Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reprogrammed Transcriptome in Rhesus-Bovine Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos

Background Global activation of the embryonic genome (EGA), one of the most critical steps in early mammalian embryo development, is recognized as the time when interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos fail to thrive. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we analyzed the EGA-related transcriptome of rhesus-bovine iSCNT 8- to 16-cell embryos and dissected the reprogramming process in terms of embryonic gene activation, somatic gene silencing, and maternal RNA degradation. Compared with fibroblast donor cells, two thousand and seven genes were activated in iSCNT embryos, one quarter of them reaching expression levels comparable to those found in in vitro fertilized (IVF) rhesus embryos. This suggested that EGA in iSCNT embryos had partially recapitulated rhesus embryonic development. Eight hundred and sixty somatic genes were not silenced properly and continued to be expressed in iSCNT embryos, which indicated incomplete nuclear reprogramming. We compared maternal RNA degradation in bovine oocytes between bovine-bovine SCNT and iSCNT embryos. While maternal RNA degradation occurred in both SCNT and iSCNT embryos, we saw more limited overall degradation of maternal RNA in iSCNT embryos than in SCNT embryos. Several important maternal RNAs, like GPF9, were not properly processed in SCNT embryos. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggested that iSCNT embryos are capable of triggering EGA, while a portion of somatic cell-associated genes maintain their expression. Maternal RNA degradation seems to be impaired in iSCNT embryos. Further understanding of the biological roles of these genes, networks, and pathways revealed by iSCNT may expand our knowledge about cell reprogramming, pluripotency, and differentiation.
The Effects of Conflict on the Structure of the Economy

The presence of conflict affects people's economic incentives. Some sectors of activity flourish, while others suffer. For understanding structural problems in developing countries and designing appropriate post-conflict reconstruction policies, it is essential to understand in what ways conflict affects the structure of the economy. We develop a simple model of conflict and multiple sectors of activity, where conflict efforts, the allocation of factor endowments and the production outputs are endogenous. We predict that for moderately destructive conflicts labor-intensive sectors are most affected by fighting, while for highly destructive conflicts capital-intensive sectors suffer most. In the latter case, under some conditions it is also possible that - in the presence of endogenous conflict - an increase in the price of the capital-intensive commodity reduces the output of this same good. The model further predicts that export-sectors and sectors that require inter-temporal investments are particularly exposed to conflict activity. In the empirical part of the paper, we study the impact of various forms of conflict, separately and as an aggregate conflict index constructed with principal component analysis. We present some basic stylized facts about the effect of conflict on the productive structure of the economy. Conflict reduces the share of the manufacturing sector in the GDP, increases the exploitation of some simple natural resources (i.e. forestry) and reduces the production of crops. Using industrial level data for developing countries we study the channels through which conflict affects the manufacturing sector. As expected, we find that industries that are more institutional/transaction intensive are the ones that suffer most in conflictive societies. Laborintensive sectors are also negatively affected by conflict. It is also found that exporting industries and sectors requiring external financing suffer more during conflict. Our results are robust to sensitivity analysis.
Parenting Stress in Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities: Effects of Cognitions and Coping Styles

This study investigated the relationship between parental cognitions, coping styles, and stress in parents of children with learning disabilities. More specifically, parental beliefs about self–efficacy and satisfaction in the parenting role were examined in relation to parenting stress. Furthermore, the relationship between parenting stress and problem–focused and emotion–focused coping styles was evaluated. Participants, who were 147 parents of 5– to 12–year–old children who had been diagnosed with a learning disability, completed three self–report measures. A hierarchical multiple regression model was used to examine the effects of the predictor variables on parenting stress. Results revealed that parents’ perceptions of the severity of their child's learning disability, as well as their use of emotion–focused coping strategies, were significant predictors of parenting stress levels. Participants’ beliefs regarding their self–efficacy in the parenting role and their satisfaction with the parenting role were not significant predictors of parenting stress. Additionally, parental use of problem–focused coping strategies was not a significant predictor of parenting stress. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Hyperdiversity of Genes Encoding Integral Light-Harvesting Proteins in the Dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp

The superfamily of light-harvesting complex (LHC) proteins is comprised of proteins with diverse functions in light-harvesting and photoprotection. LHC proteins bind chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids and include a family of LHCs that bind Chl a and c. Dinophytes (dinoflagellates) are predominantly Chl c binding algal taxa, bind peridinin or fucoxanthin as the primary carotenoid, and can possess a number of LHC subfamilies. Here we report 11 LHC sequences for the chlorophyll a-chlorophyll c 2-peridinin protein complex (acpPC) subfamily isolated from Symbiodinium sp. C3, an ecologically important peridinin binding dinoflagellate taxa. Phylogenetic analysis of these proteins suggests the acpPC subfamily forms at least three clades within the Chl a/c binding LHC family; Clade 1 clusters with rhodophyte, cryptophyte and peridinin binding dinoflagellate sequences, Clade 2 with peridinin binding dinoflagellate sequences only and Clades 3 with heterokontophytes, fucoxanthin and peridinin binding dinoflagellate sequences.
The effect of the spectrum opportunities diversity on opportunistic access

To improve their ability to find spectrum opportunities, intelligent secondary radios (SR) can learn from their past observations and predict possible spectrum opportunities. However, because of the diverse behavior of primary users (PU) in different spectrum bands, spectrum holes exhibit diverse characteristics, which in turn affect the performance of a learning algorithm. This paper studies the effect of the PU's activity on channel predictability. In particular, we introduce a Markov process-based learning algorithm, and we investigate the dependency of its spectrum decisions on the duty cycle (DC) and on the complexity of each channel activity, for both synthetic and real data. Our findings show that the probability of finding a free channel among a group of considered channels strongly depends on the DC and the complexity of the channel activity. Moreover, it is possible to reduce the number of observed channels without compromising the probability of finding a free channel, by only considering the more informative channels.
Real-Time Learning Capability of Neural Networks

In some practical applications of neural networks, fast response to external events within an extremely short time is highly demanded and expected. However, the extensively used gradient-descent-based learning algorithms obviously cannot satisfy the real-time learning needs in many applications, especially for large-scale applications and/or when higher generalization performance is required. Based on Huang's constructive network model, this paper proposes a simple learning algorithm capable of real-time learning which can automatically select appropriate values of neural quantizers and analytically determine the parameters (weights and bias) of the network at one time only. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been systematically investigated on a large batch of benchmark real-world regression and classification problems. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm can not only produce good generalization performance but also have real-time learning and prediction capability. Thus, it may provide an alternative approach for the practical applications of neural networks where real-time learning and prediction implementation is required.
Partitioning of Bacterial Communities between Seawater and Healthy, Black Band Diseased, and Dead Coral Surfaces

ABSTRACT Distinct partitioning has been observed in the composition and diversity of bacterial communities inhabiting the surface and overlying seawater of three coral species infected with black band disease (BBD) on the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. PCR amplification and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes (rDNA) with universally conserved primers have identified over 524 unique bacterial sequences affiliated with 12 bacterial divisions. The molecular sequences exhibited less than 5% similarity in bacterial community composition between seawater and the healthy, black band diseased, and dead coral surfaces. The BBD bacterial mat rapidly migrates across and kills the coral tissue. Clone libraries constructed from the BBD mat were comprised of eight bacterial divisions and 13% unknowns. Several sequences representing bacteria previously found in other marine and terrestrial organisms (including humans) were isolated from the infected coral surfaces, including Clostridium spp. , Arcobacter spp. , Campylobacter spp. , Cytophaga fermentans, Cytophaga columnaris, and Trichodesmium tenue.
Microvascular obstruction and left ventricular remodeling early after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND The presence of microvascular obstruction (MO) within infarcted regions may adversely influence left ventricular (LV) remodeling after acute myocardial infarction. This study examined whether the extent of MO directly alters the mechanical properties of the infarcted myocardium. METHODS AND RESULTS Seventeen dogs underwent 90 minutes of balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, followed by reperfusion. Gadolinium-enhanced perfusion MRI and 3D-tagging were performed 4 to 6 and 48 hours (8 animals) and 10 days (9 animals) after reperfusion. Early increase in LV end-diastolic volume (from 42+/-9 to 54+/-14 mL, P<0.05) between 4 to 6 and 48 hours after reperfusion was predicted by both extent of MO (r=0.89, P<0.01) and infarct size (r=0.83, P<0.01), defined as MRI hypoenhanced and hyperenhanced regions, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that extent of MO had better and independent value to predict LV volume than overall infarct size. A strong inverse relationship existed between magnitude of first principal strain (r=-0.80, P<0.001) and relative extent of MO within infarcted myocardium. Also, infarcted myocardium involved by extensive areas of MO demonstrated reductions of circumferential (r=-0.61, P<0.01) and longitudinal (r=-0.53, P<0. 05) stretching. Furthermore, significant reductions of radial thickening (9+/-6% versus 14+/-3%, P<0.01) occurred in noninfarcted regions adjacent to infarcts that had increased (>35%) amounts of MO. CONCLUSIONS In the early healing phase of acute myocardial infarction, the extent of MO in infarcted tissue relates to reduced local myocardial deformation and dysfunction of noninfarcted adjacent myocardium. Such strain alterations might explain the increased remodeling observed in patients with large regions of MO.
Sensory and somatosensory underpinnings of emotion processing

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in recognizing one’s own emotions and others’ emotions, specially fear. Recognizing emotions is associated with remarkable changes in somatosensory and sensory (particularly visual) processing. For instance theories about emotion processing suggest a strong association between emotion processing and somatic markers. The aim of the present thesis is to assess whether the difficulties in emotion processing shown by alexitimic subjects can affect somatosensory and sensory (especially visual) processing. To this end different somatosensory modalities (e.g. temperature, pain, tactile, touch, etc) and visual stimuli (e.g. face and body expressions) were used to compare the somatosensory and sensory processing in people with high and low scores of alexithymia. These experiments provided evidence that emotional processing deficit seems to be related to the alterations in somatosensory processing (Experiments 1, and 2), in visual processing, early visual encoding (Experiments 3, 4, and 6), and in physiological reactivity, particularly visceral reactivity (Experiment 5), which prevents these individuals to correctly perceive emotions. Together, these studies suggest that the emotional difficulties in alexithymia might be grounded in the specific low-level somatosensory system. Moreover, the lack of emotional modulation at the early stage of visual processing indicates that the rapid modulation of the amygdala over the visual cortices may be reduced, thus suggesting a hyporeactivity of the amygdala in individual with high levels of alexithymia.
Condition-dependent reproductive effort in frogs infected by a widespread pathogen

To minimize the negative effects of an infection on fitness, hosts can respond adaptively by altering their reproductive effort or by adjusting their timing of reproduction. We studied effects of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on the probability of calling in a stream-breeding rainforest frog (Litoria rheocola). In uninfected frogs, calling probability was relatively constant across seasons and body conditions, but in infected frogs, calling probability differed among seasons (lowest in winter, highest in summer) and was strongly and positively related to body condition. Infected frogs in poor condition were up to 40% less likely to call than uninfected frogs, whereas infected frogs in good condition were up to 30% more likely to call than uninfected frogs. Our results suggest that frogs employed a pre-existing, plastic, life-history strategy in response to infection, which may have complex evolutionary implications. If infected males in good condition reproduce at rates equal to or greater than those of uninfected males, selection on factors affecting disease susceptibility may be minimal. However, because reproductive effort in infected males is positively related to body condition, there may be selection on mechanisms that limit the negative effects of infections on hosts.
Deep processing makes stimuli more preferable over long durations

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current study was twofold. First, we investigated whether the type of stimulus processing (e.g. levels of processing) influenced preferences for novel objects. Second, we examined whether the influence of levels of processing on preferences was long lasting (e.g. longer than a day/week). Results showed that levels of processing affected preferences whereby more deeply processed stimuli were preferred over those that were shallowly processed. This effect was more robust for stimuli that were presented multiple times. Additionally, this levels of processing effect lasted for up to 6 weeks, suggesting stability in preferences for information that was more deeply processed. We discuss these results in terms of theories predicting the role of stimulus properties and exposure on the development of preferences.
Critical Race Theory and the Whiteness of Teacher Education

This article uses three tenets of critical race theory to critique the common pattern of teacher education focusing on preparing predominantly White cohorts of teacher candidates for racially and ethnically diverse students. The tenet of interest convergence asks how White interests are served through incremental steps. The tenet of color blindness prompts asking how structures that seem neutral, such as teacher testing, reinforce Whiteness and White interests. The tenet of experiential knowledge prompts asking whose voices are being heard. The article argues that much about teacher education can be changed, offering suggestions that derive from these tenets.
Eecient Join-index-based Spatial-join Processing: a Clustering Approach Acronym Full Form Deenition Section/page Pcg Page-connectivity Graph Section 1 Opas-fb Optimal Page-access Sequence with Fixed Buuer Section 1 Ac Asymmetric Clustering-based Heuristic Section 2 Sorting Sorting-based Heuristic Se

A join-index is a data structure used for processing join queries in databases. Join-indices use pre-computation techniques to speed up online query processing and are useful for data-sets which are updated infrequently. The I/O cost of join computation using a join-index with limited buuer space depends primarily on the page-access sequence used to fetch the pages of the base relations. Given a join-index, we introduce a suite of methods based on clustering to compute the joins. We derive upper-bounds on the lengths of the page-access sequences. Experimental results with Sequoia 2000 data sets show that the clustering method outperforms existing methods based on sorting and online-clustering heuristics.
Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization: The Case of Requests in the Persian and Turkish Speech of Iranian Speakers.

This study focuses on realization of requests made by Iranian Persian monolingual and Turkish-Persian bilingual speakers according to the directness categories introduced by Blum-Kulka et al. (1984). At first, a discourse completion test (DCT) was administered to both groups, in order to elicit requests in 10 different situations. Second, a politeness questionnaire was used to measure the perceived politeness in both bilingual and monolingual speakers. The results of the questionnaire showed that, politeness strategies are different in different languages in that, hints have been rated as being neutral area in Persian, but they tend to be close to the more polite area in Turkish in Iran. With regard to gender, a comparison reveals that, there are some differences in the use of certain strategies however, in case of requests, females use less direct strategies in Persian and more direct strategies in Turkish in comparison with males. Also this study also confirms that the socio-economic status of the interlocutors does not affect the kind of strategy used by the two groups.
Free Trade and Global Warming: A Trade Theory View of the Kyoto Protocol

This paper demonstrates how three important results in environmental economics, true under mild conditions in closed economies, are false or need serious amendment in a world with international trade in goods. Since the three results we highlight have framed much of the ongoing discussion and research on the Kyoto protocol our viewpoint from trade theory suggests a re-examination may be in order. Specifically, we demonstrate that in an open trading world, but not in a closed economy setting: (1) unilateral emission reductions by the rich North can create self-interested emission reductions by the unconstrained poor South; (2) simple rules for allocating emission reductions across countries (such as uniform reductions) may well be efficient even if international trade in emission permits is not allowed; and (3) when international emission permit trade does occur it may make both participants in the trade worse off and increase global emissions.
Locomotor trade-offs in mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running

SUMMARY We investigated sprint performance and running economy of a unique `mini-muscle' phenotype that evolved in response to selection for high voluntary wheel running in laboratory mice (Mus domesticus). Mice from four replicate selected (S) lines run nearly three times as far per day as four control lines. The mini-muscle phenotype, resulting from an initially rare autosomal recessive allele, has been favoured by the selection protocol, becoming fixed in one of the two S lines in which it occurred. In homozygotes, hindlimb muscle mass is halved, mass-specific muscle oxidative capacity is doubled, and the medial gastrocnemius exhibits about half the mass-specific isotonic power, less than half the mass-specific cyclic work and power, but doubled fatigue resistance. We hypothesized that mini-muscle mice would have a lower whole-animal energy cost of transport (COT), resulting from lower costs of cycling their lighter limbs, and reduced sprint speed, from reduced maximal force production. We measured sprint speed on a racetrack and slopes (incremental COT, or iCOT) and intercepts of the metabolic rate versus speed relationship during voluntary wheel running in 10 mini-muscle and 20 normal S-line females. Mini-muscle mice ran faster and farther on wheels, but for less time per day. Mini-muscle mice had significantly lower sprint speeds, indicating a functional trade-off. However, contrary to predictions, mini-muscle mice had higher COT, mainly because of higher zero-speed intercepts and postural costs (intercept–resting metabolic rate). Thus, mice with altered limb morphology after intense selection for running long distances do not necessarily run more economically.
Resilience and Vulnerability in Adolescents at Risk for Delinquency: A Behavioral Genetic Study of Differential Response to Risk

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS. v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. 1 Statement of the Problem. 7 Conclusion. 9 CHAPTER II: RESILIENCE AND VULNERABILITY: DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSE TO RISK. 11 Assessing Risk for Delinquency. 11 Resilience and Vulnerability: Efforts to Improve Prediction in Delinquency. 18 Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for Genetic Influences. 26 Dual-Risk/Diathesis Stress. 26 Evidence Supporting the Dual-Risk Model. 27 Biological Sensitivity to Context. 38 Differential Susceptibility. 42 Evidence Supporting the Differential Susceptibility Model. 45 The Effects of Gender. 52 Conclusion. 58 CHAPTER III: BIOMETRICAL GENETICS. 60 Biometrical Genetic Modeling. 61 Historical Development. 61 Decomposition of Phenotypic Variance. 62 Measuring Covariation. 70 Structural Equation Modeling. 72 Univariate Model. 75 Sex-Limitation Model. 79 Regression-Based Behavioral Genetic Modeling. 82 Assumptions in Biometrical Genetics. 86 Conclusion. 88 CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. 89 The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. 89 Research and Sampling Design. 90 Data Collection. 91 Wave I. 92 Wave III In-Home Interview. 94 Analytical Sample. 95
A case of savant syndrome in a child with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background: Savant syndrome is a rare condition, in which persons with serious intellectual disabilities demonstrate extraordinary capacities or abilities in contrast to their overall disability. This paper presents the savant abilities of a child with autism spectrum disorder, who showed exceptional arithmetic skills and higher word decoding ability. Methods: A protocol of academic skills evaluation was administered. Assessment of calculation skills included tests on written calculations; numerical knowledge indicating the semantic, syntactic and lexical level; and accuracy and speed measurement. Results: Performances in number elaboration showed an adequate access to semantic and verbal number information. In the written and mental calculation task and in fact retrieval, implicating calculation strategies and information retrieval, processes were automatized. Conclusions: The data gathered show that the child’s performance both for number elaboration and calculation procedures is higher than the school grade attended, typical of people with exceptional abilities.