Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein Inhibitor Embelin Suppresses Inflammation and Bone Erosion in Collagen Antibody Induced Arthritis Mice

Objective. To investigate the effect of Embelin, an inhibitor of X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP), on inflammation and bone erosion in a collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) in mice. Methods. Four groups of mice (n = 6 per group) were allocated: CAIA untreated mice, CAIA treated with Prednisolone (10 mg/kg/day), CAIA treated with low dose Embelin (30 mg/kg/day), and CAIA treated with high dose Embelin (50 mg/kg/day). Joint inflammation was evaluated using clinical paw score and histological assessments. Bone erosion was assessed using micro-CT, tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and serum carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks (CTX-1) ELISA. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect XIAP protein. TUNEL was performed to identify apoptotic cells. Results. Low dose, but not high dose Embelin, suppressed inflammation as reflected by lower paw scores (P < 0.05) and lower histological scores for inflammation. Low dose Embelin reduced serum CTX-1 (P < 0.05) and demonstrated lower histological score and TRAP counting, and slightly higher bone volume as compared to CAIA untreated mice. XIAP expression was not reduced but TUNEL positive cells were more abundant in Embelin treated CAIA mice. Conclusion. Low dose Embelin suppressed inflammation and serum CTX-1 in CAIA mice, indicating a potential use for Embelin to treat pathological bone loss.
Phragmites australis in North America and Europe Physiological ecologyand functional traits of North American native and Eurasian introduced Phragmites australis lineages

Physiological ecology and plant functional traits are often used to explain plant invasion. To gain a better understanding of how traits influence invasion, studies usually compare the invasive plant to a native congener, but there are few conspecific examples in the literature. In North America, the presence of native and introduced genetic lineages of the common reed, Phragmites australis, presents a unique example to evaluate how traits influence plant invasion. We reviewed the literature on functional traits of P. australis lineages in North America, specifically contrasting lineages present on the Atlantic Coast. We focused on differences in physiology between the lineage introduced from Eurasia and the lineage native to North America, specifically seeking to identify the causes underlying the recent expansion of the introduced lineage. Our goals were to better understand which traits may confer invasiveness, provide predictions of how these lineages may respond to interspecific competition or imminent global change, and provide guidance for future research. We reviewed published studies and articles in press, and conducted personal communications with appropriate researchers and managers to develop a comparative dataset. We compared the native and introduced lineages and focused on plant physiological ecology and functional traits. Under both stressful and favourable conditions, our review showed that introduced P. australis consistently exhibited greater ramet density, height and biomass, higher and more plastic relative growth rate, nitrogen productivity and specific leaf area, higher mass specific nitrogen uptake rates, as well as greater phenotypic plasticity compared with the native lineage. We suggest that ecophysiological and other plant functional traits elucidate potential mechanisms for the introduced lineage’s invasiveness under current and predicted global change conditions. However, our review identified a disconnect between field surveys, experiments, natural competition and plant ecophysiology that must be addressed in future field studies. Given the likelihood of hybridization between lineages, a better understanding of plant traits in native, non-native and hybrid lineages is needed to manage current invasions and to predict the outcome of interactions among novel genotypes. Comparative physiology and other plant functional traits may provide additional tools to predict the trajectory of current and potential future invasions. * Corresponding author’s e-mail address: tmozdzer@brynmawr.edu Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/3.0/),whichpermitsunrestricted reuse,distribution,andreproduction inanymedium,provided theoriginalwork isproperlycited. AoB PLANTS www.aobplants. oxfordjournals.org & The Authors 2013 1
Selecting Women, Electing Women: Political Representation and Candidate Selection in Latin America

ONE Electing Women: Female Political Representation in Latin America TWO Why Selection Matters: Explaining Women's Representation in Politics THREE How Selection Matters: A Theoretical Framework FOUR The Paradox of Primaries: Inclusive-Decentralized Selection FIVE Inclusive-Centralized and Exclusive-Decentralized Selection SIX 'Less Democratic, But More Effective': Exclusive-Centralized Selection SEVEN Selecting Candidates Closer to Home: Widows, Wives, and Daughters EIGHT Altering Candidate Selection: The Adoption and Implementation of Gender Quotas NINE Candidate Selection and Women's Representation in Latin American Politics Appendix One: Latin American Women's Representation by Party Appendix Two: Interviews Bibliography
Visualization of an Endophytic Streptomyces Species in Wheat Seed

ABSTRACT Endophytic filamentous actinobacteria were isolated from surface-sterilized roots of wheat plants. Endophytic colonization of germinating wheat seed was examined using one of these endophytes, Streptomyces sp. strain EN27, tagged with the egfp gene. Endophytic colonization was observed from a very early stage of plant development with colonization of the embryo, endosperm, and emerging radicle.
Team adaptation : a cognitive perspective

In this chapter we aim to unravel the relationship between cognitive structures and team adaptability. The chapter provides an extensive review of the role of three team cognition constructs in predicting team adaptation success: shared mental models, a transactive memory system, and team situation awareness. We provide an extensive review of existing literature on these concepts and critically investigate how each of these concepts relates to team adaptation. We find that overall much of the research in the extant literature suggests that these cognitive structures facilitate the coordination and communication necessary for teams to adapt in turbulent and dynamic task settings. However, we conclude with a critical note, questioning the basic assumption that these structures always facilitate team adaptation. Moreover, we find that research on team mental models has mainly focused on characteristics of similarity and accuracy whereas aspects such as mental model complexity and change, which are likely to also be important for team adaptation, have been underexposed.
Educational Achievement and the Allocation of School Resources

The school resources – educational outcomes debate has focused almost exclusively on spending levels. We extend this by analysing the relationship between student achievement and schools' budget allocation decisions using panel data. Per-pupil expenditure has only a modest relationship with improvement in students' standardised test scores. However, budget allocation across spending categories matters for student achievement, particularly in grade 7. Ancillary teaching staff seems especially important in primary- and middle-school years. Spending on school leadership – primarily principals – is also linked to faster growth in literacy levels in these grades. On the whole, schools' spending patterns are broadly efficient.
Development of flexible microactuator and its applications to robotic mechanisms

A flexible microactuator (FMA) driven by an electropneumatic (or electrohydraulic) system has been developed. The FMA has three degrees of freedom, pitch, yaw, and stretch, and these are suitable movements for miniature robotic mechanisms such as fingers, arms, or legs. The construction is of fiber-reinforced rubber, and the mechanism is very simple. Gentle miniature robots with no conventional links can be designed using this design. The FMA's basic characteristics and its applications to certain robot mechanisms are presented. Serially connected FMAs act as a miniature robot manipulator. The kinematics and control algorithm for this type of robot are presented. FMAs combined in parallel act as a multifingered robot hand, with each FMA representing a finger. An algorithm for the cooperative control of such FMAs, the stable region for holding, and its performance are presented. <<ETX>>
Wagner’s Law versus Keynesian Hypothesis: New Evidence from Recursive Regression-Based Causality Approaches

The main purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the stability of causal relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in the light of Wagner’s law and Keynesian hypotheses, in Malaysia. The results of the recursive regression-based causality tests indicate that the causal relationship between government expenditure and economic growth are not stable. The causality evidence support Wagner’s law from 1985 until approximately 2000, while the Keynesian hypothesis was present only before 1980.
Triviality of the functor Coker(K1(F)->K1(D)) for division algebras

ABSTRACT Let D be a division algebra with center F. Consider the group CK 1(D) = D*/F*D′ where D* is the group of invertible elements of D and D′ is its commutator subgroup. In this note we shall show that, assuming a division algebra D is a product of cyclic algebras, the group CK 1(D) is trivial if and only if D is an ordinary quaternion algebra over a real Pythagorean field F. We also characterize the cyclic central simple algebras with trivial CK 1 and show that CK 1 is not trivial for division algebras of index 4. Using valuation theory, the group CK 1(D) is computed for some valued division algebras. #Communicated by R. Parimala.
Multichannel Random Discrete Fractional Fourier Transform

We propose a multichannel random discrete fractional Fourier transform (MRFrFT) with random weighting coefficients and partial transform kernel functions. First, the weighting coefficients of each channel are randomized. Then, the kernel functions, selected based on a choice scheme, are randomized using a group of random phase-only masks (RPOMs). The proposed MRFrFT can be carried out both electronically and optically, and its main features and properties have been given. Numerical simulation about one-dimensional signal demonstrates that the MRFrFT has an important feature that the magnitude and phase of its output are both random. Moreover, the MRFrFT of two-dimensional image can be viewed as a security enhanced image encryption scheme due to the large key space and the sensitivity to the private keys.
Awareness of MPI Virtual Process Topologies on the Single-Chip Cloud Computer

This paper presents an approach to improve the communication bandwidth between MPI tasks by evaluating the application's communication graph and making optimal use of communication buffers. It was implemented on the Intel Single-Chip Cloud Computer (SCC). The SCC is a processor with 48 cores created by Intel Labs. Special to the SCC is the SRAM-based Message Passing Buffer which can be used as fast communication memory. First, we evaluate RCKMPI, the MPI implementation for the SCC which makes use of this MPB. Then we extend RCKMPI to support virtual process topologies like defined in the MPI specification. The presented approach shows a performance improvement up to 44 % for a communication-intensive application.
Misaligned? Overvalued? The Untold Story of the Turkish Lira

There is a consensus among scholars that overvalued exchange rates result in currency crises. This paper estimates the equilibrium real exchange rate for Turkey and finds that the lira was indeed overvalued before the crises in 1994 and 2001. However, the actual real exchange rate is at present close to the equilibrium level, exposing the myth propagated by the Turkish exporters that lira’s overvaluation is responsible for Turkey’s uncompetitive exports. The paper also highlights the role for fiscal adjustment in macroeconomic stability
The NLRP3 Inflammasome as a Novel Player of the Intercellular Crosstalk in Metabolic Disorders

The combination of obesity and type 2 diabetes is a serious health problem, which is projected to afflict 300 million people worldwide by 2020. Both clinical and translational laboratory studies have demonstrated that chronic inflammation is associated with obesity and obesity-related conditions such as insulin resistance. However, the precise etiopathogenetic mechanisms linking obesity to diabetes remain to be elucidated, and the pathways that mediate this phenomenon are not fully characterized. One of the most recently identified signaling pathways, whose activation seems to affect many metabolic disorders, is the “inflammasome,” a multiprotein complex composed of NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat protein 3), ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD), and procaspase-1. NLRP3 inflammasome activation leads to the processing and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin- (IL-) 1β and IL-18. The goal of this paper is to review new insights on the effects of the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the complex mechanisms of crosstalk between different organs, for a better understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in metabolic disease pathogenesis. We will provide here a perspective on the current research on NLRP3 inflammasome, which may represent an innovative therapeutic target to reverse the detrimental metabolic consequences of the metabolic inflammation.
Emotive ontology: extracting fine-grained emotions from terse, informal messages

With the uptake of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, there is now a vast amount of new user generated content on a daily basis, much of it in the form of short, informal free-form text. Businesses, institutions, governments and law enforcement organisations are now actively seeking ways to monitor and more generally analyse public response to various events, products and services. Our primary aim in this project was the development of an approach for capturing a wide and comprehensive range of emotions from sparse, text based messages in social-media, such as Twitter, to help monitor emotional responses to events. Prior work has focused mostly on negative / positive sentiment classification tasks, and although numerous approaches employ highly elaborate and effective techniques with some success, the sentiment or emotion granularity is generally limiting and arguably not always most appropriate for real-world problems. In this paper we employ an ontology engineering approach to the problem of fine-grained emotion detection in sparse messages. Messages are also processed using a custom NLP pipeline, which is appropriate for the sparse and informal nature of text encountered on micro-blogs. Our approach detects a range of eight high-level emotions; anger, confusion, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, shame and surprise. We report f-measures (recall and precision) and compare our approach to two related approaches from recent literature. © 2013 IADIS.
Depressive disorders: focally altered cerebral perfusion measured with arterial spin-labeling MR imaging.

PURPOSE To assess focal cerebral perfusion in patients with refractory depressive disorder (RDD), patients with nonrefractory depressive disorder (NDD), and healthy control subjects by using arterial spin-labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by the local ethical committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Twenty-four patients with RDD, 37 patients with NDD, and 42 healthy control subjects were included. From February 2006 to July 2007, all participants were imaged with a 3-T MR system. ASL and echo-planar images were subtracted and averaged to give perfusion-weighted images. Voxel-based analysis was performed. Region-of-interest analysis was applied to the bilateral hippocampi, thalami, and lentiform nuclei. RESULTS Patients with NDD showed reduced perfusion in the left prefrontal cortex versus control subjects and increased perfusion mainly in the limbic-striatal areas (P < .05). In contrast, patients with RDD had decreased perfusion predominantly in the bilateral frontal and bilateral thalamic regions (P < .05). Compared with patients with RDD, patients with NDD showed higher perfusion mainly in the limbic-striatal areas (P < .05). In region-of-interest analysis, the NDD group showed higher regional cerebral blood flow than both RDD and control groups in the left hippocampus (P = .045), right hippocampus (P = .001), and right lentiform nucleus (P = .049). CONCLUSION This study revealed alterations of regional perfusion in the brains of patients with RDD that differed from those in patients with NDD. These results are consistent with the concept that RDD is associated with decreased activity of the bilateral prefrontal areas; and NDD, with decreased activity of left frontal areas in conjunction with overactivity of the bilateral limbic system.
The EB1 Homolog Mal3 Stimulates the ATPase of the Kinesin Tea2 by Recruiting It to the Microtubule*

Tea2 is a kinesin family member from Schizosaccharomyces pombe that is targeted to microtubule tips and cell ends in a process that depends on Mal3. Constructs of Tea2 containing the motor domain only or the motor domain plus the N-terminal extension are monomeric, whereas a construct including the first predicted coiled coil region is dimeric. These constructs have a low basal rate of ATP hydrolysis of <0.1 s–1, but microtubules stimulate the rate of ATP hydrolysis to a maximum of ∼15 s–1. Hydrodynamic analysis of Mal3 indicates that it is dimeric. Mal3 is known to associate with Tea2, and analysis with the above Tea2 constructs indicates that the principal site of interaction of Mal3 with Tea2 is the N-terminal extension, although a weaker interaction is also observed with the motor domain alone. In parallel to the binding studies, Mal3 strongly stimulates the ATPase of constructs containing the N-terminal extension by decreasing the K0.5(MT) for stimulation by microtubules but only weakly stimulates motor domains without the N-terminal extension. Mal3 reduces the K0.5(MT) values without affecting the kcat value at saturating microtubule level. Binding of Mal3 to microtubules induces an increase in the binding of Tea2 and a reciprocal stimulation of Mal3 binding by Tea2 is also observed. Tea2 is a plus end directed motor that drives sliding of axonemes when adsorbed to a glass surface. The sliding rate is initially unaffected by Mal3, but axonemes stop moving on continued exposure to Mal3.
Design guidance for bolted connections in structures ofpultruded shapes: gaps in knowledge

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a brand new standard for the design of frame structures of pultruded Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) shapes, with an emphasis on the gaps in knowledge towards the mandatory design information for bolted connections. Structural engineering designers facing fee competition and unrealistic deadlines seek design methods that are simple to use and on the ‘safe’ side. They often have little knowledge of exactly ‘how safe’ their designs are, and with too little time to find out they will confidently follow a code of practice when working with a traditional structural material. Structural shapes of FRP have been available since the 1970s and, for this non-traditional material, designers have had to rely on information from the pultruders, since there is no code of practice to follow. Because this is an obstacle to market growth a project commenced in 2007 to write an American Society of Civil Engineers standard. As part of a team of ‘code writers’ the author works on the design guidance for a chapter on bolted connections. By way of a critical evaluation of what we know, and don’t know, the team has gained insight into where new academic research is required to cope with deficiencies in our knowledge and understanding. This paper lists twenty questions that require our attention and it provides advice on how they should be tackled to ensure that the research is not useless; ‘useless’ in the sense that results cannot be used for the basis of preparing design guidance.
Prognosis for Ambulation in Cerebral Palsy: A Population-Based Study

Objectives. To determine independent predictors of ambulation among children with cerebral palsy and to develop a simple tool that estimates the probability that a child will walk. Methods. In a retrospective study of all children with cerebral palsy who were not yet walking at 2 to 3 \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \({1}/{2}\) \end{document} years of age, while receiving services from the California Department of Developmental Services during the years 1987–1999, we analyzed medical and functional data obtained annually by Department of Developmental Services physicians and social workers. Using logistic regression analyses, we determined independent predictors of a child's ability to walk well alone at least 20 feet, without assistive devices, by age 6. We then estimated the probabilities of walking at various levels of ability over time, using multistate survival analysis. Results. Of 5366 study subjects, 2295 (43%) were evaluated at age 6; 12.8% could walk independently and 18.4% walked with support. Independent predictors of successful ambulation included early motor milestones such as sitting (odds ratio: 12.5; 95% confidence interval: 5.8–27.2) and pulling to a stand (odds ratio: 28.5; 95% confidence interval: 13.4–60.4) when compared with lack of rolling at age 2, cerebral palsy type other than spastic quadriparesis (odds ratio: 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.5–3.1), and preserved visual function (odds ratio: 2.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.1–5.4). Our ambulation charts depict the probability of remaining nonambulatory, transitioning to 1 of 3 possible ambulatory states, or expiring at all subsequent ages through age 14. Conclusion. The ambulation charts provide a simple straightforward way to estimate the probability that a child with cerebral palsy who is nonambulatory at 2 to 3 \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \({1}/{2}\) \end{document} years of age will eventually walk with or without support.