Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrophobic analogues of rhodamine B and rhodamine 101: potent fluorescent probes of mitochondria in living C. elegans

Mitochondria undergo dynamic fusion and fission events that affect the structure and function of these critical energy-producing cellular organelles. Defects in these dynamic processes have been implicated in a wide range of human diseases including ischemia, neurodegeneration, metabolic disease, and cancer. To provide new tools for imaging of mitochondria in vivo, we synthesized novel hydrophobic analogues of the red fluorescent dyes rhodamine B and rhodamine 101 that replace the carboxylate with a methyl group. Compared to the parent compounds, methyl analogues termed HRB and HR101 exhibit slightly red-shifted absorbance and emission spectra (5–9 nm), modest reductions in molar extinction coefficent and quantum yield, and enhanced partitioning into octanol compared with aqueous buffer of 10-fold or more. Comparison of living C. elegans (nematode roundworm) animals treated with the classic fluorescent mitochondrial stains rhodamine 123, rhodamine 6G, and rhodamine B, as well as the structurally related fluorophores rhodamine 101, and basic violet 11, revealed that HRB and HR101 are the most potent mitochondrial probes, enabling imaging of mitochondrial motility, fusion, and fission in the germline and other tissues by confocal laser scanning microscopy after treatment for 2 h at concentrations as low as 100 picomolar. Because transgenes are poorly expressed in the germline of these animals, these small molecules represent superior tools for labeling dynamic mitochondria in this tissue compared with the expression of mitochondria-targeted fluorescent proteins. The high bioavailabilty of these novel fluorescent probes may facilitate the identification of agents and factors that affect diverse aspects of mitochondrial biology in vivo.
Synthetic NLTE accretion disc spectra for the dwarf nova SS Cygni during an outburst cycle

Context. Dwarf nova outbursts result from enhanced mass transport through the accretion disc of a cataclysmic variable system. Aims. We assess the question of whether these outbursts are caused by an enhanced mass transfer from the late-type main sequence star onto the white dwarf (so-called mass transfer instability model, MTI) or by a thermal instability in the accretion disc (disc instability model, DIM). Methods. We compute non-LTE models and spectra of accretion discs in quiescence and outburst and construct spectral time sequences for discs over a complete outburst cycle. We then compare our spectra to published optical spectroscopy of the dwarf nova SS Cygni. In particular, we investigate the hydrogen and helium line profiles that are turning from emission into absorption during the rise to outburst. Results. The evolution of the hydrogen and helium line profiles during the rise to outburst and decline clearly favour the discinstability model. Our spectral model sequences allow us to distinguish inside-out and outside-in moving heating waves in the disc of SS Cygni, which can be related to symmetric and asymmetric outburst light curves, respectively.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

" The Checks Aren't In the Mail " – There will be no checks in the mail to families this year. But for many working individuals, there will be more money in your paycheck. The withholding brackets are being adjusted so individuals should receive an extra $400 through their paychecks (spread out through the year), and couples would receive $800. This will spread out the payments, making it more likely to be spent rather than saved or used to reduce debt. What about the farmer or other self-employed individual? It seems they will be left out of this stimulus. Non-farmers or fishermen, who are required to make quarterly estimates, should be able to reduce their annual estimates by the $400/$800 amount. But since farmers make no estimates, there is no change for them. There will be a credit available on the 2009 tax return for anyone who either can't or chooses not to take advantage of this money now. The only exception is for individuals receiving Social Security benefits and individuals on disability. They will receive a one-time payment of $250. " Patching the AMT " – They have also included another one-year patch to the Alternative Minimum Tax problem. For the last several years, these one year patches have been taking place. In 2007, the problem lasted until late in December, so it got a little press at that time. Many households would be affected by the AMT if these patches weren't put in place. While this will not change anything from the past, if it had not been done it would have cost many families thousands of dollars in extra taxes.
Plant Origin of Green Propolis: Bee Behavior, Plant Anatomy and Chemistry

Propolis, a honeybee product, has gained popularity as a food and alternative medicine. Its constituents have been shown to exert pharmacological effects, such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. Shoot apices of Baccharis dracunculifolia (alecrim plant, Asteraceae) have been pointed out as sources of resin for green propolis. The present work aimed (i) to observe the collecting behavior of bees, (ii) to test the efficacy of histological analysis in studies of propolis botanical origin and (iii) to compare the chemistries of alecrim apices, resin masses and green propolis. Bee behavior was observed, and resin and propolis were microscopically analyzed by inclusion in methacrylate. Ethanol extracts of shoot apices, resin and propolis were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Bees cut small fragments from alecrim apices, manipulate and place the resulting mass in the corbiculae. Fragments were detected in propolis and identified as alecrim vestiges by detection of alecrim structures. Prenylated and non-prenylated phenylpropanoids, terpenoids and compounds from other classes were identified. Compounds so far unreported for propolis were identified, including anthracene derivatives. Some compounds were found in propolis and resin mass, but not in shoot apices. Differences were detected between male and female apices and, among apices, resin and propolis. Alecrim apices are resin sources for green propolis. Chemical composition of alecrim apices seems to vary independently of season and phenology. Probably, green propolis composition is more complex and unpredictable than previously assumed.
Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles in an S-shaped microchannel with hurdles

This paper presents a novel dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based microfluidic device, which incorporates multiple round hurdles within an S-shaped curved microchannel for continuous manipulation and separation of microparticles. Local nonuniform electric fields are induced by means of both constricted gaps formed between hurdles and outer channel wall, and variable current lengths in curved sections with equal width. Under the effect of negative DEP, particles will be directed away from either inner wall or hurdle edge, as they transport throughout the microchannel electrokinetically. Both experiment and numerical simulation were conducted, the results of which showed that fix-sized (i.e. 10 or 15 μm) polystyrene (PS) particles could be successfully switched, directed and focused by adjusting applied voltages at inlet and outlets, and size-based separation of 10 and 15 μm particles was achieved with a careful selection of applied voltages. Compared to other microchannel designs that make use of either obstacle or curvature individually for inhomogeneous electric fields, this design offers advantages such as improved controllability over particle motion, lower requirement of applied voltage, reduced fouling and particle adhesion, etc.
Antitumor effect of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies plus cis-diamminedichloroplatinum on well established A431 cell xenografts.

We have explored the therapeutic effects of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 225 and 528 on well established A431 epidermoid carcinoma xenografts, approximately 400 mm3 (1 cm in diameter) at the start of treatment. In previous reports we demonstrated that MAbs 225 and 528 prevented the growth of A431 cell xenografts in nude mice when treatment was begun on the day of tumor cell inoculation. Since anti-epidermal growth factor receptor MAb therapy of well established tumors was unable to retard growth, we explored combination therapy with MAb plus the chemotherapeutic agent cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cis-DDP). Additive and concentration-dependent growth-inhibitory effects of MAb with cis-DDP were observed in cultures of A431 cells. Neither intensive treatment with 225 MAb (1 mg/mouse, i.p. on day 8 after tumor inoculation, and twice weekly for 4 weeks) nor a maximally tolerated single dose of cis-DDP [150 micrograms/25 g (6 mg/kg) mouse weight, i.p. on day 8] had significant effects on tumor growth. However, the two treatments in combination resulted in substantial xenograft growth inhibition, compared with both an untreated control group and animals treated with a single modality. When a second dose of cis-DDP (150 micrograms/25 g) was added after 10 days, combination therapy with 225 MAb produced striking antitumor effects. At the end of 1 month tumor xenografts had disappeared in all but one mouse, and no tumor relapses occurred during 6 months of observation. Identical results were obtained with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor MAb 528 in combination with cis-DDP. The results of these studies provide a novel approach to the treatment of well established tumor xenografts, which may have application in the therapy of human malignancies.
Molecular Diagnosis of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Caused by Puumala Virus

ABSTRACT Rodent-borne hantaviruses cause two severe acute diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS; also called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome [HCPS]) in the Americas. Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most common causative agent of HFRS in Europe. Current routine diagnostic methods are based on serological analyses and can yield inconclusive results. Hantavirus-infected patients are viremic during the early phase of disease; therefore, detection of viral RNA genomes can be a valuable complement to existing serological methods. However, the high genomic sequence diversity of PUUV has hampered the development of molecular diagnostics, and currently no real-time reverse transcription-quantitative (RT)-PCR assay is available for routine diagnosis of HFRS. Here, we present a novel PUUV RT-PCR assay. The assay was validated for routine diagnosis of HFRS on samples collected in Sweden during the winter season from 2013 to 2014. The assay allowed detection of PUUV RNA in 98.7% of confirmed clinical HFRS samples collected within 8 days after symptomatic onset. In summary, this study shows that real-time RT-PCR can be a reliable alternative to serological tests during the early phase of HFRS.
Study of the Effects of Diazinon on Fetal Liver in BALB/c Mice

Background Diazinon is an organophosphate that is broadly used as a pesticide to control insects and environmental pollutions. This toxic material is absorbed via inhalation, contact, or digestion and affects different tissues. Objectives This research was a histomorphometric and immunohistochemical study of the fetal liver of mice after exposure to Diazinon. Materials and Methods Twenty-five pregnant BALB/c mice (25 - 30 gr) were divided into five equal groups in the animal lab of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The normal group was without any intervention, and two sham groups received an emulsifier as 0.52 and 5.2 μL/volume (5000 cc in desiccator) and two experimental groups received Diazinon 1.3 and 13μL/volume from the seventh to eighteenth days of pregnancy every other day via forty minutes of inhalation. The pregnant mice were killed on the eighteenth day of gestation and their fetuses were removed and evaluated for fetal growth and liver development. Five fixed fetuses were dehydrated through a series of graded ethanol, embedded in paraffin wax and their whole bodies were sectioned sagittally and stained via the hematoxylin-eosin method. Quantitative computer-assisted morphometric studies were done on the fetal liver tissues occupied by hepatocytes, blood islands, liver sinusoids, and apoptosis. Results The mean crown-rump of the fetuses and their mean weight were increased in the experimental group as compared to the sham and normal groups, but the differences were not significant. The mean percentage of the hepatocyte area significantly increased in the experimental group as compared to the sham and control groups (P < 0.0001). However, the mean sinusoid area significantly decreased in the experimental group as compared to the sham and control groups. The mean percentage of the area occupied by apoptotic hepatocytes in the experimental group - 13 μL /volume (8.6143 ± 1.00945) and 1.3 μL /volume (6.1091 ± 0.93093) - significantly increased as compared to the normal and sham groups (P < 0.0001). Conclusions Our data showed that inhalation of Diazinon during pregnancy increased the hepatocyte area and hepatocyte apoptosis while it decreased the sinusoid area of the fetal liver.
An analysis of judgemental bias in housing choice

Buying a home is among the most important choices that any individual is likely to make in their lifetime. It has lasting consequences for happiness, well-being and personal finances. Yet, given the infrequency with which such decisions are made; the difficulty getting information from an opaque and decentralised marketplace; and the high transactions costs involved, there is a significant risk that decision making may depart from the high standard imposed by the normative economic concept of rational choice. This thesis uses the insights of the economic theory of choice – from behavioural economics in particular – to examine housing choice from a new perspective. It considers the potential for estate agents, knowingly or otherwise, to exploit behavioural biases in decision making to influence preference and, ultimately, choices over housing. This naturally is of interest to estate agents and policy makers involved in housing markets; but most importantly to individuals as decision makers: making better decisions relies on understanding when and where vulnerability to manipulation may lie. Using evidence from a series of classroom experiments with 280 student volunteers and from two online surveys with over 4,000 adult respondents, significant areas where individuals may be consistently vulnerable to manipulation of judgement are found and recorded. In particular, both student and adult respondents are susceptible to biases involving manipulation of the decision making context, known as the choice frame. Students also tend to rely on arbitrary ‘anchor’ points to make value estimates, which results in significantly impaired judgements, even in the presence of incentives for accuracy. Finally, evidence of a significant new form of behavioural bias is found, in which elements of the choice frame have an unexpectedly negative impact on perceptions. This new bias is persistent across several experimental scenarios and is labelled the choice pollution effect.
Where Women are Leaders: The SEWA Movement in India

* Frontispiece * List of Photographs and Illustrations * Preface * Acknowledgements * 1. SEWA: Women in Movement * 2. Emergence * 3. Independence * 4. SEWA's Shakti: Growing Up and Leading Out * 5. The Union: Struggles of Solidarity * 6. Video SEWA: Focusing on Issues * 7. The SEWA Bank: 'This Bank is Like Our Mother's Place' * 8. Women's Cooperatives: A Lever for Change * 9. Health Services: 'This Body is My Only Asset' * 10. SEWA Bharat: Reaching Across the Country * 11. Moving on: Pushing Policy Outward * Appendices * Glossary of Terms * Index
Descriptive Set Theory in the Category of Represented Spaces

We propose to extend descriptive set theory (DST) beyond its traditional setting of Polish spaces to the represented spaces. There, we can reformulate DST in terms of endofunctors on the categories of represented spaces and computable or continuous functions. In particular, this approach satisfies the demand for a uniform approach to both classic and effective DST -- computability follows naturally from the setting, rather than having to be explicitly demanded. The previous endeavour to extend DST to the Quasi-Polish spaces is subsumed by this work. In several cases the category-theoretic setting enables new, very succinct proofs, and sheds a new light on why certain results are true. The framework lets us make formal some natural questions not easily approachable by traditional methods.
The Declining Credit Quality of U.S. Corporate Debt: Myth or Reality?

In recent years, the number of downgrades in corporate bond ratings has exceeded the number of upgrades, leading some to conclude that the credit quality of U.S. corporate debt has declined. However, an alternative explanation of this apparent decline in credit quality is that the rating agencies are now using more stringent standards in assigning ratings. An ordered probit analysis of a panel of firms from 1978 through 1995 suggests that rating standards have indeed become more stringent, implying that at least part of the downward trend in ratings is the result of changing standards. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Gain Mechanisms for Contextually Guided Visuomotor Transformations

A prevailing question in sensorimotor research is the integration of sensory signals with abstract behavioral rules (contexts) and how this results in decisions about motor actions. We used neural network models to study how context-specific visuomotor remapping may depend on the functional connectivity among multiple layers. Networks were trained to perform different rotational visuomotor associations, depending on the stimulus color (a nonspatial context signal). In network I, the context signal was propagated forward through the network (bottom-up), whereas in network II, it was propagated backwards (top-down). During the presentation of the visual cue stimulus, both networks integrate the context with the sensory information via a mechanism similar to the classic gain field. The recurrence in the networks hidden layers allowed a simulation of the multimodal integration over time. Network I learned to perform the proper visuomotor transformations based on a context-modulated memory of the visual cue in its hidden layer activity. In network II, a brief visual response, which was driven by the sensory input, is quickly replaced by a context-modulated motor-goal representation in the hidden layer. This happens because of a dominant feedback signal from the output layer that first conveys context information, and then, after the disappearance of the visual cue, conveys motor goal information. We also show that the origin of the context information is not necessarily closely tied to the top-down feedback. However, we suggest that the predominance of motor-goal representations found in the parietal cortex during context-specific movement planning might be the consequence of strong top-down feedback originating from within the parietal lobe or from the frontal lobe.
Truthful Communication of Information ( preliminary and incomplete )

This paper offers a unified treatment of truthful communication in the context of the sale of an asset under incomplete information. Among other things, the framework accommodates general assumptions about reporting costs, information endowments, the language of communication or the productive uses of information. I show that this class of problems admits a unique perfect sequential rational expectations equilibrium (PRE) and provide a tractable methodology to analyze the equilibrium. As an application, I provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a PRE, unravelling to full-disclosure and the social value of mandatory disclosure. Lastly, I show that several classic results in this literature may not hold with richer assumptions about truthful communication.
Performance Measures Provide Assessments of Pain and Function in People With Advanced Osteoarthritis of the Hip or Knee

Background and Purpose. Pain and physical function are core outcome measures for people with osteoarthritis, and self-report questionnaires have been the preferred assessment method. There is evidence suggesting that self-reports of physical function represent what people experience when performing activities rather than their ability to perform activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity of performance-specific assessments of pain and function. Subjects. The sample consisted of 177 participants who had osteoarthritis of the hip (n=81) or knee (n=96) and who were awaiting total joint arthroplasty. Methods. Through a cross-sectional design, participants performed 4 performance activities (self-paced walk test, stair test, Timed “Up & Go” Test, and Six-Minute Walk Test). Outcomes were time or distance (function) and pain ratings obtained immediately after each activity. The authors conceptualized 2 correlated factors, with pain items loading uniquely on 1 factor and functional items loading on the second factor, and uncorrelated error terms. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied. Results. Initial analysis yielded results consistent with the conceptualized model in this study with the exception of a nonzero correlation between the stair pain and function error terms. Dropping the stair test provided results consistent with the conceptualized model. Discussion and Conclusion. Given the limitations of self-report alone as a method of obtaining reasonably distinct assessments of pain and function, the extent to which performance-specific assessments could accomplish this goal was examined in this study. It was found that collectively the walk test, Timed “Up & Go” Test, and Six-Minute Walk Test yielded 2 factors consistent with the health concepts of pain and function. The authors believe that the application of these tests may provide clinicians and clinical researchers with more distinct impressions of pain and function that complement information from self-report measures.
Bioinformatics Applications Note Sequence Analysis G-sqz: Compact Encoding of Genomic Sequence and Quality Data

SUMMARY: Large volumes of data generated by high-throughput sequencing instruments present non-trivial challenges in data storage, content access and transfer. We present G-SQZ, a Huffman coding-based sequencing-reads-specific representation scheme that compresses data without altering the relative order. G-SQZ has achieved from 65% to 81% compression on benchmark datasets, and it allows selective access without scanning and decoding from start. This article focuses on describing the underlying encoding scheme and its software implementation, and a more theoretical problem of optimal compression is out of scope. The immediate practical benefits include reduced infrastructure and informatics costs in managing and analyzing large sequencing data. Source: available at no cost under a non-open-source license by requesting from the web-site; Binary: available for direct download at no cost. For-Profit: Submit request for for-profit license from the web-site.