Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of Endophytic Bacterial Communities in Potato Plants to Infection with Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica

ABSTRACT The term endophyte refers to interior colonization of plants by microorganisms that do not have pathogenic effects on their hosts, and various endophytes have been found to play important roles in plant vitality. In this study, cultivation-independent terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA directly amplified from plant tissue DNA was used in combination with molecular characterization of isolates to examine the influence of plant stress, achieved by infection with the blackleg pathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica, on the endophytic population in two different potato varieties. Community analysis clearly demonstrated increased bacterial diversity in infected plants compared to that in control plants. The results also indicated that the pathogen stress had a greater impact on the bacteria population than the plant genotype had. Partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes of isolated endophytes revealed a broad phylogenetic spectrum of bacteria, including members of the α, β, and γ subgroups of the Proteobacteria, high- and low-G+C-content gram-positive organisms, and microbes belonging to the Flexibacter-Cytophaga-Bacteroides group. Screening of the isolates for antagonistic activity against E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica revealed that 38% of the endophytes protected tissue culture plants from blackleg disease.
Could Fixing: Academic Advising: Fix Higher Education

Not completely, but as the authors suggest, advising may be a very good place to start. While advising by itself certainly can't change the curriculum and co-curriculum, it can create a vital connection between students and their education—helping them to become more reflective and strategic about the choices they are making and the learning they are engaged in.
Updating Solutions of the Rational Function Model Using Additional Control Information

shown that the RFM can achieve a very high fitting accuracy to The rational function model (RFM) is a sensor model that the physical and is capable of replacing the rigorallows users to peqorm ~rtho-~~ctificat i~~ and 30 feature sensor models for photogrammetric restitution (~adani, extraction from imagery without knowledge of the physical lg99; DOwman and Dolloff, 2000; Yang, 2000; Tao and Hu, sensor model. It is a fact that the RFM is determined by the 2001~). It was reported in Grodecki (2001) that the ~konos ravendor using a proprietary physical sensor model. The ac- tional differs no more than 0.04 pixel fromthe ~h~sicuracy of the RFM solutions is dependent on the availability cal withtheRMS error 0.01 pixel. and the usage of ground control points (GCPS). In order to The RFM solutions are determined by the data vendor usobtain a more accurate RFM solution, the user may be asked ing a proprietary physical enso or model. The accuracy of the to supply GCPS to the data vendor. However, control infor- RFM solutions is dependent on the availability and the usage of mation may not be available at the time of data processing the GCPS. If accurate RFM solutions are required, GCPs are needor cannot be supplied due to some reasons (e.g., politics or ed and are incorporated into the RFM solution process. In this confidentiality). This paper addresses a means to update or case, the user may be a~ked to supply the GCPs to the data venimprove the existing RFM solutions when additional GCP~ are dor. However, the GCPS may not be available at the time of procavailable, without knowing the physical sensor model. From essing or cannot be supplied due to some reasons (e-g., politics a linear estimation perspective, the above issue can be tackled or confidentiality). using a phased estimation theory. In this paper, two methods If additional GCPS are available, one may ask if it is possible are proposed: a batch iterative least-squares (BILS) method to update or improve the existing RFM solutions (provided, for and an incremental discrete Kalman filtering (IDKF) method. example, by the vendor). In this paper, we present an approach Detailed descriptions of both methods are given. The feasi- to update and/or improve the existing RFM solutions when adbility of these two methods is validated and their perform- ditional GCPs are available, given that the physical sensor ances are evaluated. Some results concerning the updating model is unknown. In the next section, we briefly describe the of Ikonos imagery are also discussed. RFM by introducing a least-squares solution as well as two computation scenarios for RFM determination. In the following
Ursodeoxycholic Acid Suppresses Cox-2 Expression in Colon Cancer: Roles of Ras, p38, and CCAAT/Enhancer-Binding Protein

In the azoxymethane (AOM) model of experimental rodent colon cancer, cholic acid and its colonic metabolite deoxycholic acid (DCA) strongly promote tumorigenesis. In contrast, we showed that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a low abundance bile acid, inhibited AOM tumorigenesis. Dietary UDCA also blocked the development of tumors with activated Ras and suppressed cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) upregulation in AOM tumors. In this study, we compared the effect of dietary supplementation with tumor-promoting cholic acid to chemopreventive UDCA on Cox-2 expression in AOM tumors. Cholic acid enhanced Cox-2 upregulation in AOM tumors, whereas UDCA inhibited this increase and concomitantly decreased CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ), a transcriptional regulator of Cox-2. In HCA-7 colon cancer cells, DCA activated Ras and increased C/EBPβ and Cox-2 by a mechanism requiring the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38. UDCA inhibited DCA-induced p38 activation and decreased C/EBPβ and Cox-2 upregulation. Using transient transfections, UDCA inhibited Cox-2 promoter and C/EBP reporter activation by DCA. Transfection with dominant-negative 17N-Ras abolished DCA-induced p38 activation and C/EBPβ and Cox-2 upregulation. Taken together, these studies have identified a transcriptional pathway regulating Cox-2 expression involving Ras, p38, and C/EBPβ that is inhibited by UDCA. These signal transducers are novel targets of UDCA's chemopreventive actions.
The climatic significance of Late Ordovician-early Silurian black shales

The Ordovician-Silurian transition (approximate to 455-430Ma) is characterized by repeated climatic perturbations, concomitant with major changes in the global oceanic redox state best exemplified by the periodic deposition of black shales. The relationship between the climatic evolution and the oceanic redox cycles, however, remains largely debated. Here using an ocean-atmosphere general circulation model accounting for ocean biogeochemistry (MITgcm), we investigate the mechanisms responsible for the burial of organic carbon immediately before, during, and right after the latest Ordovician Hirnantian (445-444Ma) glacial peak. Our results are compared with recent sedimentological and geochemical data. We show that the late Katian time slice (approximate to 445Ma), typified by the deposition of black shales at tropical latitudes, represents an unperturbed oceanic state, with regional organic carbon burial driven by the surface primary productivity. During the Hirnantian, our experiments predict a global oxygenation event, in agreement with the disappearance of the black shales in the sedimentary record. This suggests that deep-water burial of organic matter may not be a tenable triggering factor for the positive carbon excursion reported at that time. Our simulations indicate that the perturbation of the ocean circulation induced by the release of freshwater, in the context of the post-Hirnantian deglaciation, does not sustain over sufficiently long geological periods to cause the Rhuddanian (approximate to 444Ma) oceanic anoxic event. Input of nutrients to the ocean, through increased continental weathering and the leaching of newly exposed glaciogenic sediments, may instead constitute the dominant control on the spread of anoxia in the early Silurian.
Does Initial Job Status Affect Midlife Outcomes and Mental Health? Evidence from a survey in Japan

This article examines how initial job status following graduation affects the midlife outcomes and mental health of Japanese workers, using micro data from a nationwide online survey of 3,117 men and 2,818 women aged 30-60. The focus was the impact of initial job status on socioeconomic/marital status and mental health during the person's midlife period. It was found that failure to obtain regular employment at the time of graduation raised the probabilities of unstable job status throughout the person's life, low household income, unmarried status, and psychological distress. The impact of initial job status on current mental health was not mediated fully by the current socioeconomic/marital status, particularly for women. Unlike general observations from Europe, this study suggests that unstable initial job status reduces opportunities for future success and has a traumatic effect on mental health.
Development of LiDAR-Based UAV System for Environment Reconstruction

In disaster management, reconstructing the environment and quickly collecting the geospatial data of the impacted areas in a short time are crucial. In this letter, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is proposed to complete the reconstruction task. The UAV integrate an inertial navigation system (INS), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, and a low-cost LiDAR. An unmanned helicopter is introduced and the multisensor payload architecture for direct georeferencing is designed to improve the capabilities of the vehicle. In addition, a new strategy of iterative closest point algorithm is proposed to solve the registration problems in the sparse and inhomogeneous derived point cloud. The proposed registration algorithm addresses the local minima problem by the use of direct-georeferenced points and the novel hierarchical structure as well as taking the feedback bias into INS/GNSS. The generated point cloud is compared with a more accurate one derived from a high-grade terrestrial LiDAR which uses real flight data. Results indicate that the proposed UAV system achieves meter-level accuracy and reconstructs the environment with dense point cloud.
Measurement of Dispositional Affect: Construct Validity and Convergence with a Circumplex Model of Affect

A circumplex model of affect has recently gained tentative acceptance by prominent researchers investigating the structure of dispositional affect. The present study examines the issue of construct validity of several existing measures of affect and their fit with the circumplex model. A traditional multitrait-multimethod matrix approach is utilized first, followed by a confirmatory factor analytic approach. These analyses demonstrate that the data collected using these four scales are characterized by generally good concurrent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, the data are in partial agreement with the proposed circumplex model of affect. Issues for the further development of the circumplex model and the use of these measures are discussed.
Organizational Mortality of Small Firms: The Effects of Entrepreneurial Age and Human Capital

This paper addresses the issue of internal determination of organizational outcomes. It is argued that in small and simply structured organizations a considerable proportion of the variance in organizational activities and outcomes is associated with individuals. In particular, the paper uses human capital theory to derive hypotheses about individual determinants of organizational mortality. These hypotheses are tested with event-history data of firm registrations and de-registrations in a West German region. The hypotheses are corroborated by the data, but the effects may nonetheless be due to processes linking individual characteristics with organizational performance other than those suggested by the human capital approach.
Circulating profile of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in tuberculosis patients with different degrees of pulmonary involvement.

To investigate whether differences in the degree of pulmonary tuberculosis lesions could be accompanied by changes in the pattern of circulating cytokines, 29 untreated tuberculosis patients showing mild (n = 10), moderate (n = 5) or advanced (n = 14) pulmonary disease, and 12 age-matched healthy controls (mean +/- S.D., 36 +/- 15 years) were studied. ELISA methods for the evaluation of interferon-gamma, interleukin-2, interleukin-4, and interleukin-10 indicated that all patients had increased serum levels of the four cytokines in relation to controls. Mean titers of interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 in mild and moderate patients appeared higher than in those with advanced disease, whereas moderate and advanced patients showed the higher levels of IL-4 in comparison to mild cases. Raised levels of interleukin-10 were more prevalent in advanced disease, and statistically different from those in mild patients. This cytokine pattern may help to explain findings wherein mild tuberculosis is characterized by preserved cellular immune responses while advanced disease is accompanied by an impairment of such parameters.
XMM–Newton observations of the Seyfert 1 AGN H 0557−385

We present XMM-Newton observations of the Seyfert 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN) H 0557 - 385. We have conducted a study into the warm absorber present in this source, and using high-resolution Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) data we find that the absorption can be characterized by two phases: a phase with log ionization parameter ξ of 0.50 (where ξ is in units of erg cm s -1 ) and a column of 0.2 x 10 21 cm -2 , and a phase with log ξ of 1.62 and a column of 1.3 x 10 22 cm -2 . An iron Ka line is detected. Neutral absorption is also present in the source, and we discuss possible origins for this. On the assumption that the ionized absorbers originate as an outflow from the inner edge of the torus, we use a new method for finding the volume filling factor. Both phases of H 0557 - 385 have small volume filling factors (≤1 per cent). We also derive the volume filling factors for a sample of 23 AGN using this assumption and for the absorbers with log ξ > 0.7, we find reasonable agreement with the filling factors obtained through the alternative method of equating the momentum flow of the absorbers to the momentum loss of the radiation field. By comparing the filling factors obtained by the two methods, we infer that some absorbers with log ξ < 0.7 occur at significantly larger distances from the nucleus than the inner edge of the torus.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Heat-Responsive Genes in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis)

Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis) is an economically and agriculturally significant vegetable crop and is extensively cultivated throughout the world. Heat stress disturbs cellular homeostasis and causes visible growth inhibition of shoots and roots, severe retardation in growth and development, and even death. However, there are few studies on the transcriptome profiling of heat stress in non-heading Chinese cabbage. In this study, we investigated the transcript profiles of non-heading Chinese cabbage from heat-sensitive and heat-tolerant varieties “GHA” and “XK,” respectively, in response to high temperature using RNA sequencing (RNA seq). Approximately 625 genes were differentially expressed between the two varieties. The responsive genes can be divided into three phases along with the time of heat treatment: response to stimulus, programmed cell death and ribosome biogenesis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the two varieties, including transcription factors (TFs), kinases/phosphatases, genes related to photosynthesis and effectors of homeostasis. Many TFs were involved in the heat stress response of Chinese cabbage, including NAC069 TF which was up-regulated at all the heat treatment stages. And their expression levels were also validated by quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR). These candidate genes will provide genetic resources for further improving the heat-tolerant characteristics in non-heading Chinese cabbage.
Very high-temperature impact melt products as evidence for cosmic airbursts and impacts 12,900 years ago

It has been proposed that fragments of an asteroid or comet impacted Earth, deposited silica-and iron-rich microspherules and other proxies across several continents, and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling episode 12,900 years ago. Although many independent groups have confirmed the impact evidence, the hypothesis remains controversial because some groups have failed to do so. We examined sediment sequences from 18 dated Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) sites across three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), spanning 12,000 km around nearly one-third of the planet. All sites display abundant microspherules in the YDB with none or few above and below. In addition, three sites (Abu Hureyra, Syria; Melrose, Pennsylvania; and Blackville, South Carolina) display vesicular, high-temperature, siliceous scoria-like objects, or SLOs, that match the spherules geochemically. We compared YDB objects with melt products from a known cosmic impact (Meteor Crater, Arizona) and from the 1945 Trinity nuclear airburst in Socorro, New Mexico, and found that all of these high-energy events produced material that is geochemically and morphologically comparable, including: (i) high-temperature, rapidly quenched microspherules and SLOs; (ii) corundum, mullite, and suessite (Fe3Si), a rare meteoritic mineral that forms under high temperatures; (iii) melted SiO2 glass, or lechatelierite, with flow textures (or schlieren) that form at > 2,200 °C; and (iv) particles with features indicative of high-energy interparticle collisions. These results are inconsistent with anthropogenic, volcanic, authigenic, and cosmic materials, yet consistent with cosmic ejecta, supporting the hypothesis of extraterrestrial airbursts/impacts 12,900 years ago. The wide geographic distribution of SLOs is consistent with multiple impactors.
Hierarchical part detection with deep neural networks

Part detection is an important aspect of object recognition. Most approaches apply object proposals to generate hundreds of possible part bounding box candidates which are then evaluated by part classifiers. Recently several methods have investigated directly regressing to a limited set of bounding boxes from deep neural network representation. However, for object parts such methods may be unfeasible due to their relatively small size with respect to the image. We propose a hierarchical method for object and part detection. In a single network we first detect the object and then regress to part location proposals based only on the feature representation inside the object. Experiments show that our hierarchical approach outperforms a network which directly regresses the part locations. We also show that our approach obtains part detection accuracy comparable or better than state-of-the-art on the CUB-200 bird and Fashionista clothing item datasets with only a fraction of the number of part proposals.
Toxicity of metalaxyl, azoxystrobin, dimethomorph, cymoxanil, zoxamide and mancozeb to Phytophthora infestans isolates from Serbia

A study of the in vitro sensitivity of 12 isolates of Phytophthora infestans to metalaxyl, azoxystrobin, dimethomorph, cymoxanil, zoxamide and mancozeb, was conducted. The isolates derived from infected potato leaves collected at eight different localities in Serbia during 2005–2007. The widest range of EC50 values for mycelial growth of the isolates was recorded for metalaxyl. They varied from 0.3 to 3.9 μg mL−1 and were higher than those expected in a susceptible population of P. infestans. The EC50 values of the isolates were 0.16–0.30 μg mL−1 for dimethomorph, 0.27–0.57 μg mL−1 for cymoxanil, 0.0026–0.0049 μg mL−1 for zoxamide and 2.9–5.0 μg mL−1 for mancozeb. The results indicated that according to effective concentration (EC50) the 12 isolates of P. infestans were sensitive to azoxystrobin (0.019–0.074 μg mL−1), and intermediate resistant to metalaxyl, dimethomorph and cymoxanil. According to resistance factor, all P. infestans isolates were sensitive to dimethomorph, cymoxanil, mancozeb and zoxamide, 58.3% of isolates were sensitive to azoxystrobin and 50% to metalaxyl. Gout's scale indicated that 41.7% isolates were moderately sensitive to azoxystrobin and 50% to metalaxyl.
Fungal spore concentrations in two haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) units containing distinct air control systems

SUMMARY Invasive fungal diseases have emerged as important causes of morbidity and mortality in haematological patients. In this study air samples were collected in two haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) units, in which distinct air-control systems were in place. In hospital 1 no high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter was available whereas in hospital 2 HSCT rooms were equipped with HEPA filters, with positive air pressure in relation to the corridor. A total of 117 samples from rooms, toilets and corridors were obtained during December 2009 to January 2011, using a six-stage Andersen sampler. In both hospitals, the concentration of potentially pathogenic fungi in the air was reduced in patients' rooms compared to corridors (P < 0·0001). Despite the presence of a HEPA filter in hospital 2, rooms in both hospitals showed similar concentrations of potentially pathogenic fungi (P = 0·714). These findings may be explained by the implementation of additional protective measures in hospital 1, emphasizing the importance of such measures in protected environments.
Applying theory to structure respondents' stated motivations for participating in web surveys

Purpose – There is limited published work addressing factors that influence responses to internet surveys. This is due in part to lack of an agreed upon set of relevant theories. Albaum, Evangelista and Medina (AEM) and Evangelista et al. made a step toward filling this gap when they studied the relevance of four theories of survey response behaviour. The AEM study included a survey from a population of survey researchers. Based on their survey, they concluded that all four theories contribute to explaining survey response behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory extension of AEM by using an extended set of theories in an exploratory content analysis of qualitative feedback to a large internet‐based experiment.Design/methodology/approach – An internet‐based survey using an experimental design was sent to essentially the entire population of student e‐mail addresses at a New Zealand university. The 12,000 questionnaires distributed included open‐end questions that asked about facto.
Syscan3, a Kit for Detection of Anti-Candida Antibodies for Diagnosis of Invasive Candidiasis

ABSTRACT Sera from 76 immunocompetent and 293 immunocompromised subjects were assayed for anti-Candida antibodies. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for invasive candidiasis were 74%, 75%, 62%, and 84% in the immunocompetent group and 15%, 60%, 1.7%, and 93% in the immunocompromised group, respectively. Syscan3 has high negative predictive value.