Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purified vitamin K epoxide reductase alone is sufficient for conversion of vitamin K epoxide to vitamin K and vitamin K to vitamin KH2

More than 21 million prescriptions for warfarin are written yearly in the U.S. Despite its importance, warfarin's target, vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), has resisted purification since its identification in 1972. Here, we report its purification and reconstitution. HPC4, a calcium-specific antibody that recognizes a 12-aa tag, was used to purify and identify VKOR. Partial reconstitution is achieved on the column by washing with 0.4% dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/0.4% deoxycholate. Activity is completely recovered by dialysis against a buffer containing a reducing agent but lacking dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate. Removal of detergent from the eluted proteins apparently facilitates liposome formation. Purified recombinant VKOR with tag is ≈21 kDa, as expected; fully active; and >93% pure. The concentration of warfarin for 50% inhibition is the same for purified protein and microsomes. It has been reported that VKOR is a multisubunit enzyme. Our results, however, suggest that a single peptide can accomplish both the conversion of vitamin K epoxide to vitamin K and vitamin K to reduced vitamin K. This purification will allow further characterization of VKOR in relation to other components of the vitamin K cycle and should facilitate its structural determination.
Current Research on Relationships Between Selected Higher Order Processes and the Communication Skills and Problems of Deaf Persons

This paper presents four research projects in process in the Communication Sciences Laboratory at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. These projects illustrate four broad areas of research on the relationships between higher order information processing systems and the communication skills and problems exhibited by deaf people. Research will be discussed regarding (a) neural factors related to speechreading skills, (b) the relationships between cerebral specialization and communication skills, (c) the role of imagery in memory for signs and words, and (d) the relationship between speech motor programming and speech timing errors in deaf speech. This brief overview is intended to illustrate the utility of research on higher order information processing in increasing our understanding of the communication skills and problems of deaf people.
A High-Throughput Screening Platform of Microbial Natural Products for the Discovery of Molecules with Antibiofilm Properties against Salmonella

In this report, we describe a High-Throughput Screening (HTS) to identify compounds that inhibit biofilm formation or cause the disintegration of an already formed biofilm using the Salmonella Enteritidis 3934 strain. Initially, we developed a new methodology for growing Salmonella biofilms suitable for HTS platforms. The biomass associated with biofilm at the solid-liquid interface was quantified by staining both with resazurin and crystal violet, to detect living cells and total biofilm mass, respectively. For a pilot project, a subset of 1120 extracts from the Fundación MEDINA's collection was examined to identify molecules with antibiofilm activity. This is the first validated HTS assay of microbial natural product extracts which allows for the detection of four types of activities which are not mutually exclusive: inhibition of biofilm formation, detachment of the preformed biofilm and antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells or biofilm embedded cells. Currently, several extracts have been selected for further fractionation and purification of the active compounds. In one of the natural extracts patulin has been identified as a potent molecule with antimicrobial activity against both, planktonic cells and cells within the biofilm. These findings provide a proof of concept that the developed HTS can lead to the discovery of new natural compounds with antibiofilm activity against Salmonella and its possible use as an alternative to antimicrobial therapies and traditional disinfectants.
Reactive Power Capacity Enhancement of a PV-Grid System to Increase PV Penetration Level in Smart Grid Scenario

Existing standards impose limits on the allowable feeder voltage variation in a distributed generation environment. These stipulations must be respected by the distributed power generators (suppliers), which put a cap on the penetration level. A possible solution is to provide reactive power support to improve the voltage profile. This paper proposes a novel scheme, where an auxiliary circuit (comprising an inverter and reactive power bank, RPB), in conjunction with a PV-grid system, increases the system's reactive power compensation capacity up to 300% compared to the original or dedicated VAR capacity of the main PV inverter. In spite of using only the conventional discrete form of capacitor/inductor bank, the entire VAR range can be controlled. This enables the local Photovoltaic Distributed Generation System (PV-DGS) to provide the necessary reactive power support for the mitigation of large voltage variation on the feeder because of reverse power flow, intermittent solar radiation and load variation. This, in turn, supports increased PV penetration into the power system. As an extension of the proposed scheme, any existing conventional reactive power banks may be retrofitted with a given PV grid system to realize the proposed functionality. Detailed modeling, analysis and control design are included along with experimental verification.
Physiological characteristics of junior and senior rugby league players

Objectives: To investigate the physiological characteristics of subelite junior and senior rugby league players and establish performance standards for these athletes. Methods: A total of 159 junior (under 16, 15, 14, and 13, n = 88) and senior (first grade, second grade, and under 19, n = 71) rugby league players (forwards, n = 80, backs, n = 79), competing at a subelite level, underwent measurements of body mass, muscular power (vertical jump), speed (10 m, 20 m, and 40 m sprint), agility (Illinois agility run), and estimated maximal aerobic power (multistage fitness test). Data were also collected on match and training frequency and playing experience. Results: There was a significant effect (p<0.05) of age and playing level on playing experience, body mass, muscular power, speed, agility, and estimated maximal aerobic power, with the physiological capacities of players increasing as the playing level increased. Forwards were heavier than backs for all junior and senior teams. Forwards and backs had similar estimated maximal aerobic power, except for under 16 players, for whom significant (p<0.05) differences were detected (mean (95% confidence intervals) 42.9 (40.1 to 45.7) v 49.5 (46.4 to 52.6) ml/kg/min for forwards and backs respectively). Scores for speed, muscular power, and agility were not significantly different between forwards and backs for any of the junior or senior teams. Conclusions: The results show that there is a progressive improvement in the physiological capacities of rugby league players as the playing level increases. These findings provide normative data and performance standards for subelite junior and senior rugby league players. Further studies on the sociological, physical, psychological, and personal predictors of talent in rugby league are warranted.
The influence of perceptions of HIV infection, care, and identity on care entry

The benefits of accessing HIV care after diagnosis (e.g., improved clinical outcomes and reduced transmission) are well established. However, many persons who are aware that they are HIV infected have never received HIV medical care. During 2008–2010, we conducted 43 in-depth interviews in three health department jurisdictions among adults who had received an HIV diagnosis but who had never accessed HIV medical care. Respondents were selected from the HIV/AIDS Reporting System, a population-based surveillance system. We explored how respondents perceived HIV infection and HIV medical care. Most respondents associated HIV with death. Many respondents said that HIV medical care was not necessary until one is sick. Further, we explored how these perceptions may have conflicted with one's identity and thus served as barriers to timely care entry. Most respondents perceived themselves as healthy. All respondents acknowledged their HIV serostatus, but many did not self-identify as HIV-positive. Several respondents expressed that they were not ready to receive HIV care immediately but felt that they would eventually attempt to access care. Some stated that they needed time to accept their HIV diagnosis before entering care. To improve timely linkage to care, we suggest that during the posttest counseling session and subsequent linkage-to-care activities, counselors and service providers discuss patient perceptions of HIV, particularly to address beliefs that HIV infection is a “death sentence” or that HIV care is necessary only for those who exhibit symptoms.
Language Style Matching as a Predictor of Social Dynamics in Small Groups

Synchronized verbal behavior can reveal important information about social dynamics. This study introduces the linguistic style matching (LSM) algorithm for calculating verbal mimicry based on an automated textual analysis of function words. The LSM algorithm was applied to language generated during a small group discussion in which 70 groups comprised of 324 individuals engaged in an information search task either face-to-face or via text-based computer-mediated communication. As a metric, LSM predicted the cohesiveness of groups in both communication environments, and it predicted task performance in face-to-face groups. Other language features were also related to the groups’ cohesiveness and performance, including word count, pronoun patterns, and verb tense. The results reveal that this type of automated measure of verbal mimicry can be an objective, efficient, and unobtrusive tool for predicting underlying social dynamics. In total, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of using language to predict change in social psychological factors of interest.
Mass Spectrometric Quantitation of Nicotine, Cotinine, and 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-Pyridyl)-1-Butanol in Human Toenails

Numerous studies have quantified total cotinine (the sum of cotinine and cotinine-N-glucuronide) and total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol [NNAL; the sum of NNAL and its O- and N-glucuronides (NNAL-Glucs)] in the urine and blood of smokers, smokeless tobacco users, and nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Analysis of hair and nails has several advantages over blood and urine testing, such as accumulation of xenobiotics during long-term exposure, ease of collection, and indefinite stability of samples. We developed sensitive methods for quantitation of nicotine, cotinine, and NNAL in human toenails. Nicotine and cotinine were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-selected ion monitoring. NNAL was assayed using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry-selected reaction monitoring. The detection limits of the methods were 0.01 ng/mg toenail for nicotine, 0.012 ng/mg toenail for cotinine, and 0.02 pg/mg toenail for NNAL. In 35 smokers, the mean nicotine level was 5.9 ± 5.6 ng/mg toenail, mean cotinine was 1.6 ± 1.3 ng/mg toenail, and mean NNAL was 0.41 ± 0.67 pg/mg toenail. Samples collected from six nonsmokers were negative for NNAL. In smokers, NNAL correlated with cotinine (r = 0.77; P < 0.0001). The results of this study for the first time show the presence of cotinine and NNAL in human toenails. These sensitive and quantitative methods should be useful in epidemiologic studies of the role of chronic tobacco smoke exposure, including environmental tobacco smoke exposure, in human cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(12):2378–83)
Quick Discrimination of Adelta and C Fiber Mediated Pain Based on Three Verbal Descriptors

Background Aδ and C fibers are the major pain-conducting nerve fibers, activate only partly the same brain areas, and are differently involved in pain syndromes. Whether a stimulus excites predominantly Aδ or C fibers is a commonly asked question in basic pain research but a quick test was lacking so far. Methodology/Principal Findings Of 77 verbal descriptors of pain sensations, “pricking”, “dull” and “pressing” distinguished best (95% cases correctly) between Aδ fiber mediated (punctate pressure produced by means of von Frey hairs) and C fiber mediated (blunt pressure) pain, applied to healthy volunteers in experiment 1. The sensation was assigned to Aδ fibers when “pricking” but neither “dull” nor “pressing” were chosen, and to C fibers when the sum of the selections of “dull” or “pressing” was greater than that of the selection of “pricking”. In experiment 2, with an independent cohort, the three-descriptor questionnaire achieved sensitivity and specificity above 0.95 for distinguishing fiber preferential non-mechanical induced pain (laser heat, exciting Aδ fibers, and 5-Hz electric stimulation, exciting C fibers). Conclusion A three-item verbal rating test using the words “pricking”, “dull”, and “pressing” may provide sufficient information to characterize a pain sensation evoked by a physical stimulus as transmitted via Aδ or via C fibers. It meets the criteria of a screening test by being easy to administer, taking little time, being comfortable in handling, and inexpensive while providing high specificity for relevant information.
Verification of non-functional programs using interpretations in type theory

We study the problem of certifying programs combining imperative and functional features within the general framework of type theory. Type theory is a powerful specification language which is naturally suited for the proof of purely functional programs. To deal with imperative programs, we propose a logical interpretation of an annotated program as a partial proof of its specification. The construction of the corresponding partial proof term is based on a static analysis of the effects of the program which excludes aliases. The missing subterms in the partial proof term are seen as proof obligations, whose actual proofs are left to the user. We show that the validity of those proof obligations implies the total correctness of the program. This work has been implemented in the Coq proof assistant. It appears as a tactic taking an annotated program as argument and generating a set of proof obligations. Several nontrivial algorithms have been certified using this tactic.
A Descriptive Analysis of Selected Personality Traits of Student Teachers in Physical Education

This study investigated changes in six personality traits over a course of a teaching semester. The personality traits measured included anxiety, concentration, confidence, mental preparation, motivation, and cooperation. An adapted Psychological Skills Inventory for Sport (PSIS) questionnaire was administered to student teachers before (PRE), at mid-term (MID), and immediate after (POST) a student teaching period. Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance (rm MANOVA) and rm AN OVA and t-test of Scheffe were used to analyze differences for each the selected personality traits in terms of time (PRE, MID, and POST). The results reported significant differences in anxiety, concentration, confidence in terms of PRE, MID, and POST. It was also found that mental preparation changes significantly in terms of the time of PRE and POST. Significant differences in terms of time were not found for motivation and cooperation.
Exploratory testing: a multiple case study

Exploratory testing (ET) - simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution - is an applied practice in industry but lacks research. We present the current knowledge of ET based on existing literature and interviews with seven practitioners in three companies. Our interview data shows that the main reasons for using ET in the companies were the difficulties in designing test cases for complicated functionality and the need for testing from the end user's viewpoint. The perceived benefits of ET include the versatility of testing and the ability to quickly form an overall picture of system quality. We found some support for the claimed high defect detection efficiency of ET. The biggest shortcoming of ET was managing test coverage. Further quantitative research on the efficiency and effectiveness of ET is needed. To help focus ET efforts and help control test coverage, we must study planning, controlling and tracking ET.
Robust parsimonious selection of dysphonia measures for telemonitoring of Parkinson's disease symptom severity

(pd) symptom severity is typically quantified using the standard clinical metric Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (updrs) which spans the range 0-176 (0 denotes healthy). This assessment requires the patient's physical presence in the clinic, is time consuming, and relies on the clinical rater's subjective evaluation and experience; practice has shown that expert clinicians might differ by as much as 4-5 updrs points in their evaluations. We had previously developed a statistical machine learning framework which enables accurate and objective quantification of average pd symptom severity using exclusively speech signals. for this purpose, we evaluated 132 speech signal processing algorithms (dysphonia measures), which attempt to capture distinctive characteristics in PD subjects' voice. on a very large database of about 6,000 phonations, we could replicate the clinical experts' assessments within less than two UPDRS points' error. in this paper, we focus on identifying the most successful of the original 132 dysphonia measures in estimating updrs using five robust feature selection techniques. We demonstrate that we can improve on our previous findings using only 15 dysphonia measures, where the selected measures also tentatively indicate the most representative pathophysiological characteristics in male and female pd voices.
Chromosomal Translocations Caused by Either Pol32-Dependent or Pol32-Independent Triparental Break-Induced Replication

ABSTRACT Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are harmful DNA lesions that can generate chromosomal rearrangements or chromosome losses if not properly repaired. Despite their association with a number of genetic diseases and cancer, the mechanisms by which DSBs cause rearrangements remain unknown. Using a newly developed experimental assay for the analysis of translocations occurring between two chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we found that a single DSB located on one chromosome uses a short homologous sequence found in a third chromosome as a bridge to complete DSB repair, leading to chromosomal translocations. Such translocations are dramatically reduced when the short homologous sequence on the third chromosome is deleted. Translocations rely on homologous recombination (HR) proteins, such as Rad51, Rad52, and Rad59, as well as on the break-induced replication-specific protein Pol32 and on Srs2, but not on Ku70. Our results indicate that a single chromosomal DSB efficiently searches for short homologous sequences throughout the genome for its repair, leading to triparental translocations between heterologous chromosomes. Given the abundance of repetitive DNA in eukaryotic genomes, the results of this study open the possibility that HR rather than nonhomologous end joining may be a major source of chromosomal translocations.
Combined Methodology Based on Field Spectrometry and Digital Photography for Estimating Fire Severity

Fire severity can be considered one of the most influential factors in the postfire development of burnt areas. Ground level studies documenting changes in reflectance values improve the discrimination of spatial fire severity across large areas. The objective of this study was to determine those spectral regions most sensitive to fire severity levels by investigating the relationship between postfire surface materials and reflectance values. A total of 34 field plots were analyzed immediately following two natural fires in Spain. To obtain postfire data, we used a portable structure to obtain vertical photographs and reflectance values in the visible-near-infrared (VIS-NIR) range. Spectral reflectance and convolved Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) bands were statistically correlated with individual postfire materials and with a fire severity index, the Combustion Products Index (CPI), derived from them. The wavelengths most sensitive to postfire materials were 450.6, 758.2, and 797 nm for ash, black carbon, and vegetation, respectively, although these wavelengths were included within ranges of comparable behavior. Finally, stepwise multiple regression models (SMLRs) were applied to the data. SMLR predicted ash, black carbon, and vegetation levels from reflectance data with accuracies higher than 75%. Estimation from Landsat-TM bands yielded slightly lower accuracies. The CPI severity index was also well estimated using either reflectance data or TM bands (r 2 = 0.925 and r 2 = 0.840 , respectively).
A virtue for courageous minds : moderation in French political thought, 1748-1830

Is there a case to be made for an emerging traceable body of thought in France in the period from 1748 to 1830 that can be characterized as political moderation? Aurelian Craiutu certainly thinks so. His intriguing aim is not only to raise appreciation for and correct misunderstandings about political moderates both past and present, but to argue that moderation deserves recognition as a formal body of thought for inclusion in the future study of the history of the French polity. He promises a sequel volume on France that will take the analysis from the 1830s to the present.
Understanding Markups in the Open Economy Under Bertrand Competition

The purpose of this paper is to understand the effects of endogenous markups and trade costs on the pricing behavior of exporters when firms are heterogeneous in productivity. Using new analytical distributions for markups under Bertrand competition, we uncover Ricardian patterns of export pricing that generate higher markups and export price volatility when industrialized countries sell to developing countries. These Ricardian patterns dissipate when developing countries move from bilateral to multilateral trade liberalization. The results arise from a form of price rigidity for exports that arises endogenously due to cut-throat competition, even though prices are otherwise perfectly flexible.