Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete Genome Sequence of Streptococcus thermophilus KLDS 3.1003, A Strain with High Antimicrobial Potential against Foodborne and Vaginal Pathogens

Lactic acid bacteria play increasingly important roles in the food industry. Streptococcus thermophilus KLDS 3.1003 strain was isolated from traditional yogurt in Inner Mongolia, China. It has shown high antimicrobial activity against selected foodborne and vaginal pathogens. In this study, we investigated and analyzed its complete genome sequence. The S. thermophilus KLDS 3.1003 genome comprise of a 1,899,956 bp chromosome with a G+C content of 38.92%, 1,995 genes, and 6 rRNAs. With the exception of S. thermophilus M17TZA496, S. thermophilus KLDS 3.1003 has more tRNAs (amino acid coding genes) compared to some S. thermophilus strains available on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. MG-RAST annotation showed that this strain has 317 subsystems with most genes associated with amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. This strain also has a unique EPS gene cluster containing 23 genes, and may be a mixed dairy starter culture. This information provides more insight into the molecular basis of its potentials for further applications in the dairy and allied industries.
Suppression of C/EBPα expression in periportal hepatoblasts may stimulate biliary cell differentiation through increased Hnf6 and Hnf1b expression

The expression of C/EBPα, which may govern transcription of mature hepatocyte marker genes, was suppressed in periportal hepatoblasts in mouse liver development, leading to biliary cell differentiation. This study was undertaken to analyze how inactivation of the Cebpa gene affects biliary cell differentiation and gene expression of the regulatory genes for that differentiation, including Hnf1b and Hnf6. In the knockout mouse liver at midgestation stages, pseudoglandular structures were abundantly induced in the parenchyma with elevated expression of Hnf6 and Hnf1b mRNAs. The wild-type liver parenchyma expressed mRNAs of these transcription factors at low levels, though periportal biliary progenitors had strong expression of them. These results suggest that expression of Hnf6 and Hnf1b is downstream of C/EBPα action in fetal liver development, and that the suppression of C/EBPα expression in periportal hepatoblasts may lead to expression of Hnf6 and Hnf1b mRNAs. Immunohistochemical studies with biliary cell markers in knockout livers demonstrated that differentiated biliary epithelial cells were confined to around the portal veins. The suppression of C/EBPα expression may result in upregulation of Hnf6 and Hnf1b gene expression, but be insufficient for biliary cell differentiation. When liver fragments of Cebpa-knockout fetuses, in which hepatoblasts were contained as an endodermal component, were transplanted in the testis of Scid (Prkdc) male mice, almost all hepatoblasts gave rise to biliary epithelial cells. Wild-type hepatoblasts constructed mature hepatic tissue accompanied by biliary cell differentiation. These results also demonstrate that the suppression of C/EBPα expression may stimulate biliary cell differentiation.
A Theory of Human Rights Accountability and Emergency Law: Bringing in Historical Institutionalism

The relationship between emergency legislation and government accountability for human rights violations has captured the interest of scholars and political officials since the War on Terror commenced. However, the use of emergency laws by democracies during a crisis is not novel. Through comparative analysis of the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland, this article illustrates that governments have used these laws as a means to avoid judicial accountability for decades. Moving beyond existing research that tends to offer normative models for achieving government accountability in the midst of crisis, this article provides findings on the precise conditions that constrain or enable accountability in the presence of restrictive laws. Drawing on historical institutionalism, the article argues that key features of the political context, including veto power, the degree of legal regulation, and opportunities for judicial challenges, shape the extent to which emergency legislation acts as a constraint on government accountability.
Pain recognition and intensity classification using facial expressions

Facial biometrics, specifically facial expression analysis, is one of the most actively investigated topics towards the creation of an automated system capable of detecting and classifying pain in human subjects. This paper presents a comparative analysis of Gabor energy filter based approaches combined with powerful classifiers, such as Support Vector Machines, for pain detection and classification into three levels. The intensity of pain is labelled using the Prkachin and Solomon Pain Intensity scale. In this paper, the levels of intensity have been quantized into three disjoint groups: no pain, weak pain and strong pain. The results of experiments show that Gabor energy filters provide comparable or better results compared to previous filter-based pain recognition methods, with a 74% classification rate of pain versus no pain, and 74%, 30% and 78% precision rates when distinguishing pain into no pain, weak pain and strong pain respectively.
The Modulation of Apoptotic Pathways by Gammaherpesviruses

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a tightly regulated process fundamental for cellular development and elimination of damaged or infected cells during the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. It is also an important cellular defense mechanism against viral invasion. In many instances, abnormal regulation of apoptosis has been associated with a number of diseases, including cancer development. Following infection of host cells, persistent and oncogenic viruses such as the members of the Gammaherpesvirus family employ a number of different mechanisms to avoid the host cell’s “burglar” alarm and to alter the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways by either deregulating the expressions of cellular signaling genes or by encoding the viral homologs of cellular genes. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on how gammaherpesviruses inhibit cellular apoptosis via virus-encoded proteins by mediating modification of numerous signal transduction pathways. We also list the key viral anti-apoptotic proteins that could be exploited as effective targets for novel antiviral therapies in order to stimulate apoptosis in different types of cancer cells.
The murine allantois: emerging paradigms in development of the mammalian umbilical cord and its relation to the fetus

The fertilized egg of the mammal gives rise to the embryo and its extraembryonic structures, all of which develop in intimate relation with each other. Yet, whilst the past several decades have witnessed a vast number of studies on the embryonic component of the conceptus, study of the extraembryonic tissues and their relation to the fetus have been largely ignored. The allantois, precursor tissue of the mature umbilical cord, is a universal feature of all placental mammals that establishes the vital vascular bridge between the fetus and its mother. The allantois differentiates into the umbilical blood vessels, which become secured onto the chorionic component of the placenta at one end and onto the fetus at the other. In this way, fetal blood is channeled through the umbilical cord for exchange with the mother. Despite the importance of this vascular bridge, little is known about how it is made. The aim of this review is to address current understanding of the biology of the allantois in the mouse and genetic control of its features and functions, and to highlight new paradigms concerning the developmental relationship between the fetus and its umbilical cord. genesis 45: 237–258, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
If You're So Smart: The Narrative of Economic Expertise

In this witty, accessible, and revealing book, McCloskey demystifies economic theory and practice to show that behind the economists claim to certainty is the ancient art of storytelling. "If You're So Smart" will engage, enlighten, and empower anyone trying to evaluate the experts who stand ready to engineer our lives. "Writing with delicious wit and great seriousness. "-- "Publishers Weekly. " "Mr. McCloskey is more interesting on an uninspired day than most of his peers can manage at their very best. "--Peter Passell, "New York Times" Donald N. McCloskey is John F. Murray Professor of Economics and professor of history at the University of Iowa.
Understanding the Selection Bias

Research has found that prejudiced people avoid friendships with members of ethnic outgroups. Results of this study suggest that this effect is mediated by a social network process. Longitudinal network analysis of a three-wave panel study of 12- to 13-year-olds (N = 453) found that more prejudiced majority group members formed fewer intergroup friendships than less prejudiced majority group members. This was caused indirectly by the preference to become friends of one’s friends’ friends (triadic closure). More prejudiced majority members did not have a preference for actively avoiding minority group members. Rather, they had the tendency to avoid friends who already had minority group friends and thus could not be introduced to potential minority group friends. Instead they became friends with the majority group friends of their friends. This research shows how a social networks perspective can further our understanding of the processes underlying intergroup contact.
Home Versus Host — Identifying With Either, Both, or Neither?

The present study examines the relationship between dual cultural identities and intercultural effectiveness. Upon the evidence of the regulating effects of cultural identities on individuals’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to cultural stimuli, we argue that cultural identities cast non-negligible influence on intercultural effectiveness. Focusing on the distinction between identity to one’s cultural origin and identity to host culture, we hypothesize that individuals high on both identities are more effective than those low on both of them, followed by those high on one of the identities but low on the other. We apply polynomial regression and the response surface method to data collected from managers and workers with international experience (n = 82), in order to better capture the relationship between dual cultural identities and various aspects of intercultural effectiveness. The hypotheses are generally supported. Theoretical and practical implications for further capitalizing on such knowledge are discussed. Pays d’origine et pays d’accueil — s’identifier à l’un ou l’autre, aux deux ou à aucun des deux ? La relation entre la double identité culturelle et l’efficacité interculturelle (Yih-teen Lee) Cette étude examine la relation entre la double identité culturelle et l’efficacité interculturelle. En nous appuyant sur les preuves des effets régulateurs de l’identité culturelle sur les réponses cognitives, affectives et comportementales aux stimuli culturels, nous défendons la thèse que l’identité culturelle a une influence non négligeable sur l’efficacité interculturelle. Nous axant sur la distinction entre l’identité culture d’origine et l’identité culturelle d’accueil, nous émettons comme hypothèse que les individus ayant un score élevé sur leurs deux identités sont plus efficaces que ceux dont le score est faible sur leurs deux identités, suivi par ceux ayant un score élevé sur l’une et faible sur l’autre. Nous utilisons la régression polynomiale et la méthode des surfaces de réponse aux données recueillies auprès de managers et d’employés ayant une expérience internationale (n = 82), afin de mieux saisir la relation entre la double identité culturelle et divers aspects de l’efficacité interculturelle. Les hypothèses s’avèrent globalement justes. Les implications théoriques et pratiques qu’il y aurait à capitaliser plus encore sur cette connaissance sont ensuite abordées.
Privacy Concerns for Photo Sharing in Online Social Networks

As wireless networks flourish, Internet users can access social network platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter) through personal electronic devices anywhere and anytime. However, because users often deploy social network platforms in a public network setting, a common concern remains about how to guarantee privacy for photo sharing. Although most platforms aim to protect such privacy, few are able to reach the goal. This work focuses on an interesting potential privacy risk, called the deletion delay of photo sharing, by pinpointing and investigating the risk's existence in some well-known social network platforms.
How Well Does the Sat and GPA Predict the Retention of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Business Students

This study examined the relationship between various admissions selection criteria utilized by a small, Liberal Arts College in Indiana. More specifically, the study examined if a higher college preparatory GPA and a higher aggregate score on the SAT helped predict the retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students. Data was gathered using historical enrollment data of 803 students. A logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine the impact of the two variables on retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students. College preparatory GPA and the aggregate SAT score were predictors of retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students. For every point increase in GPA, the odds were more than twice as much that the student would be retained. For every point increase in SAT, there was 0.3% increase in retention.
BRIEF REPORT Bilinguals' recall and recognition of emotion words

Recall of emotion words is superior to neutral words. Prior work reported in this journal (Anooshian & Hertel, 1994) found that this effect was absent in a second language. Words in a second language may thus lack the emotional associations of words acquired in childhood. To determine whether memory probes may be generally useful for assessing emotionality effects in a first versus a second language, Anooshian and Hertel's paradigm was extended in several ways. Recall was compared to recognition, and a variety of types of emotion words were studied, including taboo terms, and phrases likely to be learned in childhood (reprimands). Superior memory for emotion words was obtained in both the recall and recognition tasks, but this occurred in both the first and second language and indeed was stronger, for some stimuli, in the second language. This suggests that, even for bilingual speakers who acquire their second late (after age 12), words in the second language retain rich emotional associations.
Learning to Converse in a Foreign Language: The Reception Game

The RECEPTION GAME is an exercise for teaching ordinary social conversational skills to adult foreign language learners who use such skills in their professional work at posts abroad. Of all the tasks carried out in the target language at post, learners claim to experience the most difficulty participating in ordinary social conversation. The properties of ordinary social conversation imply that language learners practice following unpredictable turns in topic, displaying involvement, and producing unplanned speech. Challenges for teaching social conversation lie with classroom interactional patterns whose characteristic turn-taking structure is unlike that of ordinary social conversation. This design for teaching conversational skills-combining elements of simulation and experiential learning-takes into account conversation's rapport-building function, turn-taking mechanisms, and open-ended structure, as well as listening demands for following rapid shifts in topic and displaying understanding and involvement in the interaction.
Interdisciplinary foundations: reflecting on interdisciplinarity and three decades of teaching and research at Griffith University, Australia

Interdisciplinarity is widely practised and theorised. However, relatively few studies have reflected on university‐wide attempts to foster the concept. This article examines interdisciplinary teaching and learning at Griffith University, Australia. It reflects on the foundations of interdisciplinarity at the university and situates them within the broader context of innovations in worldwide practice; it draws from the literature on interdisciplinarity to traverse the broad understandings of the term; it discusses the Griffith University innovations implemented in support of the concept; and, it reports on the likely outcomes of current methods designed to improve interdisciplinary practice. Whilst challenging barriers to interdisciplinarity continue to exist, compounded by varied conceptions of what interdisciplinarity entails, positive learning and research outcomes have been accomplished at the university from its interdisciplinary foundations, which also provide a platform to go forward.
Fgf signaling controls pharyngeal taste bud formation through miR-200 and Delta-Notch activity

Taste buds, the taste sensory organs, are conserved in vertebrates and composed of distinct cell types, including taste receptor, basal/presynaptic and support cells. Here, we characterize zebrafish taste bud development and show that compromised Fgf signaling in the larva results in taste bud reduction and disorganization. We determine that Fgf activity is required within pharyngeal endoderm for formation of Calb2b+ cells and reveal miR-200 and Delta-Notch signaling as key factors in this process. miR-200 knock down shows that miR-200 activity is required for taste bud formation and in particular for Calb2b+ cell formation. Compromised delta activity in mib–/– dramatically reduces the number of Calb2b+ cells and increases the number of 5HT+ cells. Conversely, larvae with increased Notch activity and ascl1a–/– mutants are devoid of 5HT+ cells, but have maintained and increased Calb2b+ cells, respectively. These results show that Delta-Notch signaling is required for intact taste bud organ formation. Consistent with this, Notch activity restores Calb2b+ cell formation in pharyngeal endoderm with compromised Fgf signaling, but fails to restore the formation of these cells after miR-200 knock down. Altogether, this study provides genetic evidence that supports a novel model where Fgf regulates Delta-Notch signaling, and subsequently miR-200 activity, in order to promote taste bud cell type differentiation.
Endothelin-1 Stimulates Small Artery VCAM-1 Expression through p38MAPK-Dependent Neutral Sphingomyelinase

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) stimulates vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) expression, a process associated with arterial remodelling. However, the pathways activated by ET-1 that lead to VCAM-1 expression are not fully understood. It is reported that sphingomyelinases are necessary for VCAM-1 expression in response to cytokines. Our aim was to investigate the role of sphingomyelinases in ET-1-induced VCAM-1 expression. Acid and neutral sphingomyelinase activities were measured in extracts from rat mesenteric small arteries (RMSA). ET-1 (1–100 nmol/l) stimulated neutral but not acid sphingomyelinase. The activation was rapid, peaking within 5 min and transient, returning towards baseline by 10 min and inhibited by BQ-788, GW4869 and SB203580, which are inhibitors of ETB receptor, neutral sphingomyelinase and p38MAPK, respectively. Both GW4869 and SB203580 are reported to inhibit activation of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 implicating it in the response to ET-1. Accordingly we investigated the expression of this isoform and found it was present in RMSA, predominantly in endothelial cells. Treatment of RMSA with ET-1 (1–100 nmol/l) for 16 h increased VCAM-1 expression, which was inhibited by GW4869 and SB203580. These results indicate that ET-1 stimulates arterial VCAM-1 expression through p38MAPK-dependent activation of neutral sphingomyelinases. This suggests a role for sphingolipids in ET-1-induced vascular inflammation in cardiovascular disease.
Constructing perceptions of differential treatment: An analysis of coworker discourse

Recent studies indicate that members' perceptions of differential treatment influence their communication with coworkers. This study examined the ways in which coworkers socially construct perceptions of differential treatment through discourse. Results indicated that coworker conversations regarding differential treatment serve two primary functions: (1) they create perceptions of differential treatment, and (2) they reinforce preexisting perceptions of differential treatment. Members tend to emphasize the subordinate's role in the incident over the supervisor's and rely heavily on equity standards in evaluating incidents of differential treatment. Contributions to the sense‐making literature and organizational control literature are noted.
Eigenfeatures coding of videoconferencing sequences

This paper presents a video coding technique that achieves high visual quality at very low bit rates. Each video frame is divided into two regions, consisting of a background area and a visually important feature to be coded at higher bit rates. The feature is tracked from frame to frame and it is coded using a set of features that are extracted from a training set. The set of features, which will be referred to as eigenfeatures, is stored both at the encoder and decoder sites. The technique is based on the eigenfaces method, and achieves high visual quality at high feature compression ratios (around 200 for the salesman sequence and 1000 for the Miss America sequence) with considerably less computational complexity than the eigenfaces method. Using this technique for the feature together with H.261 for the background allows a reduction of up to 70% in the bit rate compared to using H.261 alone.
Effect of erythropoietin on proliferation of erythroid stem cells in the absence of transplantable colony-forming units.

A single administration of Myleran eradicated colony-forming stem cells from marrow or spleen of mice for a period of two weeks or longer. Erythropoiesis was restored during that time, and the exclusion of cell influx from the colony-forming progenitors into the intermediary erythroid stem cell compartment permitted a study of the effects of erythropoietin on the kinetics of the latter. The results indicate that erythropoietin, in addition to its role in transforming immediate precursors into proerythroblasts, stimulated the proliferation of erythroid stem cells. The significance of this in regard to stem cell kinetics and rate regulation of erythropoiesis is discussed.
Self-regulation and autonomy in problem- and project-based learning environments

Investigations of the relationships between contexts in which learning occurs and students’ behaviours, cognitions and motivations may further our understanding of how instruction is related to students’ development as self-regulated learners. In this study, student self-regulated learning strategies in problem-based learning and project-based learning environments were examined to determine whether student self-regulation outcomes differed depending on the instructional design. Quantitative results showed that student motivations and behaviours were not statistically different in the two settings. Differences in cognitions associated with self-regulated learning were, however, observed in the two settings, with students in the project-based environments reporting higher levels of elaboration, critical thinking and metacognition. In addition, students in the project-based courses reported higher perceived autonomy support, or the degree to which they perceived their instructors provided them with supportive opportunities to act and think independently compared to students in the problem-based courses. These findings indicate that different non-traditional student-centred learning environments may support different outcomes related to self-regulated learning.