Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An economic profile of the professional turfgrass and landscape industry in Georgia

1 Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Griffin Campus, Griffin, Georgia. 2 Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Griffin Campus, Griffin, Georgia. The Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations Research Report College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Number 672 The University of Georgia December 2000
Critical Residues of the Caenorhabditis elegans unc-2 Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel That Affect Behavioral and Physiological Properties

The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-2 gene encodes a voltage-gated calcium channel α1 subunit structurally related to mammalian dihydropyridine-insensitive high-threshold channels. In the present paper we describe the characterization of seven alleles of unc-2. Using an unc-2 promoter-tagged green fluorescent protein construct, we show that unc-2 is primarily expressed in motor neurons, several subsets of sensory neurons, and the HSN and VC neurons that control egg laying. Examination of behavioral phenotypes, including defecation, thrashing, and sensitivities to aldicarb and nicotine suggests that UNC-2 acts presynaptically to mediate both cholinergic and GABAergic neurotransmission. Sequence analysis of the unc-2 alleles shows that e55, ra605, ra606, ra609, and ra610 all are predicted to prematurely terminate and greatly reduce or eliminate unc-2 function. In contrast, the ra612 and ra614 alleles are missense mutations resulting in the substitution of highly conserved residues in the C terminus and the domain IVS4-IVS5 linker, respectively. Heterologous expression of a rat brain P/Q-type channel containing the ra612 mutation shows that the glycine to arginine substitution affects a variety of channel characteristics, including the voltage dependence of activation, steady-state inactivation, as well as channel kinetics. Overall, our findings suggest that UNC-2 plays a pivotal role in mediating a number of physiological processes in the nematode and also defines a number of critical residues important for calcium channel function in vivo.
Designing a model for entrepreneurial intentions of agricultural students

ABSTRACT The authors used Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and Shapero's entrepreneurial event model as well as entrepreneurial cognition theory to identify the relationship among entrepreneurial skills, self-efficacy, attitudes toward entrepreneurship, psychological traits, social norms, perceived desirability, social support, and entrepreneurial intentions. The authors defined the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention in agricultural students. The data were collected from a survey given to students at Iranian Azad University. The survey received 146 effective responses. Based on the findings from the structural equation model, the order of effect of latent variables on entrepreneurial intention was entrepreneurial skill (63%), self-efficacy (44%), attitude toward entrepreneurship (38%), psychological traits (11%), and social norms (0.08%).
Nonamplified FGFR1 Is a Growth Driver in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is associated with asbestos exposure and is a cancer that has not been significantly affected by small molecule-based targeted therapeutics. Previously, we demonstrated the existence of functional subsets of lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines in which fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) autocrine signaling functions as a nonmutated growth pathway. In a panel of pleural mesothelioma cell lines, FGFR1 and FGF2 were coexpressed in three of seven cell lines and were significantly associated with sensitivity to the FGFR-active tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), ponatinib, both in vitro and in vivo using orthotopically propagated xenografts. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated silencing confirmed the requirement for FGFR1 in specific mesothelioma cells and sensitivity to the FGF ligand trap, FP-1039, validated the requirement for autocrine FGFs. None of the FGFR1-dependent mesothelioma cells exhibited increased FGFR1 gene copy number, based on a FISH assay, indicating that increased FGFR1 transcript and protein expression were not mediated by gene amplification. Elevated FGFR1 mRNA was detected in a subset of primary MPM clinical specimens and like MPM cells; none harbored increased FGFR1 gene copy number. These results indicate that autocrine signaling through FGFR1 represents a targetable therapeutic pathway in MPM and that biomarkers distinct from increased FGFR1 gene copy number such as FGFR1 mRNA would be required to identify patients with MPM bearing tumors driven by FGFR1 activity. Implications: FGFR1 is a viable therapeutic target in a subset of MPMs, but FGFR TKI-responsive tumors will need to be selected by a biomarker distinct from increased FGFR1 gene copy number, possibly FGFR1 mRNA or protein levels. Mol Cancer Res; 12(10); 1460–9. ©2014 AACR.
Direct detection of N-acylhomoserine lactones in cystic fibrosis sputum.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia cause destructive lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Both pathogens employ 'quorum sensing', i.e. cell-to-cell communication, via diffusible N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules, to regulate the production of a number of virulence determinants in vitro. However, to date, evidence that quorum sensing systems are functional and play a role in vivo is lacking. This study presents the first direct evidence for the presence of AHLs in CF sputum. A total of 42 samples from 25 CF patients were analysed using lux-based Escherichia coli AHL biosensors. AHLs were detected in sputum from patients colonised by P. aeruginosa or B. cepacia but not Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography, we confirmed the presence of N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone and N-(3-oxododecanoyl)homoserine lactone respectively in sputum samples from patients colonised by P. aeruginosa.
Airborne video registration and traffic-flow parameter estimation

This paper investigates airborne helicopter video for estimating traffic parameters. Roll, pitch, and yaw of the helicopter make the video unstable, difficult to view, and the derived parameters less accurate. To correct this, a frame-by-frame video-registration technique using a feature tracker to automatically determine control-point correspondences is proposed. This converts the spatio-temporal video into temporal information, thereby correcting for airborne platform motion and attitude errors. The registration is robust, with the residual jitter being less than a few pixels over hundreds of frames. A simple vehicle-detection scheme identifies vehicle locations in the video, which are then tracked by the feature tracker, enabling us to estimate average velocity, instantaneous velocity, and other parameters automatically to within 10% of manual measurements. The entire process of registration, detection, tracking, and estimation takes only a few seconds for each frame. A prototype multimedia geographic information system (GIS) is created as a visualization tool for viewing the registered video, other airborne or satellite imagery, and data pertaining to georeferenced locations within a base map.
The Human Polymeric Immunoglobulin Receptor Facilitates Invasion of Epithelial Cells by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a Strain-Specific and Cell Type-Specific Manner

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive bacterial pathogen that causes invasive life-threatening disease worldwide. This organism also commonly colonizes the upper respiratory epithelium in an asymptomatic fashion. To invade, this pathogen must traverse the respiratory epithelial barrier, allowing it to cause disease locally or disseminate hematogenously throughout the body. Previous work has demonstrated that S. pneumoniae choline-binding protein A, a pneumococcal surface protein, interacts specifically with the human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, which is expressed by cells in the respiratory epithelium. Choline-binding protein A is required for efficient colonization of the nasopharynx in vivo. Additionally, a recent study showed that the R6x laboratory strain of S. pneumoniae invades a human pharyngeal cell line in a human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor-dependent manner. These findings raised the possibility that the interaction between choline-binding protein A and human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor may be a key determinant of S. pneumoniae pathogenesis. However, the strain used in prior invasion studies, R6x, is an unencapsulated, nonpathogenic strain. In the present study we determined the relative ability of strain R6x or pathogenic strains to invade a variety of human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor-expressing epithelial cell lines. The results of this work suggest that human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor-dependent enhanced invasion of epithelial cells by S. pneumoniae is a limited phenomenon that occurs in a strain-specific and cell type-specific manner.
The Development of Early Literacy Skills in Bilingual and Spanish-speaking Preschool-age Children : A Literature Review

The development of early literacy skills for Spanish English bilinguals (SEB) is an important foundation for designing and interpreting assessments and related results with SEB populations. More specifically, understanding the way in which early literacy skills develop in Spanish is crucial when evaluating performance and progress in U.S. SEB preschool-age children. Without adequate knowledge of the ontogeny of early Spanish language and literacy skills, young children in this population who are at-risk for later reading difficulties cannot be appropriately identified and recommended for intervention. Gaining this understanding is especially timely as the population of Spanish-speaking children continues to increase in the While some SEB children fare well on early literacy achievement standards, many others are not so lucky: Among all Latino students in special education, approximately fifty-six percent have a learning disability related to reading Pendzick & Sapru, 2003). Furthermore, SEB preschoolers generally perform poorly on measures evaluating language and early literacy, and continue to perform worse than Caucasian and Asian children throughout all years of formal schooling, even when controlling for socioeconomic status (Garcia & Jensen, 2009). Similarly, statistics from 2000 state that 58% of Hispanic fourth graders performed at a below-basic reading level, as compared to 27% of Caucasian fourth graders with the achievement gap between Hispanic and Caucasian children continuing to widen (Paez, Tabors & Lopez, 2007): as of 1999, Spanish-speaking high school seniors were, as a population, performing at an eighth grade reading level (Dickinson, McCabe, 7 EARLY LITERACY IN BILINGUAL CHILDREN 3 Clark-Chiarelli & Wolf, 2004). More up-to-date statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) suggest that performance of Spanish-speaking children has improved, but performance of English-speaking children has as well, thereby cancelling out any gains from a national standard perspective (NAEP, 2011). This disadvantaged performance record may be due to the fact that Spanish-speaking families are more likely to live in situations that add risk factors to their children's academic achievement (e.g. live in poverty and in densely populated areas, do not have health insurance, have less access to preschool, speak primarily Spanish at home, less likely to read to their children, etc.) (Garcia & Jensen, 2009; Mancilla-Martinez & Lesaux, 2011). On the same note, Davison and Brea-Spahn (2012) state that the two major risk factors for developing reading difficulties are low economic status and a non-English-speaking home. From these statistics, it seems highly likely that SEB children will possess both of …
Rationalization and Design of the Complementarity Determining Region Sequences in an Antibody-Antigen Recognition Interface

Protein-protein interactions are critical determinants in biological systems. Engineered proteins binding to specific areas on protein surfaces could lead to therapeutics or diagnostics for treating diseases in humans. But designing epitope-specific protein-protein interactions with computational atomistic interaction free energy remains a difficult challenge. Here we show that, with the antibody-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) interaction as a model system, the experimentally observed amino acid preferences in the antibody-antigen interface can be rationalized with 3-dimensional distributions of interacting atoms derived from the database of protein structures. Machine learning models established on the rationalization can be generalized to design amino acid preferences in antibody-antigen interfaces, for which the experimental validations are tractable with current high throughput synthetic antibody display technologies. Leave-one-out cross validation on the benchmark system yielded the accuracy, precision, recall (sensitivity) and specificity of the overall binary predictions to be 0.69, 0.45, 0.63, and 0.71 respectively, and the overall Matthews correlation coefficient of the 20 amino acid types in the 24 interface CDR positions was 0.312. The structure-based computational antibody design methodology was further tested with other antibodies binding to VEGF. The results indicate that the methodology could provide alternatives to the current antibody technologies based on animal immune systems in engineering therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies against predetermined antigen epitopes.
The Role of Quality in On-line Service Markets∗

We study an on-line market for programming services where providers are chosen through multi-attribute auctions, a mechanism that takes into account seller’s non-price characteristics as well as his bid. We develop empirical methodology for recovering the joint distribution of buyers’ outside options and weights for sellers’ attributes as well as other primitives of the model while allowing that an important component of seller’s quality known to buyer may be unobserved to the researcher. The methodology is designed to accommodate two important features of such markets: buyer-specific choice sets and high turn-over of sellers. Our empirical results confirm that (unobserved) quality plays an important role in this environment. We also find that on-line market enables buyers to substantially improve on their outside (local) option with the larger part of gains arising due to the access to low-cost per unit of quality providers.
Music and Nonmusical Abilities

Abstract: Reports that exposure to music causes benefits in nonmusical domains have received widespread attention in the mainstream media. Such reports have also influenced public policy. The so‐called “Mozart effect” actually refers to two relatively distinct phenomena. One concerns short‐term increases in spatial abilities that are said to occur from listening to music composed by Mozart. The other refers to the possibility that formal training in music yields nonmusical benefits. A review of the relevant findings indicates that the short‐term effect is small and unreliable. Moreover, when it is evident, it can be explained by between‐condition differences in the listener's mood or levels of cognitive arousal. By contrast, the effect of music lessons on nonmusical aspects of cognitive development is still an open question. Several studies have reported positive associations between formal music lessons and abilities in nonmusical (e.g., linguistic, mathematical, and spatial) domains. Nonetheless, compelling evidence for a causal link remains elusive.
How lamina-associated polypeptide 1 (LAP1) activates Torsin

Lamina-associated polypeptide 1 (LAP1) resides at the nuclear envelope and interacts with Torsins, poorly understood endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized AAA+ ATPases, through a conserved, perinuclear domain. We determined the crystal structure of the perinuclear domain of human LAP1. LAP1 possesses an atypical AAA+ fold. While LAP1 lacks canonical nucleotide binding motifs, its strictly conserved arginine 563 is positioned exactly where the arginine finger of canonical AAA+ ATPases is found. Based on modeling and electron microscopic analysis, we propose that LAP1 targets Torsin to the nuclear envelope by forming an alternating, heterohexameric (LAP1-Torsin)3 ring, in which LAP1 acts as the Torsin activator. The experimental data show that mutation of arginine 563 in LAP1 reduces its ability to stimulate TorsinA ATPase hydrolysis. This knowledge may help scientists understand the etiology of DYT1 primary dystonia, a movement disorder caused by a single glutamate deletion in TorsinA. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.03239. 001
Instructional treatment associated with changes in brain activation in children with dyslexia

Objective: To assess the effects of reading instruction on fMRI brain activation in children with dyslexia. Background: fMRI differences between dyslexic and control subjects have most often involved phonologic processing tasks. However, a growing body of research documents the role of morphologic awareness in reading and reading disability. Methods: The authors developed tasks to probe brain activation during phoneme mapping (assigning sounds to letters) and morpheme mapping (understanding the relationship of suffixed words to their roots). Ten children with dyslexia and 11 normal readers performed these tasks during fMRI scanning. Children with dyslexia then completed 28 hours of comprehensive reading instruction. Scans were repeated on both dyslexic and control subjects using the same tasks. Results: Before treatment, children with dyslexia showed less activation than controls in left middle and inferior frontal gyri, right superior frontal gyrus, left middle and inferior temporal gyri, and bilateral superior parietal regions for phoneme mapping. Activation was significantly reduced for children with dyslexia on the initial morpheme mapping scan in left middle frontal gyrus, right superior parietal, and fusiform/occipital region. Treatment was associated with improved reading scores and increased brain activation during both tasks, such that quantity and pattern of activation for children with dyslexia after treatment closely resembled that of controls. The elimination of group differences at follow-up was due to both increased activation for the children with dyslexia and decreased activation for controls, presumably reflecting practice effects. Conclusion: These results suggest that behavioral gains from comprehensive reading instruction are associated with changes in brain function during performance of language tasks. Furthermore, these brain changes are specific to different language processes and closely resemble patterns of neural processing characteristic of normal readers.
A computational model of perceptual expectation effect based on neural coding principles

Prior expectation affects posterior perceptual experience. This contextual bias is called expectation effect. Previous studies have observed two different patterns of expectation effect: contrast and assimilation. Contrast magnifies the perceived incongruity, and assimilation diminishes the incongruity. This study proposes a computational model that explains the conditions of contrast and assimilation based on neural coding principles. This model proposed that prediction error, uncertainty, and external noise affected the expectation effect. Computer simulations with the model show that the pattern of expectation effect shifted from assimilation to contrast as the prediction error increased, uncertainty decreased the extent of the expectation effect, and external noise increased the assimilation. We conducted an experiment on the size–weight illusion (SWI) as a case of the cross-modal expectation effect and discussed correspondence with the simulation. We discovered conditions where the participants perceived bigger object to be heavier than smaller one, which contradicts to conventional SWI. Practical applications Expectation effect in sensory perception represents a perceptual bias caused by prior expectation, such as illusions and cross-modality. The computational model proposed in this study guides researchers and practitioners who investigate this bias in sensory studies to set a hypothesis with appropriate experimental factors. For example, the model suggests that prediction error can be used as a main factor to identify a condition at which assimilation switches over to contrast. The model provided how expectation uncertainty and noise of stimulus affect the switchover point of prediction error and extent of expectation effect. Uncertainty, which may differ from person to person, can be used as a factor to explain personal differences in the extent of expectation effect.
Reply articles: Where impoliteness and judgment coincide

Abstract This study analyses reply articles published in academic journals in the field of applied linguistics as an instance of academic conflict with regard to the realization of impoliteness. The study further explores the judgment resources of Appraisal Theory leading to impoliteness in this genre. Taking the theoretical model of impoliteness (Bousfield 2008a), both on-record and off-record impolite behaviors were coded in a corpus of 58 reply articles published in academic journals. Then, drawing on Appraisal Theory and the subcategories of judgment resources (Martin and Rose 2003), which include capacity, veracity, propriety, normality and tenacity, the coded impolite behaviors were analyzed. The results of the analysis pointed to a high frequency of on-record impoliteness to which comments on the commentators’ capacity contributed most. The findings of the current study expand the currently available literature on (im)politeness and Appraisal Theory and moreover, make academic courses instructors, novice and professional members of the applied linguistics discourse community cognizant of the potential (im)polite implications of their contributions to the discourse community in order to have pragmatically appropriate choices (Ishiara 2006).
Capacitor Voltage-Balancing Techniques for a Multipulse Rectifier With Active Injection

Two techniques are presented to balance the filter capacitor voltages of a multipulse rectifier with the active injection operating on a variable-frequency supply. The active injector consists of a low-rated bidirectional switch that modifies the behavior of a 12-pulse rectifier at either low or high frequency, resulting in 24-pulse or multilevel pulse width modulation operation, respectively. The operation of the rectifier and the injector, the practical issues that unbalance the capacitor voltages, and the methods to correct this imbalance are explained together with experimental results obtained with a 4-kW prototype.