Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CovR and VicRK Regulate Cell Surface Biogenesis Genes Required for Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus mutans

The two-component system VicRK and the orphan regulator CovR of Streptococcus mutans co-regulate a group of virulence genes associated with the synthesis of and interaction with extracellular polysaccharides of the biofilm matrix. Knockout mutants of vicK and covR display abnormal cell division and morphology phenotypes, although the gene function defects involved are as yet unknown. Using transcriptomic comparisons between parent strain UA159 with vicK (UAvic) or covR (UAcov) deletion mutants together with electrophoretic motility shift assays (EMSA), we identified genes directly regulated by both VicR and CovR with putative functions in cell wall/surface biogenesis, including gbpB, wapE, smaA, SMU.2146c, and lysM. Deletion mutants of genes regulated by VicR and CovR (wapE, lysM, smaA), or regulated only by VicR (SMU.2146c) or CovR (epsC) promoted significant alterations in biofilm initiation, including increased fragility, defects in microcolony formation, and atypical cell morphology and/or chaining. Significant reductions in mureinolytic activity and/or increases in DNA release during growth were observed in knockout mutants of smaA, wapE, lysM, SMU.2146c and epsC, implying roles in cell wall biogenesis. WapE and lysM mutations also affected cell hydrophobicity and sensitivity to osmotic or oxidative stress. Finally, vicR, covR and VicRK/CovR-targets (gbpB, wapE, smaA, SMU.2146c, lysM, epsC) are up-regulated in UA159 during biofilm initiation, in a sucrose-dependent manner. These data support a model in which VicRK and CovR coordinate cell division and surface biogenesis with the extracellular synthesis of polysaccharides, a process apparently required for formation of structurally stable biofilms in the presence of sucrose.
An XMM-Newton observation of the globular cluster Omega Centauri

We report on a deep XMM-Newton EPIC observation of the globular cluster Omega Cen performed on August 13th, 2001. We have detected 11 and 27 faint X-ray sources in the core and half mass radii, searching down to a luminosity of $1.3 \times 10^{31}$ ergs s -1 in the 0.5–5 keV range. Most sources have bolometric X-ray luminosities between ~$ 10^{31}{-}10^{32}$ ergs s -1 . We present the color-color and hardness-intensity diagrams of the source sample, as well as high-quality EPIC spectra of the brightest objects of the field, including the two candidate Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) in the core and the quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binary candidate. The spectra of the latter objects fully support their previous classification. We show that the bulk of sources are hard and spectrally similar to CVs. The lack of soft faint sources might be related to the absence of millisecond pulsars in the cluster. The XMM-Newton observations reveal the presence of an excess of sources well outside the core of the cluster where several RS CVn binaries have already been found. We have also analyzed a publicly available Chandra ACIS-I observation performed on January 24-25th, 2000, to improve the XMM-Newton source positions and to search for source intensity variations between the two data sets. 63 XMM-Newton sources have a Chandra counterpart, and 15 sources within the half-mass radius have shown time variability. Overall, the general properties of the faint X-ray sources in ω Cen suggest that they are predominantly CVs and active binaries (RS CVn or BY Dra).
An exploration of how trainee counsellors who are practising believers of a world religion or faith tradition experience undertaking counsellor training

ABSTRACT This paper is a report of a qualitative study in which the aim was to investigate how counsellors who identified as practising members of a world religion or faith experienced undertaking counsellor training in the UK. All four participants were final year students on BACP accredited counsellor training programmes and identified as practicing Christians. Data was collated via semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings point to trainees experiencing significant anxiety with regard to talking about their faith during training for fear of eliciting negative judgments. As a result, participants either avoided talking about their religion or sought to defend it against negative perceptions. Participants tended to feel more comfortable talking to supervisors or therapists rather than their peers about religion when it was relevant to the client work or to personal issues. All participants reported receiving limited teaching input around religion and mental health on their programmes and felt this was a neglected area in counsellor training.
1 9 M ar 2 01 6 Sentence Pair Scoring : Towards Unified Framework for Text Comprehension

We review the task of Sentence Pair Scoring , popular in the literature in various forms — slanted as Answer Sentence Se-We argue that such tasks are similar from the model perspective (especially in the context of high-capacity deep neu-ral models) and propose new baselines by comparing the performance of popular convolutional, recurrent and attention-based neural models across many Sentence Pair Scoring tasks and datasets. We discuss the problem of evaluating ran-domized models, propose a statistically grounded methodology, and attempt to improve comparisons by releasing new datasets that are much harder than some of the currently used well explored benchmarks. To address the current research fragmentation in a future-proof way, we introduce a unified open source software framework with easily pluggable models, allowing easy evaluation on a wide range of semantic natural language tasks. This allows us to outline a path towards a universal machine learned semantic model for machine reading tasks. We support this plan by experiments that demonstrate reusability of models trained on different tasks, even across corpora of very different nature.
Exploring the impact of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) on modern gossip from female perspectives

With many adults actively using social networking sites daily (Davidson, 2015; Prescott, 2016), this research looks at the ways social networking sites (SNSs) may impact gossiping behaviours in women. Literature commonly portrays women as either the victims or perpetrators of gossip (Subramanian, 2011), which made them the ideal population to interview. This research has taken an in depth, qualitative approach to the ways SNSs may be influencing gossiping behaviours in women. Seven semi-structured interviews were employed, using seven female participants, ages ranging from 18-30. Thematic analysis was conducting following the steps outline by Braun and Clarke (2006) and identified five themes that highlight the role SNSs has on gossiping behaviours in women. These themes were, Facebook as evidence, manipulating online gossiping evidence, accessibility to online gossiping topics, identifying gossip worthy online updates and the language surrounding online gossiping behaviours. These findings can be the starting point for future research into the area of social networking sites and gossip in women and the ways in which information from social networking sites can be spread.
Interactive Rendering with Coherent Ray Tracing

For almost two decades researchers have argued that ray tracing will eventually become faster than the rasterization technique that completely dominates todays graphics hardware. However, this has not happened yet. Ray tracing is still exclusively being used for off‐line rendering of photorealistic images and it is commonly believed that ray tracing is simply too costly to ever challenge rasterization‐based algorithms for interactive use. However, there is hardly any scientific analysis that supports either point of view. In particular there is no evidence of where the crossover point might be, at which ray tracing would eventually become faster, or if such a point does exist at all.
Semifactual “even if” thinking

Semifactual thinking about what might have been the same, e.g., “even if Philip had not chosen the chocolate ice-cream sundae, he would have developed an allergic reaction” has been neglected compared to counterfactual thinking about what might have been different, e.g., “if only Philip had not chosen the chocolate ice-cream sundae, he would not have developed an allergic reaction”. We report the first systematic comparison of the two sorts of thinking in two experiments. The first experiment showed that counterfactual “if only” thoughts about an antecedent event lead people to judge the event to be more causally related to the outcome, whereas semifactual “even if” thoughts lead people to judge the antecedent event to be less causally related to the outcome. In addition, the experiment showed that generating counterfactual “if only” thoughts increases emotional reactions such as regret, whereas generating semifactual “even if” thoughts decreases such reactions. The second experiment, along with a replication experiment, showed that when people complete “if only” and “even if'” sentence stems, they focus on different alternative antecedents to the outcome: “if only” thoughts focus on alternatives that would undo the outcome whereas “even if” thoughts focus on alternatives that would not undo it, from among a set of available alternative antecedents in which either all, some, or none would undo the outcome. The implications of the results for theories of thinking about what might have been are discussed.
Risk for Malignancy of Thyroid Nodules as Assessed by Sonographic Criteria

Objective. To correlate sonographic and color Doppler characteristics of thyroid nodules with the results of sonographically guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy to establish the relative importance of these features in predicting risk for malignancy. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the sonographic features of 34 malignant and 36 benign thyroid nodules with respect to size, echogenicity, echo structure, shape, border, calcification, and internal vascularity. Individual features and combinations of features were analyzed for their correlation with benign or malignant disease. A comparative analysis of several authors' previously proposed methods for distinguishing between benign and malignant nodules using sonographic criteria was also performed to determine their sensitivity and specificity in predicting nodule disease within our study data. Results. Nodule size ranged from 0.8 to 4.6 cm in greatest dimension (mean, 1.96 cm; SD, 0.877 cm). The prevalence of malignancy in our study population was estimated to be nearly 5.33%. Intragroup comparison of sonographic features among benign and malignant nodules resulted in identification of intrinsic calcification as the only statistically significant predictor of malignancy (35.3% sensitive and 94.4% specific; P < .005). Presence of a “snowstorm” pattern of calcification was 100% specific for malignancy. Echogenicity, echo structure, shape, border classification, and grade of internal vascularity did not show any significant difference between benign and malignant nodules in this study. Various combinations of features previously suggested to be significant predictors of malignancy were also analyzed and shown to have very little sensitivity or specificity in predicting benign or malignant disease among nodules in our study population. Conclusions. This study indicates that the presence of intrinsic microcalcification is the only statistically reliable criterion on which to base increased suspicion for malignancy in thyroid nodules. Our results indicate the need for biopsy in determining further workup. All nodules that show the presence of intrinsic microcalcification should undergo biopsy, particularly if calcifications have a snowstorm appearance on sonography.
Understanding the influence of resilience for people with a lived experience of mental illness: A self‐determination theory perspective

Behaviors associated with resilience can be seen as tantamount to coping with stress and vulnerability. This is important for people who live with mental illness. This study aimed to determine whether key basic psychological needs influence resilience among people with a lived experience of mental illness. A total of 159 consumers with a lived experience of mental illness completed self-report surveys measuring resilience and the basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) espoused in self-determination theory. A 2-step analysis was conducted, including Pearson product correlations and stepwise multiple regression. Higher levels of relatedness significantly predicted resilience. Competence and autonomy did not have a significant influence on resilience. Reconnecting or establishing social relationships within ones community is important for people living with mental illness. The link between resilience and relatedness ought to be considered in treatment plans.
An Appraisal of Existing Evaluation Frameworks for Agile Methodologies

The emergence of agile software development methodologies, and the sheer number of the variants introduced, has raised the need for evaluation and comparison efforts, mostly in order to facilitate the selection or engineering of an agile methodology aimed at a specific software development situation. But existing evaluation frameworks and comparison tools do not satisfy all the needs of project managers and method engineers. The principal objectives of this paper are to introduce a fundamental basis for evaluation frameworks that target existing challenges, and also to evaluate existing evaluation frameworks in order to identify their shortcomings. To this aim, we have proposed an evaluation criterion set, or meta- criteria, according to which existing evaluation frameworks have been assessed. These meta-criteria define the essential features that an appropriate evaluation framework is expected to possess. The evaluation results show that existing evaluation frameworks do not satisfy typical requirements, and fail to address existing challenges. Therefore, the need still remains for an appropriate and useful evaluation framework for appraising agile methodologies.
Jitter analysis of mixed PLL-DLL architecture in DRAM environment

This paper presents the application feasibility of mixed mode PLL-DLL in DRAM. Jitter analysis of mixed mode PLL-DLL in DRAM environment has been carried out. According to the jitter type, this model can be used as pure PLL or pure DLL or a mixed PLL-DLL. It is observed that mixed mode PLL-DLL architecture can combine the advantage from both PLL and DLL to reduce jitter in DRAM.
Buparvaquone Nanostructured Lipid Carrier: Development of an Affordable Delivery System for the Treatment of Leishmaniases

Buparvaquone (BPQ), a veterinary drug, was formulated as nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for leishmaniases treatment. The formulation design addressed poor water solubility of BPQ and lack of human drug delivery system. The DSC/TG and microscopy methods were used for solid lipids screening. Softisan® 154 showed highest BPQ solubility in both methods. The BPQ solubility in liquid lipids using HPLC revealed Miglyol® 812 as the best option. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to identify the optimal Softisan154 : Miglyol 812 ratios (7 : 10 to 2 : 1) and Kolliphor® P188 and Tween® 80 concentration (>3.0% w/w) aiming for z-average in the range of 100–300 nm for macrophage delivery. The NLC obtained by high-pressure homogenization showed low z-averages (<350 nm), polydispersity (<0.3), and encapsulation efficiency close to 100%. DSC/TG and microscopy in combination proved to be a powerful tool to select the solid lipid. The relationship among the variables, demonstrated by a linear mathematical model using RSM, allowed generating a design space. This design space showed the limits in which changes in the variables influenced the z-average. Therefore, these drug delivery systems have the potential to improve the availability of affordable medicines due to the low cost of raw materials, using well established, reliable, and feasible scale-up technology.
Issues on the Measurement of the Solow Residual and the Testing of Its Exogeneity: A Tale of Two Countries

Using aggregate US and Canadian data, this paper examines the implications for the empirical assessment of market structure and exogeneity of productivity shocks of correcting the Solow residual for variation in capacity utilization. In contrast to most studies, not accounting for capacity utilization, our results suggest that the US and Canadian market structures are well described by constant returns to scale and perfect competition. They also suggest that Canadian productivity shocks are exogenous to real and monetary variables, while US productivity shocks become exogenous to narrowly-defined monetary aggregates and monetary policy innovations when the capital stock is adjusted for variations in utilization rates. A l'aide de donnees agregees americaines et canadiennes, nous examinons les implications empiriques quant a la structure de marche et a l'exogeneite des chocs de productivite, suite a la correction de la mesure du residu de Solow lorsqu'il y a utilisation variable du capital. Comparativement, a la plupart des etudes qui ont ignore cette consideration, nos resultats suggerent qu'en agrege, les structures de marche canadienne et americaine sont convenablement caracterisees par des rendements constants a l'echelle et la concurrence parfaite. Nous trouvons aussi qu'apres ajustement pour un taux variable d'utilisation du stock de capital, la mesure corrigee des chocs de productivite canadiens est exogene aux variables monetaires et reelles, alors que celle des chocs de productivite americains devient exogene aux agregats monetaires etroits et aux innovations monetaires.
Relationship between the Extent of DNA Damage and Gastritis in Normal and Helicobacter pylori-Infected Patients

Background/Aims The role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric carcinogenesis is unclear, but H. pylori infection is thought to predispose carriers to gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the extent of DNA damage in normal gastric epithelial cells and H. pylori-positive and -negative gastritis according to histological diagnosis. We also compared the percentage of cometed cells on the surface of the gastric epithelial cells to the percentage beneath the gastric mucosal cells using serial incubations times. Methods The comet assay is a rapid, efficient and reproducible measure of DNA damage in single cell and it was used in this study. DNA damage was evaluated in 52 cases using alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Comparisons were made between 19 normal individuals, 19 patients with H. pylori-positive and -negative gastritis and 14 mixed cases with different histology gradings to determine if there was a relationship between histological diagnosis and DNA damage (comet percentage). Results The comet percentages in specimens from cases with normal histology were significantly higher than the comet percentages in specimens from cases with H. pylori-positive gastritis. In addition, there was a significant increase in the percentage of cometed cells on the surface of gastric epithelial cells in both normal and H. pylori-infected cells compared to the subsequent gastric cell layers of the same specimen. Conclusions A relationship between the comet percentage and the histological diagnosis was observed.
The Effects Of Inquiry And Single-gender Grouping On Second Grade Girls' Attitudes And Participation In Science

Disparities between males and females in attitudes toward science have been the focus of extensive investigations. Studies have found that females feel intimidated by their male peers in science and mathematics classes, making girls less likely to participate. Their confidence in these areas decreases and they become less likely to follow related career paths. Researchers and educators are at task to find methods to provide equal learning opportunities for all students. The purpose of this action research was to investigate the effects of single-gender grouping and inquiry-based teaching on girls’ participation and attitude in science class. This study took place in a second grade classroom at a suburban school in the fall of 2005. Surveys and interviews were used to investigate students’ attitudes before and after working with inquiry learning singlegender groups. Using observations, female students’ participation was recorded according to the kind of participation they exhibited – passive/assisting, active/leading, or active/manipulating. Students maintained journals to record their understanding of science content and rated the lessons. In addition to improving female students’ attitudes towards science, inquiry learning fostered an increase in active student participation. Six out of the eight female students perceived that girls participated more in single-gender groups during the study than they did before the study in their regular mixed-gender groups. However, they did not report a change in their own participation in relation to their peers after working in single-gender groups. Further research with control groups was suggested with a larger and more socio-economically diverse population.
The locomotor kinematics of Asian and African elephants: changes with speed and size

SUMMARY For centuries, elephant locomotion has been a contentious and confusing challenge for locomotion scientists to understand, not only because of technical difficulties but also because elephant locomotion is in some ways atypical of more familiar quadrupedal gaits. We analyzed the locomotor kinematics of over 2400 strides from 14 African and 48 Asian elephant individuals (body mass 116-4632 kg) freely moving over ground at a 17-fold range of speeds, from slow walking at 0.40 m s-1 to the fastest reliably recorded speed for elephants, 6.8 m s-1. These data reveal that African and Asian elephants have some subtle differences in how size-independent kinematic parameters change with speed. Although elephants use a lateral sequence footfall pattern, like many other quadrupeds, they maintain this footfall pattern at all speeds, shifting toward a 25% phase offset between limbs (singlefoot) as they increase speed. The duty factors of elephants are greater for the forelimbs than for the hindlimbs, so an aerial phase for the hindquarters is reached at slower speeds than for the forequarters. This aerial phase occurs at a Froude number of around 1, matching theoretical predictions. At faster speeds, stance and swing phase durations approach asymptotes, with the duty factor beginning to level off, concurrent with an increase in limb compliance that likely keeps peak forces relatively low. This increase of limb compliance is reflected by increased compression of the hindlimbs. Like other tetrapods, smaller elephants are relatively more athletic than larger ones, but still move very similarly to adults even at <500 kg. At any particular speed they adopt greater relative stride frequencies and relative stride lengths compared to larger elephants. This extends to near-maximal locomotor performance as well - smaller elephants reach greater Froude numbers and smaller duty factors, hence likely reach relatively greater peak loads on their limbs and produce this force more rapidly. A variety of lines of kinematic evidence support the inference that elephants change their mechanics near a Froude number of 1 (if not at slower speeds), at least to using more compliant limbs, if not spring-like whole-body kinetics. In some ways, elephants move similarly to many other quadrupeds, such as increasing speed mainly by increasing stride frequency (except at fast speeds), and they match scaling predictions for many stride parameters. The main difference from most other animals is that elephants never change their footfall pattern to a gait that uses a whole-body aerial phase. Our large dataset establishes what the normal kinematics of elephant locomotion are, and can also be applied to identify gait abnormalities that may signal musculoskeletal pathologies, a matter of great importance to keepers of captive elephants.