the integration of Iron–Gallium magnetostrictive alloys (Galfenol) and fiber Bragg gratings used to detect the magneto-induced mechanical strain. This kind of sensor has the advantage of being able to work also in harsh environments, but on the other hand cannot detect fields beyond 10 kA/m, because of the magnetic softness of the active material. A simple solution consists in the exploitation of the demagnetizing field experienced by the ferromagnetic alloy by effect of its magnetization, generated by the application of the external magnetic field. Since the demagnetizing field effect depends only on geometrical parameters, the use of samples with different aspect ratios allows us to check how the shape of the active material can be used as a control parameter of the sensor detection range.
Belief propagation based MIMO detection operating on quantized channel output

In multiple-antenna communications, as bandwidth and modulation order increase, system components must work with demanding tolerances. In particular, high resolution and high sampling rate analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are often prohibitively challenging to design. Therefore ADCs for such applications should be low-resolution. This paper provides new insights into the problem of optimal signal detection based on quantized received signals for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. It capitalizes on previous works [1], [2], [3], [4] which extensively analyzed the unquantized linear vector channel using graphical inference methods. In particular, a “loopy” belief propagation-like (BP) MIMO detection algorithm, operating on quantized data with low complexity, is proposed. In addition, we study the impact of finite receiver resolution in fading channels in the large-system limit by means of a state evolution analysis of the BP algorithm, which refers to the limit where the number of transmit and receive antennas go to infinity with a fixed ratio. Simulations show that the theoretical findings might give accurate results even with moderate number of antennas.
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Self-Renew and Differentiate According to a Deterministic Hierarchy

Background Mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) have been isolated from a variety of connective tissues, and are commonly called “mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs). A stem cell is defined as having robust clonal self-renewal and multilineage differentiation potential. Accordingly, the term “MSC” has been criticised, as there is little data demonstrating self-renewal of definitive single-cell-derived (SCD) clonal populations from a mesenchymal cell source. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we show that a tractable MPC population, human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs), was capable of multilineage differentiation in vitro and, more importantly, contributed to rapid connective tissue healing in vivo by producing bone, cartilage and fibrous stroma. Furthermore, HUCPVCs exhibit a high clonogenic frequency, allowing us to isolate definitive SCD parent and daughter clones from mixed gender suspensions as determined by Y-chromosome fluorescent in situ hybridization. Conclusions/Significance Analysis of the multilineage differentiation capacity of SCD parent clones and daughter clones enabled us to formulate a new hierarchical schema for MSC self-renewal and differentiation in which a self-renewing multipotent MSC gives rise to more restricted self-renewing progenitors that gradually lose differentiation potential until a state of complete restriction to the fibroblast is reached.
Effects of preparatory information about sensations, threat of pain, and attention on cold pressor distress.

Pain experience is conceptualized as a combination of stimulus sensations (e.g., aching) and emotional distress. In Experiment 1, less distress was reported to cold pressor stimulation by subjects first told about stimulus sensations than by subjects who were uninformed or were told about symptoms of bodily arousal (e.g., tension). Adding a pain warning to sensation information blocked distress reduction, presumably by eliciting an emotional interpretation of the stimulus. In Experiment 2, subjects attending only to hand sensations reported less distress than subjects attending to their bodies. This decrease in the power of the stimulus to provoke emotion is presumably mediated by a schema of hand sensations formed by attention. In Experiment 3, subjects attending to hand sensations early in the immersion and distracting themselves later reported the same low levels of distress as did subjects who attended to hand sensations throughout. Subjects distracted throughout and subjects attending to hand sensations later showed no distress reduction. Therefore, stimulus schematization must precede distress reduction. Implications for distress control are discussed.
A 10-bit 250-MS/s binary-weighted current-steering DAC

This paper studies the impact of segmentation on current-steering digital-to-analog converters (DACs). Segmentation may be used to improve the dynamic behavior of the converter but comes at a cost. A method for reducing the segmentation degree is given. The presented chip, a 10-bit binary-weighted current-steering DAC, has >60 dB SFDR at 250 MS/s from DC to Nyquist. At 62.5 MHz signal frequency and 250 MS/s, we operated the device in 9-bit unary, 1-bit binary-weighted mode. The obtained 60 dB SFDR in this measurement demonstrates that the binary nature of the converter did not limit the SFDR. The chip draws 4 mW from a dual 1.5 V/1.8 V supply plus load currents. The active area is less than 0.35 mm/sup 2/ in a standard 1P-5M 0.18-/spl mu/m 1.8-V CMOS process. Both INL and DNL are below 0.1 LSB.
A library power case study of Lakeside Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tennessee

The implementation of the Library Power initiative at Lakeside Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tennessee was examined through a case study. The Library Power program was found to have had a positive impact on teaching and learning in the school. The program provided an opportunity to improve the library collection and to develop a process approach to library research. The development of student-centered, resource-based approaches to teaching and learning contributed to improvements in student achievement in measurable ways. The changes in teachers' instructional strategies and in their beliefs about teaching and learning hold promise for continued improvements in student learning. The development of Library Power in Lakeside School was facilitated by strong leadership from the principal and librarian. Library Power built on previous reform efforts that had developed the faculty's capacity for change and growth.