Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recombinant Pinoresinol-Lariciresinol Reductases from Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) Catalyze Opposite Enantiospecific Conversions*

Although the heartwood of woody plants represents the main source of fiber and solid wood products, essentially nothing is known about how the biological processes leading to its formation are initiated and regulated. Accordingly, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-guided cloning strategy was employed to obtain genes encoding pinoresinol-lariciresinol reductases from western red cedar (Thuja plicata) as a means to initiate the study of its heartwood formation. (+)-Pinoresinol-(+)-lariciresinol reductase from Forsythia intermedia was used as a template for primer construction for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction amplifications, which, when followed by homologous hybridization cloning, resulted in the isolation of two distinct classes of putative pinoresinol-lariciresinol reductase cDNA clones from western red cedar. A representative of each class was expressed as a fusion protein with β-galactosidase and assayed for enzymatic activity. Using both deuterated and radiolabeled (±)-pinoresinols as substrates, it was established that each class of cDNA encoded a pinoresinol-lariciresinol reductase of different (opposite) enantiospecificity. Significantly, the protein from one class converted (+)-pinoresinol into (–)-secoisolariciresinol, whereas the other utilized the opposite (–)-enantiomer to give the corresponding (+)-form. This differential substrate specificity raises important questions about the role of each of these individual reductases in heartwood formation, such as whether they are expressed in different cells/tissues or at different stages during heartwood development.
Logic Rewiring for Delay and Power Minimization

An application of the ATPG-based method by Veneris et al [11] to multi-level combinational logic circuit delay and power optimization is presented. A number of theoretical results and various heuristics are described to allow for an efficient implementation of the algorithm. Experiments confirm the robustness of the approach.
Restrained expectations in late pregnancy following loss.

OBJECTIVE To describe women's late pregnancy after loss experiences (from 25 weeks gestation to birth), document the timing and frequency of their common discomforts and events, and explore changes in these experiences over time. DESIGN A longitudinal, qualitative study of pregnancy calendar entries and field notes. SETTING Prenatal care providers and community canvassing in Central New York and the Internet. PARTICIPANTS Pregnant women (N= 69) with a history of perinatal loss. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Women's pregnancy calendar entries and field notes. RESULTS Thematic data analysis yielded two main themes and several subthemes: (a) Precarious Pregnancy Security with subthemes of Informed Awareness and Varying Emotions and (b) Prudent Baby Preparations with subthemes of Physical, Social, and Emotional Preparation. CONCLUSION Women reported an increased sense of security about the pregnancy and baby over time but this security was easily shaken. For women with a history of later or multiple loss, anxiety may remain high or increase as the due date approaches. Fetal movement is the most common barometer of fetal well-being during this part of pregnancy. With a better understanding of pregnancy after loss, clinicians can have a positive impact on women's prenatal experiences.
Telithromycin Susceptibility and Genomic Diversity of Macrolide-Resistant Serotype III Group B Streptococci Isolated in Perinatal Infections

ABSTRACT We studied the telithromycin, erythromycin, azithromycin, and clindamycin susceptibilities of serotype III macrolide-resistant group B streptococci, together with genetic mechanisms of resistance and genomic diversity. ermB, ermA, and mefA were found in, respectively, 57, 32, and 9% of isolates. The telithromycin MIC at which 90% of isolates were inhibited was 0.5 μg/ml. Macrolide resistance was associated with dissemination of resistance determinants among isolates of different genetic backgrounds.
The Impact of the Quality Management System ISO 9000 on Customer Satisfaction of Slovenian Companies

Many companies invest great efforts into achieving appropriate organization and through it better quality of products and services. They try to achieve this in a systematic way following the standard ISO 9000. Implementing ISO is a management decision that requires consideration of company’s operations, strategy, staff and, most importantly, customers. The theoretical part of the research is focused on literature review. Second part-empirical research has been done on the basis of structured questionnaires gathered from 212 responses of Slovenian companies that had already acquired the ISO 9000 quality standard certificate by 2002. We have posed eight questions about the impact of the ISO 9000 on customer satisfaction. The research results in Slovenian companies confirm the ISO 9000 quality standard’s impact on better satisfying customers’ needs and demands, but not the direct impact on business success. This paper also presents a very useful source of solutions and information for managers and researchers in the field of quality systems and customer satisfaction. Additionally, it comprises an short overview of customer relationship management (CRM) as a system that companies can use for monitoring and satisfying the needs of a customer during any given interaction.
The clinical value and the cost-effectiveness of follow-up in endometrial cancer patients

The aim of the present article was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of follow-up in endometrial cancer patients. A literature review was performed regarding the studies that addressed routine follow-up of endometrial cancer. For each published study, the costs of the follow-up program were calculated according to Belgium standards. A mean total of 13% relapsed. Symptomatology and clinical examination detected over 83% of the recurrences. The follow-up cost in euro after 5 and 10 years ranged between 127.68 and 2028.78 and between 207.48 and 2353.48, respectively. Based on the available data, there is little evidence of routine follow-up improving survival rates. Multiple protocols are used in practice without an evidence base. There is an urgent need for prospective randomized studies to evaluate the value of the current so-called ‘standard medical practice of follow-up. ’ It is to be expected that the cost of follow-up could be reduced considerably, for instance, by tailoring to low- and high-risk groups, or by abandoning routine follow-up. Symptomatic patients, however, should be evaluated immediately. A reduction in the number of visits and examinations would mean an enormous reduction in costs. This economic benefit would be warmly welcomed in the times of increased health costs and decreased budgets.
On the Double Dividend of Environmental Taxation

An income tax is equivalent to a uniform tax on all expenditures, including expenditures on commodity tax payments. This will compound the tax being applied to any taxed commodity. In the presence of an income tax, therefore, any expenditure tax (including a pollution tax) will produce a higher effective tax than its nominal tax rate would suggest. For example, a nominal Pigouvian tax applied to a polluting good will be equivalent to an effective tax higher than this. These observations are used to shed light on recent debate surrounding the double dividend hypothesis. From this vantage point, the present analysis finds that the double dividend hypothesis is valid and that the optimal effective pollution tax is always the Pigouvian rate, although the presence of an income tax implies a correspondingly lower nominal pollution tax rate. The analysis also concludes that second-best optimal taxation implies a cleaner, not a dirtier, environment than for the first-best case, and that a higher marginal cost of public funds will raise the optimal tax on polluting goods and lower the optimal level of pollution.
Evolution on oceanic islands: molecular phylogenetic approaches to understanding pattern and process

By their very nature oceanic island ecosystems offer great opportunities for the study of evolution and have for a long time been recognized as natural laboratories for studying evolution owing to their discrete geographical nature and diversity of species and habitats. The development of molecular genetic methods for phylogenetic reconstruction has been a significant advance for evolutionary biologists, providing a tool for answering questions about the diversity among the flora and fauna on such islands. These questions relate to both the origin and causes of species diversity both within an archipelago and on individual islands. Within a phylogenetic framework one can answer fundamental questions such as whether ecologically and/or morphologically similar species on different islands are the result of island colonization or convergent evolution. Testing hypotheses about ages of the individual species groups or entire community assemblages is also possible within a phylogenetic framework. Evolutionary biologists and ecologists are increasingly turning to molecular phylogenetics for studying oceanic island plant and animal communities and it is important to review what has been attempted and achieved so far, with some cautionary notes about interpreting phylogeographical pattern on oceanic islands.
Cell motility through plasma membrane blebbing

Plasma membrane blebs are dynamic cytoskeleton-regulated cell protrusions that have been implicated in apoptosis, cytokinesis, and cell movement. Influencing Rho–guanosine triphosphatase activities and subsequent actomyosin dynamics appears to constitute a core component for bleb formation. In this paper, we discuss recent evidence in support of a central role of nonapoptotic membrane blebbing for cell migration and cancer cell invasion as well as advances in our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Based on these studies, we propose that in a physiological context, bleb-associated cell motility reflects a cell's response to reduced substratum adhesion. The importance of blebbing as a functional protrusion is underscored by the existence of multiple molecular mechanisms that govern actin-mediated bleb retraction.
Genotyping of rotaviruses detected in children admitted to hospital from Faisalabad Region, Pakistan

Rotavirus infection is very common in developing countries and occurs at least once in children under the age of 5 years. The rate of detection of rotavirus infection in various age groups (0–5 years) in patients with gastroenteritis admitted to hospital from the Faisalabad region, Pakistan is reported. Out of 300 fecal samples, 189 (57.3%) were positive for rotavirus by immunoassay. Patients aged 7–12 months (35.4%) were infected most commonly followed by the age group 0–6 months (28%). Different genotypes of rotavirus were identified by hemi‐nested RT‐PCR. The most common genotype was G1P[8] (25.3%), followed by G1P[6] (21.1%). Other genotypes were G1P[9], G2P[6], G9P[10]), G3P[8] (1.5%), and G9P[11] (1%). There were two (1%) cases of mixed G genotype, one patient with two genotypes G1, G10 and another patient with 3 genotypes G1, G10, and G12. There were 6 (3.1%) cases of mixed P genotypes, 3 P[4], P[11] and 3 P[8], P[11]. These results provide an outline of rotavirus infection in this area for the first time. J. Med. Virol. 84:2003–2007, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Science's Big Problem, Reincarnation's Big Potential, and Buddhists' Profound Embarrassment

Scientific materialism is the largely unquestioned basis for modern science’s understanding of life. It also holds enormous sway beyond science and thus has increasingly marginalized religious perspectives. Yet it is easy to find behavioral phenomena from the accepted literature that seriously challenge materialism. A number of these phenomena are very suggestive of reincarnation. The larger test for science’s paradigm, though, as well as for any potential general import from reincarnation, is the DNA (or genetics)-based model of heredity. If that conception-beget, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)-carried model can be confirmed at the individual level then in a very substantial way we would be confirmed as material-only creatures. In particular, can behavioral genetics and personal genomics confirm their DNA-based presumptions? During the last decade enormous efforts have been made to find the DNA origins for a number of health and behavioral tendencies. These efforts have been an “absolutely beyond belief” failure and it is here that the scientific vision faces its biggest challenge. The common pre-modern reincarnation understanding, on the other hand, fits well on a number of specific conundrums and offers a broad coherence across this unfolding missing heritability mystery. For people trying to make sense of a religious perspective or simply questioning materialism, you should be looking at the missing heritability problem.
MHD modeling of the Heliosphere: a critical evaluation of different models

The very complicated problem of the solar windinterstellar medium interaction requires a very sophisticated numerical approach. To achieve such a goal first we need to understand very deeply the results obtained up-to-now. In this paper we gather the results from four different MHD models of the heliospheric interfaces. The comparison of the results invokes several questions. These questions should be addressed before we proceed with the next steps in the MHD modeling of the heliospheric interfaces. Is a jet created between the termination shock and the heliopause (Opher et al., 2003, 2004)? What is the physical meaning of the V-shape of termination shock and heliopause (Washimi and Tanaka, 2001, 2004)? Whether a similar looking result is either due to bending of the heliospheric current sheet as in the model by Pogorelov (2004), Pogorelov et al. (2004) or due to numerical “reconnection” as in the model by Ratkiewicz et al. (2004, 2005)? The purpose of this paper is to open a wider discussion to try to answer these questions.
Self-assessment as an Autonomous Learning Tool in an Interpretation Classroom

This paper explores the usefulness of self-assessment in an interpretation classroom. Students of the Korean-English Program in a two-year graduate school of translation and interpretation were asked to analyze and assess their interpretation performances and submit a self-assessment report to the instructor. Later, a survey was conducted to find out what aspects of self-assessment the students found positive or negative. Based on the responses of the student and the teacher, selfassessment was found to be positive in identifying students’ weaknesses and strengths, enable targeted practice, and allow them to monitor their own progresses. But students also found selfassessment to be time-consuming and emotionally draining. However, all students and the instructor agreed that self-assessment was conducive to students. learning in an interpretation classroom.
Overwhelming sepsis associated with group A beta hemolytic streptococci.

Although over eighty years have elapsed since the discovery of the group A streptococcus, and although many fundanientally important findings about this organisni have enierged since that time, many physicians still are unaware that localized infection caused by this microbe is not always a mild or localized disease but may produce a fulminating illness that can progress rapidly to death. In this comniu-
Effect of High Dose of Pyridoxine on Mammary Tumorigenesis

Abstract: The effect of high-dose pyridoxine (PN) on mammary tumorigenesis was examined in female Sprague-Dawley rats. The first mammary tumors appeared between 84 and 90 days after 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene treatment. There was no effect of PN level on tumor incidence at 90 days but at 98, 104, and 111 days. Tumor incidence was lower in the high-dose group (35 mg PN/kg diet) compared with the controls (7 mg PN/kg diet). All tumors were identified as adenocarcinoma and most as papillary type. The number of microcarcinomas in mammary glands of the 35-mg PN group tended to be reduce than that of the 7-mg group. The number of proliferating Ki67-positive cells was significantly reduced by supplementation with PN.
Induction of Procalcitonin and Proinflammatory Cytokines in an Anhepatic Baboon Endotoxin Shock Model

Our objective was to evaluate the role of the liver for procalcitonin (PCT) and cytokine induction in a baboon endotoxin shock model. Complete liver resection with portocaval anastomosis was established in a baboon prior to the induction of endotoxin shock by intravenous administration of endotoxin (100 &mgr;g/kg LPS Escherichia coli). Two baboons without surgical intervention were used as controls. Plasma concentrations of PCT, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-&agr;, interleukin (IL) 6, IL-8, endotoxin, and hemodynamic and metabolic parameters were measured pre- and postoperatively and until 6 h after endotoxin administration. PCT concentrations increased to 1.2 and 4.6 ng/mL in control animals at 6 h, but remained below 0.3 ng/mL in the anhepatic baboon. IL-6 and IL-8 increased only for few hours in controls, but remained elevated in the hepatectomized animal near their maximum (IL-6, 2–6 ng/mL) or several-fold higher (IL-8, 30–35 ng/mL), whereas TNF-&agr; response was only a small fraction (0.3 ng/mL) of the controls. Endotoxin was much higher and longer persisting in the hepatectomized animal compared with controls. The near absence of PCT production in the anhepatic baboon suggests a primary role for the liver as a source of PCT production during endotoxin shock. Furthermore, the liver also seems to be an important source of TNF-&agr;, but not IL-6 or IL-8.
Trade-offs between Productivity and Quality in Selecting Software Development Practices

The authors report detailed data and analyses on productivity and quality from 29 Hewlett-Packard projects. While some software development models' characteristics affect performance negatively when considered alone, their impact disappears when considered in combination with other attributes. So, processes should be thought of as coherent systems of activities rather than as a series of individual practices that can be implemented piecemeal.
CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing ameliorates neurotoxicity in mouse model of Huntington’s disease

Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine repeat in the Huntingtin gene (HTT). Although suppressing the expression of mutant HTT (mHTT) has been explored as a therapeutic strategy to treat Huntington’s disease, considerable efforts have gone into developing allele-specific suppression of mHTT expression, given that loss of Htt in mice can lead to embryonic lethality. It remains unknown whether depletion of HTT in the adult brain, regardless of its allele, could be a safe therapy. Here, we report that permanent suppression of endogenous mHTT expression in the striatum of mHTT-expressing mice (HD140Q-knockin mice) using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated inactivation effectively depleted HTT aggregates and attenuated early neuropathology. The reduction of mHTT expression in striatal neuronal cells in adult HD140Q-knockin mice did not affect viability, but alleviated motor deficits. Our studies suggest that non–allele-specific CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing could be used to efficiently and permanently eliminate polyglutamine expansion–mediated neuronal toxicity in the adult brain.
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small T Antigen mRNA Level Is Increased following In Vivo UV-Radiation

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive skin cancer involving Merkel cells. Recently, a new human polyomavirus was implicated in MCC, being present in 80% of the samples analyzed. In virus-positive MCC, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is clonally integrated into the patients DNA, and carries mutations in its large T antigen, leading to a truncated protein. In non-symptomatic tissue MCPyV can reside at very low levels. MCC is also associated with older age, immunosuppression and sun exposure. However, the link with solar exposure remains unknown, as the precise mechanism and steps involved between time of infection by MCPyV and the development of MCC. We thus investigated the potential impact of solar simulated radiation (SSR) on MCPyV transcriptional activity. We screened skin samples of 20 healthy patients enrolled in a photodermatological protocol based on in vivo-administered 2 and 4 J/cm2 SSR. Two patients were infected with two new variants of MCPyV, present in their episomal form and RT-QPCR analyses on SSR-irradiated skin samples showed a specific and unique dose-dependent increase of MCPyV small t antigen transcript. A luciferase based in vitro assay confirmed that small t promoter is indeed UV-inducible. These findings demonstrate that solar radiation has an impact on MCPyV mRNA levels that may explain the association between MCC and solar exposure.
Locally produced natural conditioners for dewatering of faecal sludge

ABSTRACT In urban areas of low-income countries, treatment of faecal sludge (FS) is insufficient or non-existent. This results in large amounts of FS being dumped into the environment. Existing treatment technologies for FS, such as settling-thickening tanks and drying beds, are land intensive which is limiting in urban areas. Enhanced settling and dewatering by conditioning was evaluated in order to reduce the treatment footprint (or increase treatment capacity). Conventional wastewater conditioners, such as commercially available lime and polymers, are expensive, and commonly rely on complex supply chains for use in low-income countries. Therefore, the treatment performance of five conditioners which could be produced locally was evaluated: Moringa oleifera seeds and press cake, Jatropha curcas seeds, Jatropha Calotropis leaves and chitosan. M. oleifera seeds and press cake, and chitosan improved settling and dewatering and had a similar performance compared to lime and polymers. Optimal dosages were 400–500 kg M. oleifera/t TS, 300–800 kg lime/t TS and 25–50 kg polymer solution/t TS. In comparison, chitosan required 1.5–3.75 kg/t TS. These dosages are comparable to those recommended for wastewater (sludge). The results indicate that conditioning of FS can reduce total suspended solids (TSS) in the effluent of settling-thickening tanks by 22–81% and reduce dewatering time with drying beds by 59–97%. This means that the area of drying beds could be reduced by 59–97% with end-use as soil conditioner, or 9–26% as solid fuel. Least expensive options and availability will depend on the local context. In Dakar, Senegal, chitosan produced from shrimp waste appears to be most promising.
Animation and rendering of complex water surfaces

We present a new method for the animation and rendering of photo-realistic water effects. Our method is designed to produce visually plausible three dimensional effects, for example the pouring of water into a glass (see figure 1) and the breaking of an ocean wave, in a manner which can be used in a computer animation environment. In order to better obtain photorealism in the behavior of the simulated water surface, we introduce a new "thickened" front tracking technique to accurately represent the water surface and a new velocity extrapolation method to move the surface in a smooth, water-like manner. The velocity extrapolation method allows us to provide a degree of control to the surface motion, e.g. to generate a windblown look or to force the water to settle quickly. To ensure that the photorealism of the simulation carries over to the final images, we have integrated our method with an advanced physically based rendering system.